The two most talked about trends – physical security information management (PSIM) and video analytics – are the hot hand in U.S. and international gaming organizations.

According to Security Magazine columnist Steve Hunt, “PSIM has the potential to transform a security enterprise…by aggregating, collecting and coordinating related data.” Building intelligence and decision-making into cameras, video monitoring or storage have a big payout.

Both trends take new technology, management insight but also a lot of cash. Which is what casinos have as well as the government requirements aimed at gaming surveillance.

Take Sandia Resort and Casino. The casino features 110,000 square feet of gaming action. With its sheer size, managing and monitoring all property activity was a daunting task. Sandia approached iView Systems to help conquer security and surveillance reporting needs. The organization required an incident reporting and risk management system that would document all daily activity and incidents including the ability to attach pictures and video to individual reports.

Additionally Sandia required the capability to track personnel and vehicles, while also managing such details as lost and found items, the ability to run dealer game audits, document player disputes and provide player analysis by surveillance.

Bundled Applications

Officials picked the iTrak Incident Reporting and Risk Management System accompanied by gaming, lost and found, vehicle accident reporting, personnel importer modules and iGNet (Intelligent Gaming Network). iGNet provides the ability to quickly and securely transfer security and surveillance subject-related information to specified subscribers on the gaming network. This sharing of information reduces the potential losses and issues associated with advantage team play, shoplifting, fraud and other undesirables.

In addition to such intelligent, multifunctional security video systems, other casinos are upgrading their video infrastructure.

The Emerald Queen Casino and the Emerald Queen I-5 Casino in Tacoma, Wash., operated by the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, upgraded analog VCR systems in compliance with local gaming board regulations. The two systems, totaling 532 cameras, were installed by Southwest Surveillance Systems using IndigoVision IP video technology. Each of the original cameras now will connect to a transmitter/receiver, which converts the analog feed to DVD-quality, 4SIF, 30fps digital video for transmission over the IP network.

In casinos and elsewhere, there is no doubt there is a move to incident management as a platform for convergence and integration.

A Big Transition

To be effective, the converged approach should reach across people, processes and technology, enabling enterprises to secure, prevent, detect, respond to and recover from any type of security incident. The transition from a compartmentalized, non-integrated security environment to a cohesive, converged reporting infrastructure requires assessment of all related security systems, functions and activities in order to establish which components can immediately be incorporated in the convergence plan through technology integration at various levels.

In addition, these systems require evaluation in concert with the required security access and information control between all concerned departments and individuals. Time analysis of case examples provides ample evidence of return on investment as each element is converged into a centralized reporting environment, thereby providing phased investment justification at various stages in the project evolution. The overall goal of a converged system is to have one program, which monitors, integrates and allows reporting on all key security and risk management transactions in one centralized common platform.

PSIM and video analytics, ironically, are different but welcomed bedfellows.