BKSECRTY.RVW   20020520

"Security", Neil Cumming, 1992, 0-7506-9624-9
%A   Neil Cumming
%C   225 Wildwood Street, Woburn, MA  01801
%D   1992
%G   0-7506-9624-9
%I   Butterworth-Heinemann/CRC Press/Digital Press
%O   http://www.bh.com/bh/ 800-366-BOOK fax: 617-933-6333
%O  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0750696249/robsladesinterne
%P   338 p.
%T   "Security: A Guide to Security System Design and Equipment
      Selection and Installation"

Since this book deals with security equipment selection and
purchasing, and is a decade old, and was written specifically for the
UK market, is it of any use, now, to a wider audience?  Well, the
author has not simply written a buyers guide to the products current
at the time.  The work deals with the ideas and reasons behind the
purchase of security gear, and the author has therefore produced a
volume with ongoing usefulness.

Chapter one outlines the stages of selecting and purchasing security
systems, but does so from the perspective of the needs to be
addressed.  The material is clear and very practical, and provides
guidelines from the beginnings of planning through contracting to
installation and final inspection.  The components of alarm systems
are thoroughly covered in chapter two.  There are some problems in the
discussion of cabling and transmission; the security aspects of
networked sensors get short shrift, and the lengthy section on
multiplexing would be of concern only to the largest installations;
but overall the pointers are very valuable.  Exterior sensors, from a
variety of technologies, are dealt with in chapter three, while
chapter four reviews internal sensors.  Basic lighting and imaging
considerations starts out the discussion of closed circuit television,
before closing with specific systems and components at the end of
chapter five.  Chapter six details locking systems, mostly for doors,
with access control systems following in chapter seven.  Security
lighting considerations and factors are thoroughly covered in chapter
eight.

Some items refer and relate only to UK standards, although these are
likely reasonably representative, and the relevant statutes for other
countries should be available.  There are occasional shortcomings: the
author sometimes makes blanket assertions without background
explanations.  Overall, however, this is a valuable guide for any
manager dealing with security, and for information security
specialists needing to deal with the physical domain it is a handy
reference.

copyright Robert M. Slade, 2002   BKSECRTY.RVW   20020520