ScanSource Networking and Security Focus Features “The Story of ICPAM”

By Staff

The fall 2016 issue of Focus, ScanSource Networking and Security’s magazine, features  “The Story of ICPAM”. Here is the full article on Identiv Connected Physical Access Manager (ICPAM):

To understand this story, you first have to know what we’re talking about. Identiv Connected Physical Access Manager (ICPAM) is the management application for physical access that integrates into the Cisco ecosystem. ICPAM is used to configure Identiv Physical Access Controllers and Readers, monitor activity, enroll users, create identification badges and integrate with security and IT applications and data stores. It is a next-generation solution that interoperates within Cisco products such as Cisco Video Surveillance Manager (VSM) and Cisco voice-over-IP (VoIP) telephony products.

The story begins when Cisco, an undisputed world leader in IT networking technology, selected Identiv, a respected leader within access control technology for 30 years, to work closely together in managing, developing, and supporting the Cisco Physical Access Manager (CPAM) product. With the two companies sharing a common vision that physical access is already part of the IoT enterprise, it was easy for them to come together to round out Cisco’s IoT security portfolio with standards-based access control and identity solutions. The result: ICPAM.

Steve Humphreys, Identiv’s CEO, points out what’s possible when two companies work in tandem and share similar philosophies. “ICPAM can control doors, users, and access levels just like other PACS platforms. However, what sets ICPAM apart is its extremely flexible and powerful ability to build Global I/O functionality ranging from the simple to extremely complex.”

Mr. Humphreys adds more to the story by drilling down further, “With this capability, we can take alerts and trigger events ranging from lockdown to triggering an audio alert and cascading alarms to calling the police. ICPAM’s ability to flexibly connect to third-party systems also allows for higher levels of security while integrating into other security platforms for two-way data sharing.”

Traditional physical access management requires expensive and proprietary hardware, specialized cabling and a management interface that could only be run locally. ICPAM has been built with total security in mind, integrating with other security systems, such as Cisco’s Video Surveillance Manager. A fully integrated solution allows the user to:
• Increase situational awareness by automatically tagging video when someone swipes an access card
• View live and recorded video streams from security cameras configured in the Cisco VSM system
• Associate cameras with a door and then view live and archived video for that door
• Invoke a door command while viewing live video or use the pan, tilt, and zoom (PTZ) controls
• Trigger camera actions and video recording in Cisco VSM through ICPAM
• And much more

With ICPAM you now have a way to combine all physical access systems into a single management system, installed quickly using current infrastructure and providing complete control of access to and within your facilities. To get the full story on how ICPAM can help both you and your customers, contact your ScanSource Networking and Security sales rep.