***** Electronic Security Systems: A Manager’s Guide to Evaluating and Selecting System Solutions. By Robert Pearson; Published by Butterworth-Heinemann available from ASIS, item # 1726, 703/519-6200 (phone), www.asisonline.org [1] (Web); 384 pages; $50.00 (members), $55.00 (nonmembers).

A common error committed by security professionals is the failure to view security as a holistic discipline. For security to succeed, it must incorporate not just guards, guns, and gates, but other elements, in particular technology. In addition, all the factors must work together, without focus on individual parts at the expense of the whole.

Electronic Security Systems: A Manager’s Guide to Evaluating and Selecting System Solutions fills that need, detailing all of the various components of a successful security system. The book emphasizes that these systems and components must be interconnected to provide the maximum benefit.

The book’s 20 chapters cover every element of the security process, from badge making and electronic access control to intercoms and building automation. Author Robert Pearson’s decades of experience are easily observable, and his advice in this book can help others avoid the most common, and expensive, mistakes.

Rather than just discuss each item individually, Electronic Security Systems takes a much-needed holistic approach and shows the reader how to maximize the value of each component to build an effective security infrastructure. There are a few minor typos, but the book is well organized and written in an easy to read style.

Whether one is a veteran security manager or someone just entering the field, Electronic Security Systems is a valuable reference. Those looking for a succinct overview of electronic security systems and their functions are advised to take a look at this valuable book.

Reviewer: Ben Rothke, CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional), is a senior security consultant with BT INS.

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