Click here to receive your FREE subscription to Campus Technology
Special Supplement: Securing the Campus
A Multi-Pronged Plan
7/1/2007
Security Risk Management Consultants, agrees. Boxerbaum says that the speed of development (or time to market) of security technology is getting close to that of computer technology: It now takes about 18 months from the time of conception to the rollout of a new security product, and new items are launched just about every week.With all the gizmos coming on the market, it can be tempting to go for the latest offerings, but Boxerbaum warns, “If organizations believe that buying technology will, by itself, guarantee security, they’re wrong.” He claims that organizations need “holistic” security programs, plus knowledge, training and, especially, a clear understanding of who or what they’re trying to protect.
The biggest challenge, he says, is helping organizations— particularly universities—understand the limitations of their infrastructures, whether they be data, voice, wireless, or wired. Is it reliable? Is it sustainable? (If power is lost, for instance, will systems get back online soon?) Is it survivable? (Is redundancy built in, in case, for example, a backhoe cuts a wire?) And is it secure; can it resist hacking? These are issues for data security professionals, certainly, but because so many physical security and data-based systems are now tightly integrated, these are issues for those involved in the delivery of physical campus security, as well.
The greatest challenge for campuses, says Boxerbaum, is to “strike the appropriate balance between maintaining an open environment and simultaneously providing a reasonable level of security.” Many professionals, for instance, predict the widening adoption of cutting-edge tools such as intelligent video. But with ever-increasing levels and newer modes of security, and especially with the tighter integration of physical and data security measures, says Boxerbaum, comes the threat of overbearing monitoring—especially for the open forum of the college campus. In the end, that challenge may be tantamount to having your cake and eating it, too.
Neal Starkman is a freelance writer based in Seattle.
Cite this Site
copy text (above) for proper citation
Recommended Reading
- Get Users on Board
- Greening IT
- It's a Zinch
- Meeting up Virtually
- Online Tutorials to the Rescue
Now's the time to use online tutorials to streamline professional development and help desk management.
- Retention Rx
