Reference · glossary

Security industry terms, defined.

This glossary defines the acronyms, technologies, and compliance frameworks that come up when evaluating commercial security systems. Each entry is factually defensible and cross-linked to the relevant Tec-Tel service or industry page. Use it to compare vendor proposals, brief stakeholders, or check what a sales engineer means by ONVIF, PSIM, or NDAA Section 889.

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§01 67 terms defined

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Every acronym and framework that comes up in security RFPs, vendor proposals, and compliance audits. Cross-linked to the relevant service or industry pages where it matters.

A - D · 14

Access Control: An electronic system that authorizes (or blocks) people from passing through a door, gate, or boundary. Modern access control replaces metal keys with badges, mobile credentials, biometrics, or PIN codes and creates an audit trail of every entry. Components include credential readers, electric locks, controllers, and management software. Cloud-managed platforms (Brivo, Avigilon Alta, Genetec) increasingly dominate new installs.
AI Video Analytics: Computer-vision software that interprets camera feeds in real time. Common detections: person, vehicle, license plate, weapon, PPE compliance, slip-and-fall, loitering, intrusion. Modern analytics run at the edge (on the camera or NVR) or in the cloud, and most leading platforms are camera-agnostic, meaning they extend existing IP camera fleets rather than requiring new hardware. Tec-Tel installs and integrates camera-agnostic analytics platforms across these use cases.
ANPR: A subset of AI video analytics that reads license plates from camera feeds. Used for parking management, vehicle access control at gates, fuel-theft prevention at gas stations, and forensic search after an incident. Also called LPR (License Plate Recognition) in North America. Accuracy depends on camera placement, lighting, and plate angle. Top-tier systems read plates at highway speeds.
BICSI: An international association that certifies low-voltage cabling designers and installers. BICSI RCDD (Registered Communications Distribution Designer) and BICSI Tech credentials signal the technician understands current TIA structured-cabling standards. Tec-Tel's structured-cabling work follows BICSI design guidance. Specifying BICSI-credentialed installers in an RFP is a common way to filter for actual telecom-grade work.
Biometric Authentication: Door-access systems using fingerprint, face, iris, or palm-vein as the credential. Modern enterprise biometrics hit False Accept Rates below 1 in 100,000 and False Reject Rates below 1 percent. State biometric privacy laws (BIPA in Illinois, Texas Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act, Washington Biometric Privacy Act) and EU GDPR Article 9 constrain commercial deployment. Common at data centers, pharmacy, casino vaults, and pharmaceutical clean rooms.
BIPA: An Illinois state law (2008) that regulates how private entities collect, store, and use biometric identifiers like face geometry, fingerprints, and retina scans. Requires written consent before collection. Has produced billion-dollar class-action settlements (Facebook, Google). Affects facial recognition deployments in any Illinois facility. Other states (Texas, Washington) have weaker analogs; New York City has its own biometric disclosure law.
Bullet Camera: A cylindrical surveillance camera with a visible lens, mounted to a wall, soffit, or pole. Wall-mount form factor, longer focal length than a dome, higher-output IR illuminator. Dominates exterior perimeter, parking-lot, and warehouse-loading-dock installs. IP66 weather rating standard outdoor; IK10 vandal rating where the camera is within reach.
C2C: An integration pattern where two cloud platforms exchange data directly through APIs, without on-prem middleware. In security, C2C connects a video platform (Verkada, Eagle Eye) to an access platform (Brivo, Avigilon Alta) so badge events surface in the video timeline. Easier to deploy and maintain than legacy on-prem integrations but locks both ends to the cloud vendors' uptime.
Camera-Agnostic: A property of VMS or AI analytics platforms that work across multiple camera brands rather than locking the customer to one vendor. Camera-agnostic stacks let an integrator extend an existing camera fleet (often older, mixed brands) without rip-and-replace. Tec-Tel positions camera-agnostic by default, contrasting with closed ecosystems.
Central Station: A 24/7 staffed facility receiving alarm signals from monitored systems and dispatching response. Trained operators evaluate signals, contact customers, and call police, fire, or medical as appropriate. UL 827 listing for general commercial; UL 2050 for cleared defense facilities. Modern central stations also handle verified monitoring and remote video review.
CJIS: FBI-administered standards governing how criminal justice data (arrest records, fingerprints, NCIC queries) is stored, transmitted, and accessed. Affects any vendor whose system touches law-enforcement data. Includes encryption, audit-trail, and personnel-screening requirements. Cloud video platforms serving police departments must demonstrate CJIS compliance.
CMMC: Department of Defense compliance program for the defense industrial base (220,000 contractors handling Controlled Unclassified Information). CMMC 2.0 defines three levels; Level 2 maps to NIST SP 800-171 (110 controls including physical access). Phased implementation 2024 through 2028. Defense contractors approaching first-time Level 2 assessment typically need physical-security uplift.
Dome Camera: An IP or analog camera in a hemispherical housing, mounted to a ceiling, wall, or soffit. Hides lens direction, deters vandalism via impact-resistant cover (IK08 or IK10). Dominates indoor retail, hospitality, healthcare, and office installs because it looks less aggressive than a bullet while delivering identical resolution.
DVR vs NVR: DVR (Digital Video Recorder) records analog cameras over coax cable; NVR (Network Video Recorder) records IP cameras over network cable. DVRs are legacy: lower resolution, limited integration, and shrinking vendor support. NVRs are the modern default and the only platform that supports H.265 4K, AI analytics, and cloud failover. Most upgrade projects rip out DVRs and re-cable to IP.

E - H · 12

Edge AI: AI inference performed on the camera or NVR rather than in the cloud. Reduces latency (alerts fire in seconds, not minutes), saves bandwidth, and works during internet outages. Modern IP cameras from Axis, Hanwha, and others ship with edge-AI chips supporting people-counting, license-plate, and basic behavior detection. Edge plus cloud is the typical hybrid pattern.
Edge Computing: An architecture where data processing (object detection, recording, analytics) runs on the camera, NVR, or local appliance rather than in the cloud. Lower latency, lower bandwidth, better resilience during internet outages, stronger privacy posture. Modern enterprise cameras from Axis, Hanwha Vision, Avigilon, Verkada, and Bosch ship with built-in AI inference accelerators.
Face Recognition: AI capability matching a face captured on camera against an enrolled database. 1:1 verification (does this face match this enrolled identity, used in access control) vs 1:N identification (does this face match any enrolled identity, used in watchlist alerting). State and EU privacy laws constrain commercial deployment; several US cities have banned commercial face recognition outright.
FERPA: Federal law (1974) protecting the privacy of student education records. Affects K-12 and higher-ed camera systems: footage of identifiable students may be considered an education record requiring parental consent before disclosure. Schools typically retain footage 30-90 days and require staff-only access. Grant-funded camera deployments under SVPP and NPSE must be FERPA-aware.
Fiber Backbone: Optical-fiber cabling carrying network traffic between buildings, across campuses, or along long camera runs beyond the 100m copper Ethernet limit. Single-mode fiber for inter-building and long-distance (10km+); multi-mode fiber for in-building backbone (up to 550m at 10 Gbps). Required at multi-building campuses, distribution centers, and long-perimeter installs.
Fisheye Camera: A camera using a single high-resolution sensor behind a 360-degree hemispheric lens, capturing an entire room or area from one ceiling-mounted dome. Common at 6MP, 12MP, and 16MP. The raw circular image is dewarped into normal flat views (panoramic, four-quadrant, virtual PTZ). Best for indoor open-plan rooms under 14-foot ceilings.
FTC Safeguards Rule: A federal regulation (16 CFR Part 314) requiring financial institutions and many auto dealers to maintain administrative, technical, and physical safeguards for customer information. Updated in 2023 to require a written information security program, risk assessment, encryption, and access controls. Camera coverage of finance offices and after-hours intrusion detection are commonly cited physical safeguards.
GDPR: EU data protection regulation that applies to any organization processing EU resident data, regardless of where the organization is based. Cameras and access control require lawful basis (typically legitimate interest), data minimization, and retention limits. Penalties up to EUR 20M or 4 percent of global revenue. US-based multi-site retailers and manufacturers with EU footprint must comply at those sites.
H.264 / H.265: Video compression standards. H.264 (AVC) was the camera default for a decade. H.265 (HEVC) is twice as efficient, allowing 4K resolution at the same bandwidth as H.264 1080p. Modern cameras and NVRs default to H.265. The tradeoff is licensing complexity and slightly higher CPU load on the playback side. Some VMS platforms still prefer H.264 for compatibility.
Heat Map: A camera-analytics visualization overlaying color intensity on a scene to show where people congregate or move most over a defined time period. Aggregated from object detection events. Used in retail merchandising, store-layout optimization, queue analysis, manufacturing flow, and event-venue crowd management.
HIPAA: US federal law governing how covered entities (hospitals, clinics, insurers) handle protected health information (PHI). The Security Rule requires administrative, physical, and technical safeguards; cameras and access control fall under physical safeguards. Vendors handling PHI footage must sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA). Breaches affecting 500+ records require Office for Civil Rights notification within 60 days.
HIPAA Cameras: Cameras in healthcare facilities that may capture protected health information (PHI) - patient faces, medical records on screens, treatment-area audio. HIPAA doesn't ban cameras but requires reasonable safeguards: limited camera placement, encrypted storage, role-based access, audit trails, and signed business associate agreements with vendors holding the footage. Common in hospitals, senior living, and outpatient clinics.

I - M · 9

Integrator: A service company that designs, installs, configures, and maintains commercial security systems by combining hardware and software from multiple manufacturers. Multi-vendor integrators sell across brands; vendor-aligned integrators specialize in one or two ecosystems. Tec-Tel is a 15-year nationwide multi-vendor integrator.
Intrusion Detection: An analytics layer flagging unauthorized human presence in restricted zones. Modern AI intrusion detection runs object detection plus zone logic on camera streams. Replaces older PIR-only motion sensors at most commercial installs because it filters animals and noise from real intrusions. Pairs with thermal cameras for long perimeters and verified monitoring for response.
IP Camera: A camera that connects to a network over Ethernet (or Wi-Fi) and streams encoded video using a standard protocol like RTSP or ONVIF. Replaced analog (BNC) cameras as the commercial default by 2015. IP cameras support higher resolution (up to 4K and beyond), Power-over-Ethernet, and direct integration with VMS and AI analytics. Most modern installs are 100% IP.
Line Crossing: A video analytic that draws a virtual line in a camera scene and triggers an alarm when an object crosses it, optionally in a specific direction. Common uses: perimeter intrusion, dock-door entry counting, retail entrance counting, and after-hours zone-access alerting.
LPR: North American shorthand for ANPR. Reads plates from camera feeds for parking enforcement, gate access, lot inventory, fuel-theft prevention, and forensic search. Modern LPR is software-defined: a generic IP camera plus AI software (Genetec AutoVu, Vigilant, Plate Recognizer). Performance hinges on camera placement, lighting, and plate angle. Tec-Tel pairs LPR with vertical-specific workflows for QSR drive-thrus, gas stations, and industrial gates.
Mantrap: An interlocked-door security vestibule that prevents tailgating by allowing only one authorized person through at a time. Variants: two-door vestibule, single-occupant booth (with weight or head-count sensor), revolving security door. Standard at data center cages, federal SCIFs, pharmaceutical clean rooms, and casino vaults.
MFA: Combining two or more credential factors to authorize entry: something you have (badge, mobile credential), something you know (PIN), something you are (fingerprint, face). Required at sensitive zones: data centers, pharmacy, server rooms, CJIS-protected areas, PCI cardholder data environments, CMMC CUI rooms.
Mobile Credential: An access-control credential stored on a smartphone instead of a plastic badge. Transmits to readers via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), NFC, or a vendor-specific app. Reduces lost-card replacement costs, simplifies onboarding, supports remote provisioning, pairs with phone biometrics for two-factor authentication. Apple Wallet supports employee badges since iOS 15.
Multi-Sensor Camera: A camera housing 3 or 4 separate sensors and lenses in one body, each pointing in a different direction. True edge-to-edge resolution across a 180 or 360-degree scene from a single mount. Common configurations: 3x4MP, 4x4MP, 4x8MP. Stronger than fisheye for outdoor parking-lot corners, atriums, and high-ceiling sites.

N - R · 15

NDAA Section 889: Federal procurement law banning Hikvision, Dahua, Hytera, Huawei, and ZTE video and telecom equipment from federal contracts and grant-funded buys. FAR 52.204-25 implements it; 2 CFR 200.216 extends it to federal grantees including NSGP-funded nonprofits. The ban catches OEM-relabeled products and any system where the equipment is a substantial component, regardless of vintage.
NERC CIP: Mandatory security standards for the bulk electric system. Covers physical security (CIP-006), personnel screening (CIP-004), and cyber security (CIP-007). Substations rated as Medium or High Impact require multi-factor physical access, monitored perimeter, and visitor controls. Audit failures carry six-figure fines. Most utility security upgrades are NERC-CIP-driven.
NPSE: A New York State grant program providing per-pupil funding to non-public K-12 schools for safety equipment - cameras, access control, intrusion detection, panic buttons. Year 12 (FY 2024-25) total allocation rose to $70M (up from $45M in Year 10 and Year 11), with allocations calculated per-pupil from prior-year nonpublic enrollment. Administered by the NYSED Office of Religious and Independent School Support. Tec-Tel works with NY non-public schools to scope and install NPSE-eligible projects.
NSGP: FEMA grant providing up to $200,000 per site to nonprofit organizations at high risk of terrorist attack. Funds physical security: cameras, access control, intrusion detection, fencing, blast-resistant film. Open annually with a 30-60 day application window. Synagogues, churches, mosques, and Hindu temples are common applicants. Tec-Tel scopes NSGP-eligible designs and supports the application narrative.
Object Detection: AI capability identifying and classifying discrete objects in camera footage: person, vehicle, weapon, package, animal. Modern detection runs on edge AI in cameras or NVRs. Foundation underneath most security analytics: line crossing, intrusion detection, dwell time, loitering all rely on detection.
ONVIF: An industry standard that makes IP cameras and recorders interoperable across vendors. ONVIF Profile S handles streaming, Profile G adds storage, Profile T adds advanced streaming features, Profile M covers metadata. Camera-agnostic VMS platforms (Genetec, Milestone, ExacqVision) rely on ONVIF to support thousands of camera models from Axis, Hanwha, Bosch, and others.
OSHA: Federal agency setting workplace safety standards. Drives camera adoption in manufacturing, warehousing, and construction: PPE compliance documentation, forklift-pedestrian safety, lockout-tagout verification, slip-and-fall investigation. AI video analytics from vendors like Intenseye specialize in OSHA-relevant detections. Footage often supports incident-investigation defense and lower workers' comp premiums.
PACS: The integrated system deciding who can enter which doors, gates, and secure areas. Components: credential readers, electric or magnetic locks, door controllers, management software. Modern enterprise platforms (Brivo, Avigilon Alta, Genetec Synergis, Lenel S2) run cloud or on-prem and integrate with VMS and identity providers.
PCI DSS: A consortium-managed standard governing organizations that store, process, or transmit cardholder data. Requirement 9 addresses physical security: restricting access to systems holding cardholder data, monitoring entry to data centers, and retaining video for at least three months. Affects any retailer with a backroom server or PCI cage. Camera coverage of those zones is the typical compliance evidence.
PoE: A cabling standard (IEEE 802.3af / at / bt) that delivers electrical power to devices over the same Ethernet cable carrying data. PoE eliminates the need for a separate power outlet at every camera. Variants: PoE (15.4W), PoE+ (30W, supports PTZ cameras and heaters), PoE++ (60-100W, supports access control panels and Wi-Fi access points). Standard install assumption for any IP camera deployment.
Prox Card: A 125 kHz RFID badge used in legacy access control. Holds an unencrypted ID. Cloneable in seconds with a $35 RFID copier (Proxmark, Flipper Zero). No longer secure for new installs or sensitive zones; smart cards (MIFARE DESFire EV3, HID iCLASS SEOS) and mobile credentials are the modern alternatives.
PSIM: A category of enterprise software that aggregates events from cameras, access control, intrusion alarms, fire alarms, and building automation into a single operator console. Used in command centers at large multi-site operators (campuses, casinos, ports). Distinct from VMS: PSIM is the orchestration layer above the VMS. Vendors include Genetec Mission Control, Verint, and CNL Software.
PTZ Camera: A camera with motorized pan, tilt, and optical zoom controlled remotely or on automated tours. Used to cover wide areas (parking lots, ports, stadiums) where a fixed camera would miss action. Tradeoff: while zoomed in on one event, the rest of the field of view is uncovered. Modern installs often pair a PTZ with several fixed cameras to keep continuous coverage.
RMR: The security industry's term for ongoing monthly fees customers pay for monitoring, software, and ongoing service after install: alarm monitoring, cloud VMS subscriptions, mobile-credential platforms, video storage, AI analytics, maintenance contracts. Cloud-native platforms (Verkada, Brivo, Avigilon Alta) bundle most operational costs into RMR.
RTSP: An IETF protocol (RFC 2326) for delivering video streams over a network. Most IP cameras expose an RTSP URL that NVRs and VMS platforms pull from. Lower-level than ONVIF: RTSP carries the stream, ONVIF tells you where the stream lives and how to control PTZ. Many AI analytics platforms ingest RTSP directly when ONVIF is unavailable.

S - Z · 17

4K Camera: A camera capturing video at 3840x2160 resolution, four times the pixel count of 1080p. Useful where wide coverage from a single camera matters (parking lots, lobbies, gymnasiums). Tradeoff: roughly 2-4x storage cost compared to 1080p H.265, plus higher network bandwidth. Modern installs use 4K selectively, not as a default.
SIA CP-01: An alarm-panel control standard designed to reduce false dispatches. Mandates entry/exit delays, abort windows, cancel codes, swinger shutdown, and exit error correction. Many US municipalities require SIA CP-01-compliant panels in commercial alarm permits. Cuts user-error false alarms by 30 to 50 percent.
SOC 2: An AICPA audit framework for service organizations covering Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, and Privacy. Type 1 evaluates control design; Type 2 evaluates operating effectiveness over a period. SaaS, MSPs, and any organization holding customer data on behalf of clients typically pursue SOC 2 Type 2. Drives camera coverage, badge audit trails, and MFA at sensitive zones.
Speakable Schema: A schema.org markup that flags specific page elements as suitable for voice and AI assistant reading. Google AI Overviews preferentially cite Speakable-marked passages, particularly the direct-answer paragraph above the fold. Tec-Tel uses Speakable on every programmatic page's direct-answer paragraph to lift AI Overview citation rate.
Structured Cabling: The standardized low-voltage cabling backbone of a building - twisted-pair copper (Cat 5e, 6, 6A) and fiber, terminated to patch panels at distribution closets. Carries data, voice, video, and (with PoE) power. TIA-568 and BICSI are the relevant standards. Camera and access control systems ride on top of structured cabling. Greenfield projects price cabling separately from cameras.
SVPP: Federal grant from the Department of Justice, BJA, providing up to 75% cost coverage for school safety equipment and training. Funds cameras, access control, intrusion alarms, communication systems, and threat-assessment training. Applications open annually. Tec-Tel scopes SVPP-eligible designs and supports application narratives for K-12 districts.
Tailgating: An access-control failure where an unauthorized person follows an authorized credential-holder through a door before it closes. The single most common physical-security gap in office buildings. Mitigations include mantraps, turnstiles, anti-tailgating optical detectors, and AI camera analytics that detect two heads passing under one badge swipe.
TCO: The full cost of operating a security system over its useful life: hardware, install, software licenses, support contracts, bandwidth, power, replacement, and decommissioning. Cloud-only platforms (Verkada) bundle TCO into a recurring subscription; integrator-led stacks separate hardware capex from service opex. Five-year TCO is the standard comparison window in commercial security RFPs.
Thermal Camera: A camera detecting long-wave infrared radiation (heat) instead of visible light. Works in total darkness, fog, smoke, and through foliage. Detection range exceeds visible-light cameras by 3 to 5x; common at distribution centers, substations, ports, data centers, and large industrial perimeters. Pairs with AI analytics to filter animals from humans.
UL 2050: Underwriters Laboratories certification standard for monitoring centers serving facilities under the National Industrial Security Program (NISP). Required for cleared defense contractors holding classified material on-site. Five Extent levels; Extent 3 most common for cleared facility installs.
UL 827: Underwriters Laboratories standard for commercial central-station alarm monitoring services. Covers facility construction, equipment redundancy, staffing, response procedures, and recordkeeping. The floor expectation for commercial alarm monitoring in most US insurance underwriting and many local AHJ requirements.
Verified Monitoring: A 24/7 service where trained agents review camera or alarm events in real time and confirm whether a real intrusion occurred before dispatching law enforcement. Reduces false dispatch fees (most US cities now charge $50-300 per false alarm) and increases police response priority. Tec-Tel's monitoring center provides verified intervention with optional voice-down deterrence.
VMS: Software that records, plays back, searches, and exports video from IP cameras. The central nervous system of any commercial deployment over a few cameras. Camera-agnostic VMS (Genetec Security Center, Milestone XProtect, Avigilon ACC, ExacqVision) supports thousands of camera models via ONVIF. Cloud-only VMS (Verkada, Eagle Eye, Rhombus) ties storage to specific hardware.
Voice-Down Deterrence: A live-monitoring response pattern where a remote agent speaks through a camera-mounted speaker to warn an intruder, often before police arrive. More effective than passive recording. Common at construction sites, car dealerships, and after-hours commercial properties. Pairs with thermal cameras and AI human-detection to filter out false triggers.
VSaaS: A subscription model where the customer pays a monthly fee and the provider supplies cameras, cloud storage, software updates, and bandwidth. Reduces upfront capex and shifts replacement risk to the vendor. Tradeoff: longer total payback period and lock-in to one vendor's ecosystem. Common with Verkada, Eagle Eye, Rhombus. Tec-Tel offers a similar model under Tec-Tel Total Protection.
WDR: The camera feature handling scenes with extreme contrast: a dark interior next to a bright window, a backlit doorway, a sunlit drive-thru against shaded pavement. True WDR combines multiple exposures on the sensor; digital WDR just lifts shadows in software. 120dB is the floor for serious commercial use, 140dB+ for direct-sunlight scenes.
WPS: A category of AI analytics specifically tuned for OSHA-relevant detections in industrial environments: PPE compliance, forklift-pedestrian proximity, restricted-zone intrusion, slip-and-fall, ergonomic posture. Vendors include Intenseye, Voxel, and Protex AI. Runs on existing IP camera fleets, surfaces alerts to safety leaders' phones, and produces compliance documentation. A core piece of modern manufacturing security.

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