Cisco, San Jose, Calif., announced key additions to its Cisco Connected Physical Security product portfolio, delivering new capabilities in Internet Protocol (IP)-based video surveillance and electronic access control that ease the convergence of information technology (IT) and physical security.

The announcement, which came during ISC West, features new IP cameras and Cisco’s first access control solution. Together, these offerings enhance situational awareness for making appropriate decisions on security actions and extend Cisco’s solution portfolio.

“This announcement is significant for physical security, but ultimately it is important for security as a whole,” said Bill Stuntz, general manager of Cisco’s Physical Security Business Unit.  “At Cisco, we know how to make technology operate on the IP network, and the capabilities of IP systems will far outweigh what was ever available on the traditional proprietary systems.”

These latest physical security offerings support Cisco’s vision of offering a single unified security product suite that enables users to integrate all security operations within the IP network.

“Physical security is becoming tightly woven into the fabric of the IP network,” Stuntz said. “The network is the platform for connecting physical security systems of all types with other enterprise systems. This development helps bring the promise of converged security to life. Cisco can make this happen because we have the expertise in both IT and physical security to lead this charge.”

Cisco’s IP-based physical access control solution includes both hardware and software and is built to work with existing door readers, locks and biometric devices. It targets campus environments and office buildings.

“Cisco’s entrance into physical access control is very exciting,” said Jim Mills, sales director for Benson, a systems integrator. “We can help customers connect the physical and logical security within an organization and these solutions will be much more cost effective and easy to deploy and manage.”

The new Cisco IP cameras are scheduled for availability this month. The new Cisco Physical Access Control (PAC) system is scheduled for availability in June 2008, with pricing varying by the number of doors deployed. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com.