One platform to dominate them all. A unique platform. No, we are not talking about a new prequel or a sequel to one of the most successful literary and film sagas in history. We are talking about the famous PSIM (Physical Security Information Management).
It is widely believed that by using a PSIM, a user will lose the dependency on their current providers of alarm solutions, fires, CCTV, access control, etc. That you are going to have the possibility to put any manufacturer or software platform for each of the elements of electronic security mentioned above, and that is true, but you do not realize that you are entering into an even greater captivity since you are going to have a single platform to manage all electronic security systems.
Does this captivity pose a risk to the user?
Initially, PSIM manufacturers guarantee maximum integration with the customer’s existing physical security solutions, but the integrated functionality and operational versatility achieved will never reach the level of the manufacturer’s own alarm or CCTV system. There have already been cases in which, once the PSIM has been deployed, when the supplier is asked to go one step further in certain integration or new functionalities, the first answer given by the supplier is “I already have that with my own equipment, why don’t you use them instead of the ones you already have” and the second one is “if you want me to do it for you, go to the cashier”. Surely not in those words, but with that final message.
This type of PSIM platforms are generalist in nature, since they have the same functionalities for a public security, banking or industrial user. This means that, ultimately, the user who incorporates it in his entity will have an underutilized platform since there will be many functionalities that are not applicable to him, so he would be paying, and not a little, for many things that will not be used. As they are not niche specialists, they do not have internalized the specific needs of that sector, as the current suppliers of that user may have, since they are the ones who have been accompanying them and often evolving their equipment and solutions with the suggestions and requests received from that user. Because let’s not fool ourselves, at the end of the day, for a PSIM provider, that user is just another user.
Before considering the possibility of incorporating a PSIM, the user should balance the theoretical benefits with all the exit costs in case the software or the manufacturer does not meet his expectations. You have the figure of how much it costs you to incorporate it, so you will know how much more, at least, it would cost you to stop using it and change it for another one if it does not meet your expectations.
That is why, in case you are considering using a PSIM system in your organization, the end user should consider the significant risks of relying on a single electronic security vendor and the captivity that this entails.
Do you dare?