Subscriber Discussion
What Certifications Are Most Relevant?
Which of the follow certifications and registrations do you think are most relevant to access control and video surveillance systems integrators?
# Certification/Degree Relevance to IP Video Scale 1-10 Relevance to Access Control Scale 1-10
1 Associate Degree (applicable technical/engineering field) from a recognized institution of higher education)
2 Axis Certified Professional
3 Bachelor’s Degree (applicable technical/engineering field) from a recognized institution of higher education)
4 Bachelor’s Degree from a recognized institution of higher education)
5 Certified Alarm Technician Level I (Electronic Security Association)
6 Certified Alarm Technician. Level II (Electronic Security Association)
7 Certified Entry Networking Technician (Cisco Systems)
8 Certified Network Associate (Cisco Systems)
9 Certified Security Project Manager (Security Industry Association)
10 Certified Service Technician (Electronic Security Association)
11 Certified Solutions Associate (Microsoft)
12 Certified Solutions Expert – Windows Server 2012 or later (Microsoft)
13 Certified Solutions Expert (Microsoft)
14 Certified Solutions Expert SQL Server 2012 or later (Microsoft)
15 CompTIA A+(CompTIA)
16 CompTIA CTP+ (CompTIA)
17 CompTIA Network+ (CompTIA)
18 CompTIA Project+ (CompTIA)
19 CompTIA Security+ (CompTIA
20 CompTIA Server+ (CompTIA)
21 Electrician, Licensed
22 Installer 1 (Building Industry Consulting Service International, Inc)
23 Installer 2, Copper (Building Industry Consulting Service International, Inc)
24 IPVM: IP Camera Certification
25 IPVM: Network Video Certification
26 IPVM: Access Control Systems Certification
26 Professional Engineer, Electrical (State Registry)
27 Registered Telecommunication Project Manager (Building Industry Consulting Service International, Inc)
28 Registered Communications Distribution Designer (Building Industry Consulting Service Internati
06/05/17 12:09pm
Bicsi technician cert
That's quite a list. Getting a #26: PE is at least a four-year and two stage testing process (You have to pass an eight-hour 'Fundamentals of Engineering' test to even start the effort to earn a PE license.)
Getting a #21: Electrician License is another one that is increasingly difficult for a non-electrician to earn. You typically must be a 'journeyman' apprentice for hundreds of working hours under an electrician before being eligible for a full license.
Right away, I'd say while those two 'certifications' are truly impressive, they aren't practical for low-voltage security integration work. You won't find RFPs/RFQs requiring them from integrator bidders on open bids, because they are uncommon at the integrator level.
how does the certification for the Certified Entry Networking Technician (Cisco Systems) beneficial for those who are working on Low current systems
That's a nice list! Can you add State license requirement (e.g. California C-28 license for access control)?
Currently, our access control specs require state licenses C-7 and C-28.
For cctv, our specs require C-7, and proof of manufacturer certification on the VMS.
most relevant to access control and video surveillance systems integrators?
If the question is relevance, than the certifications most related to access and video would be the choice, whether it's IPVM's or Axis, etc. on your list.
By contrast, a bachelor's or even a master's degree would likely signal general intelligence / ability but, by itself, would not provide much foundation to doing access control or video surveillance, etc.
you don't have any of the ASIS certifications on here. PSP, CPP, PCI.
you don't have any of the ASIS certifications on here. PSP, CPP, PCI.
Might have been intentional. They are absolutely relevant when writing a procedure on when guards should use pepper spray on someone but less relevant in system design. They are much more applicable to end users and consultants than integrators.
| 06/05/17 09:55pm
Have to disagree with you there a bit.
The PSP is meant for systems design, regardless of who is doing it, end-uses, consultants or integrators.
The PSP is meant for systems design, regardless of who is doing it, end-uses, consultants or integrators.
It is meant for physical security systems but in terms of relevance to video surveillance or access control, which is what the opening poster asked about, it's not very relevant. In other words, e.g., take a person out of college, make him pass the PSP exam and he'd come away knowing little to nothing about EAC or video surveillance.
There are a lot of things in the PSP that are applicable to Integrator and more specifically to the end users who may not be as familiar with the relationships between security technology and people. The PSP indeed does address video and access control, as well as security project management and code issues.
The PSP indeed does address video and access control
It's literally a tiny part of the PSP and will get one nowhere near close to doing actual modern video surveillance or EAC designs / implementations.
References: PSP Exam Domains and Knowledge Statements, PSP Reference Material.
I am not making a claim about whether the PSP is good or bad, in general, just that it's focus is much broader and therefore not very detailed when it comes to specific technical systems like video surveillance or EAC.
| 06/06/17 12:00pm
Mr. Honovich, your own links argue against you.
The PSP is meant precisely for security systems design and implementation, which is the integrators' reason for existence.
It is meant for risk assessment, proper system selection, and proper implementation and maintenance.
It is meant for risk assessment, proper system selection, and proper implementation and maintenance.
For what? video surveillance and electronic access control? Do you really believe that?
Full disclosure: I was once a PSP, studied and passed the exam, so this is not an abstract observation. Plus, I reviewed the table of contents and the material referenced in those links.
Take the PSP, pass it, and if that is all you know about video surveillance, you will have little clue how to do 'proper system selection' for video surveillance. The material on video surveillance, e.g., is so high level, superficial and often out dated that it's not close to what one needs to do that well.
The PSP tries to do a lot, and it does give a very basic and broad understanding of various elements in physical security but, in doing so, it fails to give anywhere close to the depth of technical / technology areas like video surveillance and physical access control.
If you disagree, I'd appreciate you showing specific evidence within the training or materials that shows otherwise.
Your argument could be used against any of the certifications. Yes, anyone can study the material and pass any of these tests and does that make them knowledgeable in the field no, what does, is the requirements along side passing those tests. You are required to have high school diploma and 6 years experience or bachelors degree and 4 years experience. matching experience and passing the test is the correct recipe for any of these certifications above.
| 06/06/17 01:10pm
No where have I stated that the PSP gives a cert holder the ability to completely understand the nuances of every aspect of video surveillance and access control.
What it does, and what you are dismissing, is give the cert holder the baseline knowledge to better understand each unique situation, assess the associated risk, decide the best approach(es) to mitigate that risk, and then devise a plan to best implement that approach.
Of course, specific manufacturer knowledge is required to best install a selected system. The PSP is absolutely meant to be both a baseline, and a bar to clear to show that the holder has that baseline.
The material I studied included camera selection, field of view calculation, camera type selection, situation-specific cameras (infrared, bullet, etc.) and the challenges of actually installing those devices. Field experience enhanced, and even sometimes contradicted, that knowledge, but I still had the baseline understanding necessary to move forward on an install.
Everything in the above paragraph applies to access control.
So, in summary, the original poster was looking for relevant certifications for an integrator team tasked with the design and implementation of both video surveillance and access control systems. The PSP is ONE cert that is both relevant and beneficial to that task.
The material I studied included camera selection, field of view calculation, camera type selection, situation-specific cameras
Which PSP material? There are 4 reference items (shown here). You are greatly overstating the depth of the PSP's material coverage on video surveillance and I am happy to analyze that in further depth.
| 06/06/17 04:52pm
The Design and Evaluation of Physical Protection Systems, by Mary Lynn Garcia of Sandia National Laboratories.
Vulnerability Assessment of Physical Protection Systems, by Mary Lynn Garcia of Sandia National Laboratories.
Physical Security Systems Handbook, by Michael Khairallah
Security Surveys, by William R. Floyd, CPP - ASIS Published
I purged my library a while back, but I had more, all technical, practical, and relevant texts.
hes just butt hurt about ASIS for some reason there are 30 different certifications listed above and none of them completely encompass the full spectrum of EAC and video surveillance.
Let me preface this by saying I like Mary Lynn Garcia's books. They're a really good all encompassing understanding of physical protection systems, which I think too few people in the industry have. Even if you're "just" selling cameras and access control, having an understanding of an actual security program is an advantage.
That being said, those books are woefully outdated in terms of video surveillance. Mainly they treat video as a way to assess alarms from other sensors, not as a system of its own. This is clearly stated by Garcia herself (pg. 128). It's not that integrators/installers/designers shouldn't understand video as an alarm assessment tool, but that use case is absolutely less common than general video surveillance (for better or worse, which is another discussion).
In the span of only two pages (pp. 136-137), Design and Protection shows how out of date it is by mostly ignoring that CMOS sensors even exist (let alone the fact that they CCD is barely used now), talks about 1/4" and 1/8" camera sensors becoming common in the future, talks about 200,000 pixels being a good estimate for a camera coverage area, and more. It essentially ignores IP cameras and talks about "bandwidth" in terms of MHz over coax.
Real discussion of integrated/external IR, megapixel cameras, CODECs, analytics, etc., and many other modern concepts are mentioned in passing or not at all. I could make a list of things not discussed about modern access or alarms, too.
So to John's point, it's not that there is nothing to be learned from this material for the PSP, but it alone isn't proof that someone is knowledgeable or experienced in modern systems. And correct, some of the other certifications listed by the OP don't prove that either, but that isn't what this specific sub-thread is about, and a lot of them (Comptia, Cisco, BICSI, etc.) are definitely relevant to integrators' everyday design and install, far moreso than a lot of the non-electronic concepts covered by the PSP.
| 06/06/17 06:07pm
Never have I stated that these materials alone do constitute the breadth and depth of physical security knowledge.
And when I took the PSP, the Garcia books were quite relevant. The design principles in the books still are.
Of course, I have augmented my knowledge through other sources, principally field experience and manufacturer-specific training.
I continue to hold that the ASIS PSP certification still has relevance to the security integrator. Not only does it give a baseline level of design knowledge, it serves as a differentiator to the end user.
Next.
Next.
I'd appreciate you not be dismissive of me. I have not been dismissive of you, and in fact I'm agreeing that the PSP has valuable knowledge.
Literally no one is arguing that the PSP doesn't have relevance to a security integrator. If you can show me where that was said, I'd appreciate it.
John simply said:
I am not making a claim about whether the PSP is good or bad, in general, just that it's focus is much broader and therefore not very detailed when it comes to specific technical systems like video surveillance or EAC.
And I pointed to specific instances of outdated materials. Neither of those specific points are false. They are facts. And just because they are true does not mean the PSP isn't valuable. The only ones turning this discussion into a referendum on the worth of credential holders are you and Mr. Arnould.
The original question is:
Which of the follow certifications and registrations do you think are most relevant to access control and video surveillance systems integrators?
And purely based on most, there are clearly more practical, focused certifications that may be acquired.
| 06/06/17 07:11pm
Mr. Ace -
From Mr. Honovich's third post: "It is meant for physical security systems but in terms of relevance to video surveillance or access control, which is what the opening poster asked about, it's not very relevant."
From Mr. Honovich: "The PSP simply requires 'physical security experience' which could be a variety of things, like a guard manager, which has near zero to do with designing video surveillance."
You have dismissed an industry certification, and by extension the thousands of PSPs, because you feel that it isn't detailed enough to be relevant, and that just isn't true.
If ALL I took was the Axis camera class, would you state that I was prepared to give a client a sufficiently robust video design? Of course not. Good design principles would also include CPTED, client CONOPS, client infrastructure, and yes, guard staff to monitor the streams.
Physical Security design should be holistic. Just being technically proficient in one area of PS will not give you the background to serve your client with integrity.
You have absolutely been dismissive of me and my argument.
Good luck in your future endeavors.
From Mr. Honovich's third post: "It is meant for physical security systems but in terms of relevance to video surveillance or access control, which is what the opening poster asked about, it's not very relevant."
"It's not very relevant" does not mean it's irrelevant. We have shown specific examples of why it's not very relevant.
From Mr. Honovich: "The PSP simply requires 'physical security experience' which could be a variety of things, like a guard manager, which has near zero to do with designing video surveillance."
Is that untrue? I know several people who managed guard staff who went on to get PSPs and none of them would tell you they're expert in any way in electronic security.
- Physical Security Assessment (34% of examination)
- Application, Design, and Integration of Physical Security Systems (34% of examination)
- Implementation of Physical Security Measures (32% of examination)
Video surveillance falls in domain 2, which used to be closer to 40% of the exam. So, if you look at domain 2's topics, electronic security systems are one of 30 different items listed. So if it's a small fraction of third of the exam, saying it's not very relevant is hardly an untrue statement.
John and I have both taken and passed the PSP. We studied and knew/know the material. It is good material to know. I am not dismissive of PSPs. I'm realistic about its reference materials' limitations, and I will continue to be critical of that.
To answer your question about the Axis certification: I don't know. It depends on your other experience, of course. I would never argue that. But the OP's question wasn't about prior experience. It was about what certifications are most relevant to access and video. And other certifications cover everyday implementation tasks/knowledge better. Once those bases are covered, I would agree, as I've said, that the PSP is useful for a holistic view of security.
Yes. My bad. PSP, CPP should be included (particularly since i hold both). I would not include PCI (Professional Certified Investigator) because I dont think it fits the need.
I don't want to get in an argument but just wanted to state my disagreement with some posts. Why CPP/PSP is not listed. Fundamentals of security are very important, and CPP or PSP certs indicate that the security professional knows security fundamentals. A non-CPP/PSP usually can't answer the "why" am I placing a camera here or a card reader there, or why I want to use a 1080 vs. 4k camera (besides costs), or why they need products that meet a forced entry protection, ballistics (or the difference), etc., etc. Need to know the four Ds, Onion or layered design, risk based approach... This really should be known by any integrator doing design and install work. That would go a long way in systems being designed and installed the way they should be.
I do agree the other certs or training for integrators are important too, but the CPP (gold standard) and PSP (silver standard) in my opinion are proof that there is comprehension on security fundamentals. Clearly there are CPPs and PSP that have focus away from design - they don't design. And, if they are designers - they really need to be techies with install experience and other technical training - much like the other certs/licensure.
Full disclosure, I'm a CPP (helped train many CPPs, PSPs, PEs and others in security design) - I was also military with background in security and integrator background - now on the consulting side. I got my CPP while I was an integrator and I received a lot of recognition for it - particularly owners mostly high-security federal folks. I also helped folks understand how to develop a security systems design. That fundamental background came from studying security at a much deeper level than traditionally offered by OJT or more system focused or engineer focused training. The "deeper level" considers the entire security environment (CPTED, lighting, crime or other hazards, hardening, redundancy, etc. etc.). Most integrators consider some of these things, but when they are CPPs/PSPs, I feel they understand it in-depth and are better for it - offer a better solution to their clients. Better relationships in the long run.
It just seems wrong not to list CPP, or PSP. I would agree that PCI is a bit more specialized (investigations) and don't see many in the integrator world. Another cert that's important is the CISSP - more important everyday. I feel it a necessary for the sys admin folks setting up or administering systems - especially larger or at risk systems. It does separate the integrator from installer. Courses in security fundamentals are great too.
I think it's also smart to list a broad topic of manufacturer specific training (besides AXIS recognized for the camera cert - important) - access control, video management (etc.) systems are very specialized and integrators can fumble to make it work - but that tends to jeopardize project schedules, costs and life of the system - when systems are not set up or installed correctly per manufacturer specs/requirements - end result is problematic jeopardizing system success - long run integrator name including the tech.
Sorry to be so long winded - just felt it was important to post an opposing opinion that's near and dear. If I misunderstood or misrepresented any of the posts - apologies - I just read CPP or PSP wasn't applicable - it definitely is. It was a very good list - thanks for posting it.
By the way, here are a couple more for you to consider:
29. Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
30. CISSP: Certified Information Systems Security Professional
31. CISM: Certified Information Security Manager
Let me get my anti-static wrist strap boys, i just got my A+ certification.....
The most relevant is the certification with the product you are going to use. Of course some of those require you to have previous knowledge of basic PC and networking skills which are different than actual PC and networking certifications. I would say you also should have the latter two certifications, especially the networking, that way when talking to the end user's IT department you can talk their language and also know what you are talking about and not BS'ing your way through it. With regards to the PSP if you have the time to study and pass it then it will definitely help with an overall approach to the customers security. Being able to explain to them how their security fence should be and lighting should be is a plus over the next integrator who may not know any of that. In this day and age of security knowledge is extremely important because you can google anything and everything in seconds to it is important to know more than your customer which is almost impossible at times.
There are so many great certifications out there but none really show aptitude which is so important in this business. I like to see not only any relivant certification but also ask their references about aptitude, doing things right the first time, willingness to ask questions, being a self starter.
To drive my point many military members don't hold certifications because the govt is too cheap to get them or maintain them. However they have great base training plans in electronics and information technology.
To answer the question directly I think the following certs, again not needing all would be great: 1,2,3,4 15, 17,19,24,25,26,21,22, 23, 26. Any manufacture course be it from a major manufacturer to include their free online courses.
I think the ESA corses are a waste of money because they are so outdated, but then again if they had them it's a plus. And before the haters, hate I do have several ESA carts, so I am speaking from a standpoint of I wish I could get my money and time back.
I have to make a call about the qualifications of 10 or more integrators who bid my project. Its a competition between them and i have to justify why one should be chosen over the other in a way that is fair and impartial. In most cases i don't know any of the bidders involved. Certifications are provable and can be verified with the certifying organization. Some may also have greater value than others depending on the project. I have tried on two occasions to solicit bidders for their views on the issue with less than steller responses. I have even considered having an "approved bidders list" with a simple entry criteria.... respond to my questions.
Here is the complete list. The number of stars indicates the number of "votes"
- Associate Degree (applicable technical/engineering field) from a recognized institution of higher education) *
- Axis Certified Professional *
- Bachelor’s Degree (applicable technical/engineering field) from a recognized institution of higher education) *
- Bachelor’s Degree from a recognized institution of higher education) *
- Certified Alarm Technician Level I (Electronic Security Association)
- Certified Alarm Technician. Level II (Electronic Security Association)
- Certified Entry Networking Technician (Cisco Systems)
- Certified Network Associate (Cisco Systems)
- Certified Security Project Manager (Security Industry Association)
- Certified Service Technician (Electronic Security Association)
- Certified Solutions Associate (Microsoft)
- Certified Solutions Expert – Windows Server 2012 or later (Microsoft)
- Certified Solutions Expert (Microsoft)
- Certified Solutions Expert SQL Server 2012 or later (Microsoft)
- CompTIA A+(CompTIA) *
- CompTIA CTP+ (CompTIA)
- CompTIA Network+ (CompTIA) *
- CompTIA Project+ (CompTIA)
- CompTIA Security+ (CompTIA) *
- CompTIA Server+ (CompTIA)
- Electrician, Licensed **
- Installer 1 (Building Industry Consulting Service International, Inc) *
- Installer 2, Copper (Building Industry Consulting Service International, Inc) *
- IPVM: IP Camera Certification *
- IPVM: Network Video Certification *
- IPVM: Access Control Systems Certification *
- Professional Engineer, Electrical (State Registry) *
- Registered Telecommunication Project Manager (Building Industry Consulting Service International, Inc)
- Registered Communications Distribution Designer (Building Industry Consulting Service International)
- Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
- CISSP: Certified Information Systems Security Professional
- CISM: Certified Information Security Manager
- PSP: ASIS *
- CPP: ASIS *
John H. Is it possible that IPVM attach a spread sheet to a discussion? I have an Excel spread sheet listing all of these with columns for entering a 1-10 value in terms of relevancy. The idea is to come up with an industry opinion and a guide to help integrators.
Just a thought
Does having a basic knowledge of PSP is necessary for a video survelliance professional ?
I have encountered more bad PSP certification holders than good ones, that is just my experience. Having a multitude of certifications cannot be wrong. Every engineer will make a mistake, it happens. It's just those damned sales people in those shiny shoes.
We seem to have missed the Certified Systems Engineer ICAMS PACS (CSIEP) from Smart Card Alliance. Relevant to any Federal Government Access System install going forward for FIPS 201 Compliant installations.
Thanks David. That was a good catch. Will add it to the collection
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