Cloud Advantage

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ARCO – “powered by artificial intelligence, one of the world’s first cloud-based security monitoring software packages.”

The ARCO platform is an intelligent, centrally controlled, management platform, designed primarily for monitoring data from thousands of remote sites. Built with the latest cloud based technologies, the ARCO platform allows unlimited scalability and interoperability with third party systems. It is specifically enabled to protect high value assets, platforms, services and data stores with no reliance on location dependent IT assets, resources or operations.

Why cloud? As IBM and Forrester have so ably explained –

Cloud computing The key to continuing a successful virtual-to-physical transformation, to taking advantage of new-found agility and innovation, lies in the cloud. Going forward, organizations will need to continue modernizing operations to realize the immense benefits of cloud-native capabilities: location independence, talent flexibility, scalability, resilience, interoperability and seamless transition to a virtualized engagement and delivery model.

First, where cloud was once a desired future end state, it is now an indispensable, immediate environment. Second, organizations can move faster than they realized and be nimbler than they believed possible. Third, earlier rationalizations that prevented successful and speedy digital transformation can no longer be tolerated. Becoming an agile digital enterprise is essential.

All of these efforts, enabled by secure cloud technology; accelerate efficiency, support new work practices and serve as driving forces for transformation and modernization. Organizations embracing public and hybrid cloud are already emerging stronger, better and more resilient with greater transparency, visibility and accountability through common performance enterprise metrics, digitally instrumented.

Increased automation, application of AI and other advanced technologies which drive efficiency, along with quality, security, collaboration and innovation. The shift to digital services will reduce organizations’ dependence on travel and physical presence.

What corporations need (key items for success) –

Security for their growing remote workforce, including unified endpoint management for mobile devices and laptops, as well as identity and access management to safeguard users, applications and data. Access to remote and virtual security experts and analysts who can rapidly extend security team capacity, or make specialized skills and subject matter expertise available on demand.

Location and scale flexibility, reducing reliance on physical, location-dependent IT assets, resources and operations, with long-term benefits for budgets and staffing.

Consolidation of infrastructure and simplification of operational support processes around a standard cloud based platform.
A permanent shift to cloud archive and storage, including replacing manual tape environments that are location dependent and difficult to access under shelter-in-place orders.

Deeper commitment to automation and virtual workflow orchestration, along with a greater commitment to open (non-proprietary), interoperable services.
Ability to generate whole-of-business insights on demand.

Governance and productivity monitoring, with faster cycles of leadership updates, more organizational and operational lesson-sharing, heightened cross-functional communication and decision making.

SPG’s ARCO Solution can provide a consistent work experience with desktops and apps—accessible from virtually anywhere.

Cloud computing allows mobile access to corporate data via smartphones and devices, which is a great way to ensure that no one is ever left out of the loop. Staff with busy schedules, or who live a long way away from the corporate office, can use the Manager App to keep instantly up-to-date with site status.

SPG’s ARCO Solution
Resources in the cloud can be easily stored, retrieved, recovered, or processed with just a couple of clicks. Users can get access to their works on-the-go, 24/7, via any devices of their choice, in any corner of the world as long as they stay connected to the internet. On top of that, all the upgrades and updates are done automatically, off-site by service providers. This saves time and team effort in maintaining the systems, tremendously reducing IT team workloads.

For more information – see www.vigilcore.com

A Forrester Consulting Thought Leadership Paper Commissioned By IBM January 2020 Reinventing Workflows Power Your Digital Transformation And Drive Greater Impact By Modernizing Processes. Trending Insights – Beyond the Great Lockdown: Emerging stronger to a different normal. COVID-19 Action Guide for Executives. IBM Institute for Business Value.
A Forrester Consulting Thought Leadership Paper Commissioned By IBM April 2020 The Future Of Work Is Now: Build Resiliency And Adaptability With Automation And AI

24 Hour Security – The Perks of AI

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Why Security Systems with Artificial Intelligence are Better

Security should always be a priority which means that it should not be neglected. It is important to secure business assets around the clock, and at present, not every Company can manage or afford to do that.

Thanks to the evolution in technology, there are now “machines” that can make it possible for you to guard your property and other assets for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Technology has provided more security gadgets and devices that can help monitor and deter crime without having to invest valuable corporate time and resources.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is gradually growing to be even larger than expected. There are a lot of IoT devices connected to the internet, effectively helping companies with their everyday needs. One of the needs is security.

There are now automated security systems that use artificial intelligence (AI) to better secure businesses. In this case, AI is used to automate what would be repetitive tasks in a better way. The key to automation is including key parameters in the initial set up phase.

Having an AI-assisted security system at your business requires minimal interaction with the system itself. Once you have set desired settings and outcomes, the system will calibrate itself and run smoothly.

If for instance, an automated security system picks up an alert from a motion sensor, security lighting can be enabled, and associated security cameras can quickly pan through the scene. If there is confirmation of an actionable event, smart locks can then be instantly activated, microphones used to listen in and access control, video, sound recordings and management information can be passed to a mobile application and security monitoring centre for further decision making. Confirming an event with multiple sources of information means company personnel won’t be needlessly disturbed.

Advantages of Automated Security Systems with AI

Always Online

Since most automated security systems will make use of IoT devices, this provides an “always-on” capability where connectivity, device status, power supply and battery health and environmental indicators (heat, light, humidity, flood, flow control and many others) are automatically monitored. In addition, this information can be provided to an individual, third party response company or contractor and allows fingertip control to the heart of the solution to program and manage any incident.

Minimal InteractionWhy Security Systems with Artificial Intelligence are Better

Whilst providing control of every parameter of the solution, after set up, automation will take over. There’s no need to spend Corporate resources or time on an ongoing basis.

Audit Trail, Data Integrity & Security.

Every detail of your Company security solution is only available to an authenticated user. An audit trail contains all of the alarm, access, video, voice and environmental monitoring information which you can call up for specific dates without any problem.

SPG delivers outstanding automated security systems for your business. We make sure that Company assets will be protected.

Contact SPG Controls for further information

Open Supervised Device Protocol and Added Security

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Open Supervised Device Protocol and Added Security

The Security Industry Association (SIA), which represents electronic and physical security solutions providers, developed the Open Supervised Device Protocol (OSDP) to help improve interoperability for access control security products.

OSDP

What Are The Advantages of OSDP?

OSDP is Flexible

There are many connectivity options available under OSDP; 2-wire communications fibre optics, wireless, and TCP/IP, all of which are readily available and widely deployed. In addition, OSDP is not constrained by communication limitations such as being tied to an RS-485 twisted pair. Security specialists can utilise any full or half-duplex data communication medium available with the appropriate protocol translator and gateway.

The OSDP roadmap specification also allows for extended IP environments and also allows for cross-checking and monitoring of security platforms from different manufacturer devices and solutions, a huge advantage.

OSDP Enhances Output for Audio and Visual Feeds

More data can be displayed thanks to OSDP as it also provides a format that can be used for text displays using the card reader. There are also additional timed functions and help with improving audio feeds and other digital outputs from a legacy reader (with a conversion device) and an OSDP-compliant reader.

OSDP is Scalable

OSDP allows for up to 126 addressable devices in one RS-485 line (splitting them up across different channels). This improves the poll/response cycle times to make security tighter yet more fluid.

OSDP and AES-128

The OSDP specification has an authentication and encryption scheme in place, AES-128. This encryption secures data that is being transferred across a network to controllers and connected devices. Implementing the encryption is also straightforward in low cost embedded peripheral devices.. CMAC chaining is used for securing the channels through key management and such.

OSDP and Implementation

OSDP is a relatively new protocol; however, it is l easy to implement with card data supported in raw format, 200-bit binary and Wiegand.

osdp

OSDP has clear advantages over Weigand;
OSDP is easier to implement overall and is user-friendly.
Training is short and simple for implementing the protocol over networks and devices.OSDP is cheaper and more practical because of the minimal cable requirements. OSDP supports cable ranges up to 1200m while Wiegand only up to 152m.

OSDP uses the high-end AES-128 encryption being more secure than Wiegand.
OSDP supports two way communication between the controller and the card reader.

 

Why Use or Adopt OSDP?

OSDP has been supported by every major Access Control product manufacturer. SIA recommends that OSDP is particularly used in high-risk security applications. In addition, it can also be used in government use cases as it meets federal access control requirements such as PKI for FICAM.

Why Use or Adopt OSDP?

SPG S1000 Control Panel’s features an RS485 multidrop OSDP port Isolated RS232/RS485 configurable port to communicate with SPG Alarm Keypad, Sensor Board and other 3rd party devices.

To know more about OSDP and how it can help your business contact SPG Controls.

 

Cloud Blog

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Advantages of Monitoring your Security Systems through the Cloud

Business of all sizes and in all geographies, are turning to cloud services. According to a survey by RightScale, both public and private cloud adoption continues to increase, year on year.

The survey shows; respondents now adopting public cloud is 92% , up from 89% in 2017, respondents now adopting private cloud is 75%, up from 72% in 2017. As a result, the overall portion of respondents using at least one public or private cloud is now 96%.

An organization operating on limited financial resources may also leverage cloud technologies to transition from a capital expense model to an operational expense pricing model. By sourcing IT services from the cloud, organizations can focus their investments on building HR capital, business growth, product development and improvements, marketing and customer support. . For a fast-growing organization, the cost component of IT infrastructure can grow exponentially. The expenses associated with deployment, management and security of a complex IT infrastructure can overwhelm and limit the agility of organizations in response to fast-changing market requirements.

The cloud is a great way to run a business since it offers many advantages.

What is cloud computing?

Cloud computing is a term used to describe the use of hardware and software delivered via a network (usually the Internet). The term comes from the use of cloud-shaped symbol that represents an abstraction of a rather complex infrastructure that enables the work of software, hardware, computation and remote services.

Simply put, cloud computing is computing based on the internet. In the past, applications or programs would run from software downloaded on a physical computer or server . Cloud computing allows access to the same kinds of applications through the internet.

Cloud computing is based on the premise that computing takes place on mulitple, often remote machines,. Data collected is stored and processed by remote servers (also called cloud servers). This means devices accessing the cloud don’t need to work as hard!
SPG Controls Cloud Services

By hosting the ARCO Solution remotely, cloud servers free up the memory and computing power of individual computers. Users can securely access cloud services using credentials received from the cloud computing provider.

The advantages include cost benefits, technology innovation and business process andsecurity improvements,. SPG believes in these five key benefits for your organization:

1. Enable productivity from anywhere

Provide a consistent work experience with desktops and apps—accessible from virtually anywhere.

Cloud computing allows mobile access to corporate data via smartphones and devices, which is a great way to ensure that no one is ever left out of the loop. Staff with busy schedules, or who live a long way away from the corporate office, can use the Manager App to keep instantly up-to-date with site status.

Resources in the cloud can be easily stored, retrieved, recovered, or processed with just a couple of clicks. Users can get access to their works on-the-go, 24/7, via any devices of their choice, in any corner of the world as long as they stay connected to the internet. On top of that, all the upgrades and updates are done automatically, off-site by service providers. This saves time and team effort in maintaining the systems, tremendously reducing the IT team workloads.

2. Maintain business continuity

Data loss is a significant concern for all organizations, along with data security. Storing your data in the cloud guarantees that data is always available, even if your equipment like laptops or PCs is damaged. Cloud-based services provide quick data recovery for all kinds of emergency scenarios — from natural disasters to power outages.

If you rely on traditional on-premises approach, all your data will be stored locally, on office computers. Despite your best efforts, computers can malfunction for various reasons — from malware and viruses to age-related hardware deterioration or as a result of user error.

SPG Controls’ Cloud Services can help you with loss prevention. The ARCO Platform is a Docker container-based system designed to be distributed, redundant and scalable The Platform can be run in a Docker Swarm container environment in a public or private cloud hosting environment, and support online or offline (air-gapped) installations.

3. Help secure Sites from cyberattacks

One of the major concerns of every business, regardless of size or industry, is the security of its data. Data breaches and other cybercrimes can devastate a company’s revenue, customer loyalty and brand positioning.

Tightly regulated industries face stringent compliance requirements associated with the security, availability and performance of datacenter technologies. Organizations handling sensitive financial, healthcare or other private information of customers are required to deploy robust mechanisms to protect customer data.

SPG Control offers many advanced security features that guarantee that data is securely stored and handled. The ARCO Platform communicates with each component using wolfSSL; the library is a lightweight SSL/TLS library targeted for embedded, RTOS, and resource-constrained environments – primarily because of its small size, speed, and feature set.

All communications to the S1000 Smart Controller use HTTP over TLS and are authenticated in both directions using certificates. Certificates are validated or revoked by the ARCO Platform Integrations Layer. All communications will occur with the S1000 device acting as the TCP/HTTP client on port 443 so that no site-side firewalls need to be configured.

4. Business Future-Proofing

Different companies have different IT needs — a large enterprise of 1000+ employees won’t have the same IT requirements as a start-up. Using the cloud is an excellent solution because it enables an enterprise to efficiently — and quickly — scale up/down their IT departments, according to business demands.

The technology industry is fast-moving, agile and is responsive to changing market situations. Pioneers and industry-leading organizations lead the competition from the front and respond to market changes proactively. This agility is more easily realized when the necessary technical resources are at their disposal. Traditional technology models such as on-premise datacenters tend to limit organizations who would otherwise need to deploy new infrastructure before scaling their business.

SPG Controls Cloud Services is ideal for businesses with growing or fluctuating bandwidth demands. If your business demands increase, you can quickly increase your cloud capacity without having to invest in physical infrastructure. This agility can provide a competitive advantage

5. Continuously optimize the cost of your workloads

Many organizations rely on datacenter systems to operate at scale and are challenged with the ongoing management and security needs of complex IT infrastructure. Executives are forced to invest resources in areas focused on keeping the systems running instead of scaling business operations in broader markets or in research and development toward innovative solutions.

By using cloud infrastructure, organizations do not have to spend huge amounts of money on purchasing and maintaining equipment or in hardware, utilities, or building out a large data centre to grow their business. In addition, IT teams can be minimised as cloud providers’ staff handle cloud data centre operations.,. IDG’s 2020 Cloud Computing Survey puts some fresh data behind this paradigm shift.

SPG Controls is committed to fulfilling the SLA agreements that limit the total annual downtime, service performance levels and security measures.

Is migrating to SPG Controls Cloud Services best for you?

Not every company will migrate to the cloud, at least not yet. However, many organizations have already benefitted through positive impacts on their business.

Cloud adoption increases every year since companies realize that it offers them access to world-class enterprise technology. And, if you implement a cloud solution now, you’ll be ahead of your competitors!

If you have any questions about how to effectively adopt the cloud for your business, or how to optimize your cloud performance and reduce costs, contact us today to help you out with your performance and security needs.

Links:
https://www.flexera.com/blog/industry-trends/trend-of-cloud-computing-2020/
https://vigilcore.com/software/
https://www.docker.com/resources/what-container
https://www.wolfssl.com/about/
https://www.idg.com/tools-for-marketers/2020-cloud-computing-study/

Cloud Security

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What are the Security Risks of Cloud Computing?

Cloud security—also called cloud computing security—refers to the discipline and practice of protecting cloud computing environments, applications, data and information against unauthorized use/access, distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks, hackers, malware, and other risks.

Businesses and governments are shifting more and more data to the cloud. However, some organizations remain resistant to the cloud’s considerable attractions due to lingering concerns about data security and privacy.

What are the Principal Cloud Computing Security Considerations?

Loss of data

By its very nature, cloud computing involves some transfer of control from the “customer” to the service provider. While this leaves users more time and financial resources to focus on other facets of their business, there is always the risk that sensitive data is in someone
else’s hands. If the security of a cloud service is breached, hackers could potentially gain access to intellectual property or other confidential files.

Malware infections

Due to the high volume of data stored in the cloud and the reliance on an internet connection to store this data, any organisation using cloud services is potentially at risk of cyberattacks. An increasingly common threat is a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, whereby hackers send unprecedented volumes of traffic to a web-based application, thereby crashing the servers.

Legal/compliance issues

With increasing legislation related to data protection including for example, GDPR in Europe and HIPAA in healthcare, staying compliant is becoming more challenging. Companies must have steadfast rules governing who can access data and what they can do with it. With cloud computing’s easy access to data on a large scale, it can be challenging to keep track of who can access this information.

How SPG Controls helps safeguard your data security in cloud computing

From providing scalable solutions to staying on top of the latest web security threats, SPG Controls Cloud Services offers a secure solution that safeguards resources and data.

1. Network Segmentation

In multi-tenant environments, SPG recommends segmentation is in place between Company and Customer resources , as well as between any instances. Leverage a zone approach, to isolate instances, containers, applications and full systems from each other when possible.
The functionality of the ARCO platform is broken down into components, a suite of small, narrowly focused, independently deployable services. Each microservice runs in its own process and communicates with HTTPS endpoints via the Web API. Those services are encapsulated for specific capabilities and are deployed independently using a fully automated mechanism.

2. Privileged Access Management

Leverage robust identity management and authentication processes to ensure only authorized users have access to the cloud environment, applications, and data.
ARCO Platform users are given a set of permissions from the collection of configurable roles. Roles are only allowed to access the information necessary to perform specific tasks effectively. Access can be based on several factors, such as authority, responsibility and job competency. In addition, access to the SPG ARCO Platform can be limited to specific tasks such as the ability to view, create or modify a device.

3. Password Control

Cloud services should be secured with a username and password, but there is always a risk that login credentials can be stolen and used to gain unauthorized access to cloud services and steal or modify data.

The ARCO Platform features a built-in password strength monitor to guide in creating secure passwords. Clients are passed a session token (Java Web Token), and every action that the user performs on the web session exchanges with this token.

4. High-Level Encryption

One of the major concerns of every business, regardless of size and industry, is the security of its data. Data breaches and other cybercrimes can devastate a company’s revenue, customer loyalty and brand positioning.
The ARCO Platform communicates with each component using wolfSSL. The wolfSSL library is a lightweight SSL/TLS library targeted for embedded, RTOS, and resource-constrained environments – primarily because of its small size, speed and feature set. It is used in many common platforms because the wolfSSL library supports over 30 different operating environments, industry standards up to the current TLS 1.3 library and offers progressive cyphers such as ChaCha20, Curve25519, NTRU, and Blake2b. User benchmarking and feedback report dramatically better performance when using wolfSSL versus other similar implementations of TLS.

5. Disaster Recovery

Data loss is a significant concern for all organizations, along with data security. Storing data in the cloud guarantees that data is always available, even if your equipment like laptops or PCs is damaged. Cloud-based services provide quick data recovery for all kinds of emergency scenarios, from natural disasters to power outages.

SPG Controls’ Cloud Services can help you with loss prevention. The ARCO Platform is a Docker container-based system designed to be distributed, redundant and scalable. The ARCO Platform can be run in a Docker Swarm container environment in a public or private cloud hosting environment, and support online or offline (air-gapped) installations.

Is migrating to SPG Controls Cloud Services best for you?

Not every company will migrate to the cloud, at least not yet. However, of organizations that adopt cloud services, many find the benefits positively impact their business.

Cloud adoption increases every year as companies realize it offers them access to world-class enterprise technology. And, if you implement a cloud solution now, you’ll be ahead of the competition.

If you have any questions about how to effectively adopt the cloud for your business, or how to optimize your cloud performance and reduce costs, contact us today to help you out with your performance and security needs.

Top 5 Encryption Best Practices That Will Protect You

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Best Encryption Practices to Protect Your Business

Growing in importance, Encryption is something that every business needs! Not only to provide better online security but to prevent data breaches and business interruption.

What is Encryption?

In its simplest form, Encryption is the process by which data is encoded to prevent that data from being easily understood by an unauthorised person.  Only the parties involved in the communication are authorised to decrypt the data. As examples, those parties can be between your browser and a website, a storage device and an individual authorised user.

Normally a message is encrypted with a key, but for demonstration purposes and in a very simple way, characters may be “shifted” to another place in the alphabet. For instance, B might become A. The word “AZS” is an encrypted form of “BAT” as the places have been shifted by one place to the left. One of the most popular shift cyphers is the ROT13, which is short for “rotate by 13 places”.

Why Use Encryption?

Encryption prevents unauthorised actors from seeing sensitive data, whether that data is static or in transit. Data is considered to be transmitting whenever it is sent to another party or endpoint. For instance,  transferring a file to another device. For the duration of the transmit, a third-party can “eavesdrop” on the communication and create an opportunity for a  man-in-the-middle attack (MITM).

A man-in-the-middle attack can alter the communication between two parties and can happen in real-time. It can alter the data that is being transmitted and received and can lead to serious complications. For instance, a patch that seems normal might end up carrying a payload of viruses and backdoors which hackers can use to gain entry and compromise an otherwise secure system. Some everyday computer users and even administrators do not often see that their systems are already compromised because the altered data will be presented just as a normal software update. Another grave consequence is that sensitive data can be taken by hackers. If a system regularly transmits bank details or credit card credentials, they could be taken by malicious actors. Some systems would also be unable to detect whether data was compromised.

What practices can be implemented to make sure that data is secure and sound?

Multiple Encryption Methods

Having layers of Encryption for data can be beneficial. They can act as a separate layer of security for each encryption method available. If one of the Encryption fails, there are other methods that can be used to slow down or even deter hackers from taking further action.

ARCO Platform communicates with each component using wolfSSL.

The wolfSSL library is a lightweight SSL/TLS library targeted for embedded, RTOS, and resource-constrained environments – primarily because of its small size, speed, and feature set. It is used in many common platforms because the wolfSSL library supports over 30 different operating environments, industry standards up to the current TLS 1.3 library and offers progressive cyphers such as ChaCha20, Curve25519, NTRU, and Blake2b. User benchmarking and feedback report dramatically better performance when using wolfSSL versus other similar implementations of TLS.

Detailed Logs and Audit Trails

System design should incorporate the creation and storage of traffic logs for every event. This should include tracking which users are logged in and from where they are logged in. This can help administrators and cybersecurity experts to identify suspicious activities. In the case of an attack, investigators can see location data which may be helpful in building better fortification strategies.

ARCO Platforms includes real-time events, reports and alarms throughout the system.

Access to real-time information will help Companies visually understand changing security and business conditions to enable better decisions. Ones based on the real-time data and collated in pre-designated reports. ARCO enables you to identify trends and measure the impact of system activities.

Set Minimal Privileges for Users

Integrated systems tend to provide a lot of user privileges. It is important to limit access to a system to the minimal privileges required by each user. The temptation is to incorporate more system privileges than are required. For instance, a guest user does not need administrator privileges.

ARCO Platform gives users a set of permissions from a set of configurable roles.

 

Roles are only allowed to access the information necessary to perform specific tasks effectively. Access can be based on several factors, such as authority, responsibility and job competency. In addition, access to ARCO Platform can be limited to specific tasks such as the ability to view, create or modify a device.

Backups

It is also important to create regular system backups. This permits authorised users to restore data in case of a disruption to service.

Get Better Security

Invest in accredited and tested products and select fully trained and experienced partners for implementation and support services. SPG Controls has the right products and track record for securing your business as well as a global network of authorised Value-Added Resellers. Contact us to know more.

 

 

Monitoring Your System Anytime Anywhere

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24/7 Monitoring for Security Systems

Your Corporation’s security system should be something that can be easily monitored anytime and anywhere. Thanks to a lot of improvements in technology, it finally can!

What Are Security Systems?

Security systems help protect your place of business. They permit access, preserving privacy and establishing audit trails, they provide video recording and transmission of events, provide out of hours intruder detection and can be extended to include any number of environmental sensors enabled to control light, heat, humidity, flood, fire, power consumption and lone working. Depending on budget or demand for security, the system can be configured to suit all business types, from a single premise to a multi-location, multinational business.

Deciding what security system and security devices to purchase can be an intimidating responsibility. However, there are several sources of information from third party consultants, local expert providers and recommendations from Police Crime Prevention Units. SPG Controls would advocate the appointment of experienced and accredited companies as an installation and support partner, In addition, the enablement of remote control of your security solution is essential in today’s unique environment, where individual and remote working is an everyday occurrence.

There are some factors to consider when selecting a security system. For instance, what would best serve your Company, controlling access through the use of locking devices and readers, providing intruder detection during overnight and weekend closures, protecting remote and lone workers, protecting valuable assets from flood, fire, heat and humidity or misuse? Monitoring and recording CCTV or audio to enable verification of any event? Typically, an intruder alarm is connected to a third-party monitoring company who follow your instructions depending on the type and time of an alarm event. In today’s market, SPG Controls would recommend taking a further step forwards by enabling the control of your Company’s security systems through a mobile application, providing immediate data on your premise’s security system. Having the ability to check, verify and manage all aspects of your security solution as an authenticated user from your mobile device is essential.

Advantages of Security Systems

Security systems today have many benefits, thanks to advancements in technology. Many are now connected to IoT devices (Internet of Things) which makes them ideal for automating aspects of your Company’s security. For instance, by permitting both local and remote locking and unlocking of doors and gates.

Permitting the monitoring of your Company’s security system anytime and from anywhere. Additionally providing CCTV and audio content to enable remote verification. It’s much easier to decide on a course of action if management can see and hear what’s happening.

SPG Controls’ ARCO Enterprise Platform allows users to monitor data from thousands of remote sites. It is built with the latest web technologies for a faster and more secure experience. Support for unlimited connections also means that there is a huge potential for horizontal scalability. Every function supported is also accessible thanks to an open API. A dynamic server environment also ensures that there are unlimited redundancy and scalability

Product Specifics

SPG Controls’ S1000 Smart Controller manages access control, intruder alarms and any other applicable building management functions that can be remotely accessed by authorized users. It allows the monitoring and access of your security system whilst maintaining a secure remote connection. As an option, it can be equipped with a 4G connection as well as with Bluetooth Low Energy for setup and control. Other S1000 controllers can also be connected as slaves to expand the network in a building, compound, campus or over globally dispersed locations.

The SPG Sensor Remote Expansion Device provides analogue sensing information. These can be connected to the  S1000 controller, which processes information in real-time in order to decide the course of action based on the pre-programmed rules. The interface also has sensors for humidity and temperature, which can also be useful for facilities that have intensive cooling or warming systems.

SPG Sensor Remote Expansion Device

Contact us today to find out how an SPG Controls security system can help you protect your assets.

The Anatomy of a Unified System Integration

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How Automated Security Systems Work

Having a unified security system integration policy for your Company is a game-changer. It can help provide more security to property and assets but also brings additional benefits.

Unified system integration for security has a lot of advantages, and thanks to SPG Controls technology a lot more is possible.

Some advantages of automated security systems:

Monitoring

Every “event” is included in a system audit trail and can be monitored. For example, Companies can monitor anyone entering their properties, whether single locations or multiple locations, locally, regionally or globally and have data at their fingertips either to a control room, a security room or through a Mobile Application. Entrances and exits may be viewed in real-time, locally, at a regional headquarters, or remotely. Visitors, contractors and delivery personnel can be screened prior to being authorised to enter Company property, minimising the risk to Company personnel.

Regulation of Access for Secure Places

Most Companies have areas in their premises where additional access rights are required; An example could be an IT or communications room, a UPS room, a storage area for high-value items, Corporate policy may dictate that two personnel are required in certain locations or that an airlock controls access by only one person at a time,

Automated systems can be programmed to let only specified personnel or authorised contractors into critical areas within your property. Each event will be added to the audit trail within the SPG Controls system.

Trail Records and Logs

The system creates an audit trail for every event, and a flexible reporting tool enables records to be presented for multiple uses, for example, contractor attendance records, payroll input through time and attendance reporting, fire muster lists in the event of a fire alarm.

Safely Manage Everything

As an authorised and authenticated system administrator, management of the automated security system is at your fingertips. SPG Controls provides an intuitive Mobile Application through which Company personnel can safely and securely manage any security event.

What makes an Integrated System?

Multi-Function Security Control Panel

At the heart of an SPG Controls security solution is the S1000, a multi-functional security control panel. This is typically located at every site and integrates with existing or new security equipment such as movement sensors, door contacts, building alarms, the fire system, CCTV or camera system, access control and locks, intercom, and other security components in the integrated system. In addition, the S1000 provides the capability to connect to multiple other inputs, such as but not limited to, temperature, light, heat and humidity sensors, refrigeration units, air conditioning units and lone worker monitoring with full backward control.

User Interface Devices

Keypads, biometrics, and other interface devices allow authorised security personnel to arm and disarm locks and alarms in Corporate properties. They also allow administrators to control parts of the automated system either locally through the Keypad or remotely through the Mobile Application

Central Software Monitoring System

The software part of the automated security system is crucial as it manages all of the access to all system components. It collects and records data from every input in the system.

SPG Controls offers these advanced parts of an integrated system for security.

S1000 Smart Controller

Remote access is possible thanks to the S1000 Intelligent control panel which can be connected to adaptor modules and network devices.

The S1000 Smart Controller can be installed to monitor and automate alarms and access control rights to areas and doors. There is automatic data collection from readers and other devices within each location.

Remote User Interface

The SPG Keypad supports a variety of features including local arming and disarming of the security equipment. Other components, such as OSDP readers, can provide access control functionality.

Remote User Interface

 

Security in each area can be fine-tuned using Scheduled Access, Anti-pass back, Duress Alarms and Dual Authentication options.

ARCO Platform

The ARCO platform is one of the most advanced management tools that can be used to operate a central security monitoring environment. It can provide access and records to all of the connected monitoring devices such as cameras, alarms, locks, and other sensors. It can also be used for multiple operator workstations for efficiency and redundancy. The platform handles all of the access rights for the areas and security components. The master audit trail is also managed by the ARCO Platform.

ARCO Platform

Software features of the ARCO Platform include alarm management, site configuration, database management, interactive dashboard, distributed workstations, a graphical user interface for site location and status, built-in reporting engine, artificial intelligence capability for programmable logic rules.

To know more about how SPG Controls can help you secure your property and premises, contact us.

 

Securing Security Management Systems – Cybersecurity

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With the global average cost of a data breach now reported as US$3.86 million Cybersecurity has never been more critical. In addition, the average time to identify and contain a data breach or the “breach lifecycle” is 280 days in 2020 and so the effects of a data breach can be costly and very disruptive!  (see IBM Security, Cost of a Data Breach Report 2020).

In this article, SPG Controls will explain why Cybersecurity needs to extend to electronic and physical security products to ensure business continuity and integrity.

data security cyber data or information privacy idea

What is Cybersecurity?

Simply put, Cybersecurity is the protection of any system that is connected to the internet, including both hardware and software. Customer and business data are usually targeted, and the resultant business interruption, loss of reputation and recovery can cause lasting damage.

For businesses, it is important to note that ” security” encompasses both physical security (as an example a lock on a server room door) and Cybersecurity (as an example protecting the servers with anti-virus software from vulnerabilities).

Cybersecurity also includes the study and implementation of various technologies that can help deter and prevent hackers from accessing unauthorised data. Cybersecurity specialists work hard to execute strategies to bolster a system and/or a network from cyberattacks. Some specialise in website security while others are more engaged in protecting hardware from external attack.

 

What Can You Do to Protect Your Business?

You can protect your business by ensuring that your security systems are certified to Industry standards and are robust and resilient to attack.

SPG Controls ARCO Platform is one of the most highly sophisticated security software platforms and can also be integrated with existing systems, meaning companies can re-use previous investments and re-utilise and re-purpose assets. ARCO  is designed to work within secure environments. Every user and device communicates with the system through encrypted channels ensuring only authenticated and authorised users and equipment is connected. This is also essential for security when remote access is required.

 

ARCO Security is implemented in three ways

 

Secure Architecture

Businesses can benefit from the ARCO ‘ ‘Platform’s Onion Architecture which can be used in the cloud, on-premises, and in hybrid environments.

The ARCO Platform has different layers for each application. This is to isolate them from each other in the event of a cyber-attack. It also paves the way for better testing and maintenance of the application.

The ARCO Platform also has a domain-driven design. The domain model contains both the business logic and rules. Business logic is separated from the view and data access layers.

 

Secure Authentication

Remote connections and access are also protected by the ARCO Platform. Each of its functionalities are deployable through microservices, which communicate via HTTPS endpoints through a Web API. WolfSSL is used in the encryption of communication between any connected devices to the ARCO Platform through the S1000 controller.

Certificate-based authentication is used to further protect unauthorised access. The certificates are validated or revoked by ARCO Platform Integration Layers. Core services are run through standard strict Web API security checkpoints.

Java Web Token is used for access token validation. Every action of a user is passed through the token to ensure security. The ARCO Platform also uses modular access policies so that each ‘ ‘role’s permissions can be further controlled.

 

Secure Authorisation

Specific permissions dictate the features available to the user. Permissions are based from a  set of roles (or access groups) assigned. There are also “Access Policies” defined, which are additional rules needed to access a resource, such as what times an operator is allowed to access a specific resource. An operator who is logged in to the system with more than one role, for example as an Administrator, an Engineer and as a Guard,  will be able to select a  role and this will define which objects can be viewed with what permissions.

What Can You Do to Protect Your Business?

To know more about how ARCO Platform and how it can help secure your assets, click here.

 

Reference sources detailed below.

Security Intelligence

IBM Security

Elements of IoT

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