...staffing security projects with both physical security experts and IT gurus. The result has been a study in contrast.

"The physical security installers want to get started at 5 or 6 in the morning and quit at 3. They prefer to go on-site with clipboards and paper," says Wong, CEO of Ojo, which deploys IP-based video surveillance and access control systems. "The IT team is from a younger generation. They want to start at 10 a.m. and work until whenever -- into the night if necessary. They use their PDAs and text messaging to communicate, not paper."

As it turns out, Ojo, Fremont, Calif., may be ahead of the curve, but it's not the only integration firm to pick up on a fast-moving trend -- the convergence of physical security and IT. Just as IT pros are discovering that a video camera can be yet another piece of hardware on an Ethernet backbone, physical-security experts are recognizing that "routers" and "servers" are words worth adding to their lexicon.

Two Worlds Collide

The drivers of IT-physical security convergence are economic, political and social -- but chief among them are a heightened awareness of public safety (sparked by the Sept. 11 attacks) and technological innovation....

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.



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