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Convergence, no easy task

Technically possible, convergence is not always politically feasible.

As an open access infrastructure company that caters for total solutions encompassing both triple-play communications and security infrastructure we [Letlhaka Technologies] have a unique perspective on the convergence of physical and logical security.

In certain sectors there has been convergence of the two fields, whereas in others it has faced fierce resistance. There are a couple of challenges facing convergence between IT and security. Firstly, security seldom has the knowledge and experience to deal with IT infrastructure, while secondly IT usually does not understand the logical needs of security information traversing their networks. Especially when dealing with realtime information like IP-based video and audio streams, quality of service, security, logical separation and service level becomes of paramount importance.

Understanding that IT needs to be able to guarantee that there will be enough low latency bandwidth available at any given time through their network to convey these realtime signals is the first hurdle. On a typical network setup there is seldom concern with any bandwidth configurations since IT usually solves bandwidth issues through installing bigger equipment or by assigning higher priority to certain types of traffic. However, this still does not guarantee absolutely that bandwidth is tightly controlled.

Then comes the need to secure video, audio and data feeds from interference, or unauthorised access. These challenges are seldom understood well enough in the industry for IT or security to properly implement security over IT network infrastructure and in most cases it is the security team that often simply installs a parallel network, but even then a lack of the necessary skills required to successfully configure the IP often leads to a failed installation.

We have found that only integrators that fully understand video, IP based video, codec’s and all aspects of layer 2 and 3 IP networking usually have success in converging the fields of IT and security.

Firstly, the IP platform that is deployed must fully support layer 2 networking protocols and priority while also supporting tight bandwidth control and port security. For this, a very specific type of IP network is required, and often it is not what the IT guys have on site. Secondly, the actual IP conversion equipment or camera where the video stream originates also needs to take full advantage of all the layer-2 IP networking protocols to ensure effective secure multicasting of information across an IP platform to prevent excessive bandwidth waste – especially in large deployments.

And lastly, the video codec type and configuration should cater for the needs of the security application to deliver the correct picture with the correct latency and necessary quality to the right place – while at the same time fitting into the bandwidth budgets of the overall network.

In one of our first deployments at a large platinum mine near Brits in the North West about four years ago, we installed an Alloptic GE-PON IP network for its ability to use very little of the fibre bandwidth since it is a point-to-multipoint architecture, as well as its abilities to tightly control bandwidth settings and priorities. It was successful for delivering voice over IP signals from intercoms as well as IP video streams to the control rooms. However, in this deployment the diverse cultures were still unable to use the same network and IT still kept their infrastructure totally separate from the security network, even though the platforms could have merged easily to service both departments’ needs. Since the companies structures do not allow for one overseeing entity, the two networks might never converge.

However, in other cases such as that of a large residential estate in Midrand, where we were tasked with being both the IT and security platforms, we were able to successfully merge the delivery of pure IT traffic, Internet and voice services, security surveillance and biometric information as well as electricity meter reading services onto one converged network.

The ability of the platform to logically separate the different types of traffic and tightly control bandwidth assignments in 64 Kbps steps for each service on every port and every level of the network is the secret of the success. It is therefore possible to merge the two fields, but the entity responsible for implementing IT and security must have oversight and a high level of understanding of both fields in order for IT and security convergence to take place.

Riaan Janse van Rensburg

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