Not many people are aware, but back in the mid and late 90’s there was a war for web browser domination. The bout was between Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator. We know now that Internet Explorer won the early battles due to the pure dominance of their OS Windows; however, they are slowly losing the war. With the release of IE7 it is evident now more than ever that Firefox, (the progression of Netscape when the company went under and open sourced their code) Opera, and other standards based browsers are creating a real impact. And I am sure that you have wondered why I am talking about web browsers when I am supposed to be talking about EAP (Electronic Asset Protection). Get ready…Here is the segway. Internet Explorer is losing the war because they are holding on to a monopoly that ultimately hurts the user. They are holding onto Proprietary code and are trying to force as much of it as possible; however, because of the other standards compliant browsers Internet Explorer has had to give in and become more standardized…but not completely.
How this gibberish relates to Security
There are companies out there that re-invent the wheel and attempt to force it down the end users throat. The end user is completely unaware of the proprietary nature until it is time to upgrade their system. There have been attempts at standardizing areas of the industry, for example 26-bit weigand format for card readers and most companies have modified the way you mount the equipment to fit standard back boxes. I believe that if the industry moved to a more standards based approach we would all benefit as web browsers have. We would have equipment and interfaces that would be successful because they were “Best of Breed” and not because a large national company sold their equipment because it fit their pocket book.
Give Credit when Credit is Due
Just like Adobe is given credit for its contribution of the wildly popular PDF file, here is a short list of companies that lead the way in the same manner, standardization through domination.
• HID leads the way with its Card Readers. Besides having 98% compatibility with all access platforms they offer a program that guarantees your card will never be reproduced and/or hacked.
• Pelco is one of the industries leading camera manufacturer. They are best known for their contribution of the PTZ camera. They may not have invented the camera but they have perfected it along with their telemetry protocols that can be found in almost all other manufacturers PTZ cameras.
Short list huh!! This is the closest thing that we have to standardization. Companies that are so large that manufacturers have to build in compatibility in order to survive.
Closing Thoughts
Web Browsers have flourished because of the W3C, an organization dedicated to setting standards for the web. Maybe the security industry needs the same, an organization dedicated to setting standards for all things security related.
