PISCATAWAY, NJ – The Open Security Exchange (OSE) is working with its Convergence Council of security end users to build an open and comprehensive roadmap for the convergence of physical and IT security in 2006. It is calling for more participation from technology providers, enterprise software companies and system integrators to get the job done.

The OSE welcomes new Convergence Council members Gareth Webley, CSO for National City Bank and James Connor, the senior manager for global security for Symantec. Connors was formerly on the Council representing People Soft. They join representatives from the Department of Manpower Data Center for the United States Military, First Data Corporation and Procter & Gamble.

The Convergence Council, open to both members and non-members of the OSE, provides a forum in which security practitioners can exchange information on convergence, discuss problems and help technology providers plan new, interoperable solutions. The Council provides insight and direction to the OSE for their working groups and project activity. “This is an excellent opportunity to work with my peers on a challenging initiative which will benefit all who are considering deploying a converged security solution or undertaking a security organizational change,” said Webley.

“The Convergence Council agrees that a convergence roadmap will be a valuable tool for other practioners who may be at the beginning stages of justifying or deploying a converged security model,” said Laurie Aaron, OSE vice chair. “The convergence roadmap will capture and define the processes and technologies responsible for the successes our Convergence Council members have achieved in deploying their converged models. It will not only reflect their challenges, but it will offer solutions to overcoming them.”

Aaron added, “We anticipate that the convergence roadmap will become a living document that will be continually updated to define the vision of the future. As we make progress with this new initiative, a priority for us is performing a gap analysis. This will allow us to provide information to our members and to technology companies so that they may focus their R&D efforts on creating products and solutions to fill in the gaps.”

Other industry organizations that have expressed a high level of interest in working with the OSE on this roadmap initiative include the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS International), Information Systems Security Association (ISSA), Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA), the Security Industry Association (SIA) and the Smart Card Alliance (SCA).

The OSE intends to increase the Convergence Council membership by four to six members. Anyone that is deploying or has deployed a converged security solution and has interest in working with talented individuals to benefit the security industry overall should contact Laurie Aaron at laaron@tycoint.com.

In addition, the OSE announced it has lowered its dues; new dues are $7,500 for a board member and $2,500 for a general member. “We see our mission as one of promoting the convergence of physical security with IT so we are focusing our resources on problem topics end users are facing today,” said Gary Klinefelter, OSE chair. “We have tremendous enthusiasm from end users for our activity, but we need to get more member organizations actively involved in our working groups. We significantly lowered our dues to make it easier for organizations to join.”

About The Open Security Exchange
The Open Security Exchange (OSE) is a not-for-profit, multi-industry association working to accelerate the widespread convergence of physical security with IT. It aims to provide a forum for cutting edge discussions and projects on issues surrounding convergence; to actively involve all of the stakeholders in enterprise IT and physical security management; to serve as an information and educational resource to its members and the broader user community; and to influence open and interoperable standards that are relevant to convergence. OSE members include Computer Associates, CoreStreet, Fargo Electronics, GE Infrastructure, Software House/Tyco, and Deister Electronics.