New Era in Public Safety

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Found in: Case Studies

Public safety and security are on more people's minds these days, and with good reason. Many high-profile incidents in recent years have changed the way government leaders look at public safety and security. It's not a matter to be taken lightly.

Fortunately for public-sector leaders - and for the public - new technology tools are proving to be valuable, cost-effective allies in providing security. The power of these tools is greatly multiplied when they're tightly integrated in the "closed loop" continuum of Cisco's Safety and Security Solution Portfolio. The portfolio contains numerous options that help governments cover five key steps when it comes to dealing with a variety of hazards and threats: prepare, prevent, detect, assess and respond.

The portfolio is based on a secure, multiservice network infrastructure. It's a network that can handle all kinds of data, whether it's simple e-mail or more complicated audio and video. With the network's open platform, it can easily integrate Cisco's partners, allowing governments and educational institutions to put together the exact pieces they need to protect the public, borders, facilities, infrastructure, students and employees.

Whether the need is for asset protection, video surveillance, video analytics, network security, building access control or a variety of other security measures, public-sector agencies can get what they require from the Safety and Security Solution Portfolio.

The portfolio provides a lot of flexibility. Cisco and its industry-leading partners offer a unique set of possibilities. It's a strong package that can't be duplicated. Cisco's open platform allows partners to engage the network and each other, building on other partner capabilities for a much stronger security presence.

Most public-sector agencies have built their security systems in a more piecemeal fashion. The result is a collection of disparate systems that often can't communicate with each other - and certainly can't communicate as quickly as a system with the latest tools.

Cisco combines an organization's existing infrastructure, its own proven solutions and its partners' technologies to significantly expand an organization's safety and security capabilities. By leveraging an organization's existing equipment, it can add big value in a cost-effective manner.

The result is a nimble, integrated system that can automatically respond to many incidents. And when human decisions are needed, decisionmakers have a wealth of information in an easyto- grasp format. That enables quicker, better decisions, which means improved safety for employees, students, responders and the public.

The Five-Step Continuum

Prepare, prevent, detect, assess and respond: It's a cycle that's based on federal government recommendations for public safety. It's about creating a cohesive system for better protection and responsiveness. By taking this holistic approach, governments and educational organizations can have security systems in which the parts complement each other for better overall performance.

The five-step continuum is best seen as a circle or loop. Closing that loop as tightly as possible means moving information to the right place at the right time - with no latency or delay. It can be the difference between life and death.

Prepare - The federal government highly recommends preparation for threats and disasters of all kinds for state and local governments. The federal government follows the National Incident Management System (NIMS), which includes heavy emphasis on continuity of operations (COOP) planning.

A COOP plan lets an organization continue operating through a variety of security incidents. Business continuity plans have served the private sector well. Governments should lay out their continuity plans too. Preparing for all possible security threats is a key first step. One way to prepare is to have Internet protocol (IP) networks linked to physical security systems. This enables video, sensors, alarms, notifications and more.