Physical security information management is one of the most important developments in the history of public safety technology. PSIM is a type of software that integrates multiple security applications and devices and runs them through a single, all-encompassing interface.

Why is this so groundbreaking? Because PSIM can collect and sort data  from different, unconnected security systems.

Security personnel who monitor the system can then use that data to make proactive, fast, and well-informed decisions in potentially dangerous situations. In terms of reduced cost, increased personnel empowerment, and efficiency, PSIM represents a dramatic step forward for the security industry.

Physical security information management first came to national notice in 2006. The theory behind it was simply that all of the information being transmitted by security systems around the world could simply be regarded as data, and that once that data is properly combine and analyzed, it can be used to make better, more informed decisions. Simply put, the core of PISM is the idea of taking the data-management practices of business and applying them to the practices of security.

A truly comprehensive PSIM software system focuses on six key factors:

Data Collection

Independent software gathers data from separate security devices and systems.

Analysis

The system analyzes and correlates the data, events, and alarms, to identify the real situations and their priority.

Verification

PSIM software presents the most important information about a given situation in a fast and easily understood format in order for an operator to quickly grasp the situation and verify the pertinent details.

Resolution

The system provides the accepted operating procedures and detailed instructions on how to proceed based on the organization’s current policies. It also lists the proper tools to resolve the situation.

Reporting

The PSIM software keeps close track of all the data and the necessary steps in terms of compliance, training and, if needed, further investigation.

Audit trail

The PSIM monitors how operators interact with the system, tracking any manual changes to the security systems and calculating potential reaction times for each event.

There are some exciting areas of PSIM innovation that seem to be producing new and exciting results every day.

Here are some areas of rapid development within PSIM.

IT security integration

New technology is allowing PSIM software to incorporate a company’s existing IT system, working with their needs and requirements for compliance.

This gives users the ability to move past situational awareness and physical security to quickly detect threats, which then allows them to deploy real-time responses more organically.

Without that integration, the systems involved in PSIM are still working independently, which can make responses slower and far less effective. There should be strong connections between physical and IT security so that the systems work in concert to reduce risk, both to the organizations and the people they protect. That’s why there’s

Mobile accessibility

Real-time management of a dangerous situation is one of the most crucial elements of security. A well-functioning PSIM system should be able to enhance security for assets, no matter how widely dispersed they are, which is why mobile accessibility is becoming more and more widespread.

First responders, supervisors, and IT staffers must be able to access important information from anywhere via their mobile devices to enhance their awareness of a potentially dangerous situation.

Real-time data correlation

If you‘re wonder what data has to do with security, remember the comparison we made above about how PISM applies data-management principles to security?

So essentially, data is involved in just about every aspect of finding and addressing specific threats. PISM uses all manner of security data to single out potential risks, and apply the company’s needs and the standards for compliance. PSIM doesn’t generate data, it filters it, finding the most important bits of information and identifying potential threats before they happen.

To learn more about how physical security information management systems are being used to keep people safer, read “How Cities are Using Physical Security Information Management and Situational Awareness Technology.”