Intelligent buildings and their effect on the security industry

Behind all of the hype of intelligent superhighways, developments to make our homes and offices more intelligent have been gaining pace and several prominent systems are now available on the market. These are generally based on the introduction into the building of (sets of) homogeneous bus systems which then control a wide variety of functions (heating, lighting, AV, etc.). It is a relatively easy step for such systems to include security. The significant opportunities to the management and sophistication of alarm systems that this affords are discussed, as are some dangers in the hands of the unwary