What is a PSIM software platform?

Following the terrorist assault on New York's World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, it became clear that emergency systems needed some reformation. It was no longer acceptable for system operators to evaluate and act on vital data arising from several sources in a inconsistent manner. In the months and years following the assault, there was a general feeling that Security System Management and emergency response should be improved.

By around 2005, experts coined the term the PSIM, and the early solutions were well underway. The focus was no longer solely on collecting and displaying device status data for human resources to digest and act on, but rather on centralizing systems. This way, users could experience a significantly faster and improved continuity of response by combining a range of relatively new software-based concepts. The spread of PSIM solutions continued over the following years as system manufacturers' were eager to provide an 'open' system architecture integrating and centralizing various security systems.

A PSIM (Physical Security Integration Management) software platform is a platform that integrates all your security-related systems of your buildings, multi-site area, venues, etc. into one very intuitive interface. Systems such as access control, CCTV, video monitoring, or intruder detection are the most common to be integrated. Thanks to the platform's extensive analysis and reporting capabilities, your operators are able to make fast decisions when facing a critical situation, while being guided by pre-defined workflows and processes. The ultimate goal of PSIM software is to reduce security costs as a result of improved and more efficient security management. 

• Data Collection: The ability to collect data arising from the different integrated systems is a key principle of a great PSIM software platform. The collected data will be wisely used to improve the security situation within the organization.

• Data Analysis: A good PSIM software is able to analyze the newly collected data and to interpret it based on the previously collected data and the needs of the infrastructure. This will set up different levels of priority to each incident to be handled.

• Data Verification: The verification step consists of the operator being able to digest the information provided by the PSIM platform in a clear and coherent way to verify the situation presented in the analysis stage. This means that in order to optimize the results from the verification step, the platform should be as intuitive and easy to use as possible.

• Data Resolution: A true PSIM software provides the operator with all the needed tools in terms of actions to be taken and procedures to follow to resolve an incident and to re-establish a normal situation within the infrastructure. To ensure a flawless procedure, a step-by-step workflow is provided by the PSIM software to guide the operator through the right decision-making process.

• Data Reporting: A key feature of any PSIM software is its ability to track and store any information used during the incident management process. By compiling all the gathered data into reports, the extensive reporting feature can be used for management purposes, for SLAs, for in-depth analysis, and so on. In some cases, real-time reporting dashboards can be created as well to provide a better understanding of the situation on the spot.

• Audit trail: Once the incident is handled and the situation is back to normal, it is always useful to reflect on how the crisis has been handled and if every step of the process has been executed the right way. A PSIM software platform allows generating an audit trail which includes every action taken. This trial can be handed over to a third party and reviewed. It can also be discussed internally in order to discuss how to make the procedure even more efficient. 

4. Who is usually involved?

In a traditional PSIM setting, three different parties are likely to use the platform: the operators, the security managers, and the board members. When implementing a PSIM software platform into a designated infrastructure, it should be kept in mind that systems engineers are not the ones who are going to use it, but the operators are. Therefore, the interface of the platform should always remain user-friendly, clear, and intuitive. Any process should be obvious and easy to handle in order to minimize the incident resolution time. From the security manager’s perspective, the PSIM software should provide resources to have a broad overview of the actions taken by the different operators working at the same time. Moreover, the platform conveniently provides reports in order to assess the management of any incident as well as to allocate the right resources to the more demanding areas of infrastructure. Finally, the board members, thanks to customized dashboards, will be able to identify pitfalls coming from the security and building systems in place. 

5. What are the main benefits provided by a PSIM software?

A PSIM platform provides many benefits and here are a few of the most noticeable ones.

• Risk control: Thanks to the clear alarms and notifications when an incident occurs, the probability of facing a very critical situation is significantly decreased.

• Simplified process formats: Presenting processes to be handled in a clear and simple format is one of the key elements to quick response to incidents. In order for the operators to do their job correctly, the platform must allow them to do so.

• Situational awareness: By integrating all the security, safety, and building systems into one central management platform, operators are able to know at all times what is happening in the whole infrastructure.



• Cost efficiency: Lastly, the centralization of all security, safety, and building systems into only one interface will allow any business and infrastructure to minimize operation and maintenance-related costs.