DailyPost 1976
IS UNOBTRUSIVE SECURITY A MIRAGE?
How much have we progressed from the completely obtrusive security in the direction of making it a fully unobtrusive one is a parameter, which a hapless citizen is always looking forward to. Security coming in the way of our day-to-day functioning, is certainly a handicap in the ease of living. Factoring in time for security related checks in large part of our activities also adds a level of strain. How much of it can be handled by easing processes? How much of it can be handled at a certain point and declare the rest of the area to be safe? Is multilevel security, leading to an extremely obtrusive security the result of lack of faith in systems / security protocols put in place. Has the same security system become more robust with the passage of time and led to easing of some controls, while maintaining the same level of security.
With technology making deep inroads into the area of security, the consequent change in the obtrusive environment should have happened, but that does seem to be the case. It looks as menacing as ever or might be more. Technology cannot be used in the manner of gun toting police and defence forces in a war zone. It is high time that thought should go in for easing out the security processes, where it is cumbersome for the person, who has to face it. He might be a traveller or an office employee or a person going to a critical infrastructure on a regular basis. Or can the load on access control be brought down, by having more such utilities?
Conversely, the entry or access at one point can take care of multilevel hassle through the whole process; an air passenger from the entrance gate to the entrance of aircraft. Can security protocols of different agencies be ironed out, when they are working for the same purpose? Because of lack of understanding of the whole process, and what the other party has done in the same exercise, everyone wants to err on the side of caution. But that caution is creating a nuisance to the person who is facing it. Can he be eased out of that predicament? Can facial recognition become one method of access control, across the location? The merging of a large number of requirements with one access control criteria can be very helpful. If two essential tech based requirements can be integrated into one, facial and number plate recognition, that itself would mean a lot of relief.
Think of a big commercial, hospitality and entertainment area controlled only at the perimeter, that too with the least amount of human intervention as possible. Once you are in and you have all the freedom to move around, wherever you want, depending on your requirements. Will it not get more customers and will they not be more satisfied ones? Security remains uncompromised, transforming into a seamless one; dynamic and real time, while the technologies work for you. Computer vision in a variety of ways does the job; face, number plate, loitering, objects displacement, sensor triggered electro mechanical devices et al. Data and business logic work in tandem to create the digital rules, to make it run seamlessly and to react and respond as the case may be.
TECHNOLOGY CAN FOR THE FIRST MAKE USER EXPERIENCE PLEASURABLE, WHATEVER MIGHT THE NATURE OF ACTIVITY, SECURITY BEING UNOBTRUSIVELY INTEGRATED.
Sanjay Sahay