Resiliency - Grid Architecture


Most PACS applications place the burden for transaction processing and load management at the system head end on a single system server. As the system grows, the server must be updated with larger capacity drives, memory, and other related components. In addition to the increased costs, a single system server provides a single point of failure for monitoring and real time assessment of deployed access control hardware. Typical multi-server PACS offerings address the single point of failure risk with expensive systems that are only justified for immense deployments. The example in Figure 1 contains a typical campus PACS application where a single system server is deployed and when that server is crippled, so too is the ability to monitor activity in real time. Although the local buildings may still function in a degraded mode and make access decisions based on a distributed database, the security operation center is unable to responds to activity in any building in the event of a critical alarm, such as a door forced open.


Competitors: Figure 1. Monitoring Outage for Typical Single PACS Server



PlaSec provides improved resiliency that is affordable to a much broader audience through the deployment of a multi-appliance grid-architecture. PlaSec Classic and Enterprise Appliances leverage numerous inherent attributes that allow for improved horizontal expansion of systems and better management of load and transaction processing, all while reducing the associated risks seen with a single point of failure. Through its design, the typical relative costs for extended hardware/software are greatly diminished, while the environment's resiliency to security degradation or monitoring outage is vastly improved. By applying the PlaSec design to the campus example from above, we can clearly see the advantages. Instead of a single system server, three PlaSec Enterprise Appliances (see Figure 2.), each with its own allocation of connections to field hardware at various separate buildings on the campus, are deployed. Should an appliance go off-line, only the local buildings attached to that appliance experience a monitoring outage, while the rest of the campus remains on-line and monitored in real time. As with typical PACS systems, the field hardware in the effected off-line buildings still operate using its distributed database.


PlaSec Solution: Figure 2. Monitoring Outage with PlaSec is Diminished!