Specifically Speaking with Lyle Cutler – ‘The future of physical security is linked with technological advancements redefining how we protect our environments’

YARMOUTH, Maine—For Lyle Cutler and his team, it’s all about offering solutions for complex client challenges and transforming their communities.

Cutler serves as senior technology project manager with Dewberry, an Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) firm offering planning, design, and construction services nationwide, based out of Fairfax, Va.

Dewberry is a market-facing firm with a proven history of providing professional services to a wide variety of public- and private-sector clients, combining commitment to client service with deep subject matter expertise. Established in 1956, Dewberry has more than 50 locations and 2,000-plus professionals nationwide.

“I serve as senior technology project manager, as well as technology tactical leader for iTAC [integrated Technology, Automation, Cybersecurity] with Dewberry,” Cutler told SSN.

As part of Security Systems News’ monthly column Specifically Speaking, the following is an exclusive Q&A with Cutler:

SSN: What kinds of systems do you design/specify and what services does the company provide?

CUTLER: Dewberry’s technology team provides complete design-bid-build and design-build services, including telecommunications, data center, electronic security, audio/visual, intercom/paging, and detention control systems. Our telecommunications offerings cover copper/fiber solutions and pathways for outside plant, backbone, and horizontal installations, as well as cabling needs for electronic security, audio/visual, intercom/paging, and detention control.

In addition to typical electronic security systems, such as video surveillance, access control, intrusion detection, and active shooter, Dewberry specializes in detention security solutions, including perimeter detection, personal duress, programmable logic control (PLC), guard watch tours, gate automation, and crash-rated fence design.

Additional design services include architecture; construction; mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering; structural engineering; civil engineering; MEP infrastructure; environmental; geospatial, mapping, and survey; planning, consulting, and advisory; commissioning; asset management; landscape architecture; and physical and procedural cybersecurity.

SSN: What vertical markets does the company specialize in? Any interesting projects that you can mention?

CUTLER: Community facilities; education; energy; federal, health and wellness; industrial; justice; real estate and commercial development; risk, response, and recovery; technology solutions; telecommunications; transportation; and water.

Under a task order with a federal client, Dewberry assisted a government agency to move toward an upcoming realignment of facility sites. The agency’s headquarters needed to be aware of all the electronic security systems (ESS) equipment/software to gain a complete understanding of current status and areas requiring improvement. The ESS included access control systems (ACS), intrusion detection systems (IDS), closed circuit television (CCTV), data transmission systems (DTS), and command and control (C2) systems.

The focus of the assessment was on equipment and software measures, including:

• Status of the equipment/software

• Expected replacement date of the equipment/software

• Facilities lacking ESS equipment/software

• Communication between systems, markets, and headquarters

• Policies, practices, and administrative measures that are complimentary to and confirm effectiveness of the physical/non-physical measure

The process included the following steps:

• On-site assessments for markets across the U.S. to evaluate and recommend existing, planned, and potential ESS improvements to provide a standard level of protection to all government agency sites.

• Recommendations were provided to initiate corrective action, regardless of the type of execution contract used.

• The findings of each site were published market-specific reports, which referenced data that was presented in the site-level reports to explain the interoperability capabilities between sites and needs to achieve the desirable back up monitoring and control from a centralized location.

• A master document was produced that contained key information from the site and market reports. The data collected and analyzed will be used to forecast budgets and prioritize sites that need work by conditions and risks.

SSN: How did you get started in security and designing/specifying?

CUTLER: After graduating from ITT Technical Institute with an associate degree in electronics engineering technology, I started my career in the technology field through the installation of key and post branch exchange (PBX) telephone systems across the country.

Fortunately, through a few employer changes, I found myself working with a communications integrator that still specialized in IP-based telephone systems and telecommunications design but offered electronic security as an added service to its technology portfolio.

My time with thi s integrator and an integrator to follow is where I learned the art of physical security consulting and design. The last four years with Dewberry have helped to hone my skills, as a large portion of my clients are in the federal vertical market where a heightened level of security design is required.

SSN: Can you talk about what new or emerging technologies you are seeing or specifying today?

CUTLER: Video surveillance analytics are still the talk of the town, and detention centers would greatly benefit from this technology. We typically see two detention officers in a master control room viewing up to 400 cameras simultaneously. Incorporating analytics with the surveillance system provides an extra set of eyes and would serve to enhance protection of detention staff and inmates.

Crowd detection, face recognition, and perimeter breach exposure are only a handful of options offered by analytic manufacturers. Post-event investigation processes are also enhanced and expediated through the use of analytics.

SSN: What is your view on the industry moving forward?

CUTLER: The future of physical security is linked with technological advancements that are set to redefine how we protect our environments. As we move forward, intelligent surveillance systems leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) will play a pivotal role, transforming passive monitoring into proactive threat detection. Biometric authentication methods, such as facial recognition and fingerprint scanning, will become more commonplace, offering enhanced security measures while allowing for streamlined access.

The integration of the internet of things (IoT) will foster a networked ecosystem where security devices communicate seamlessly, providing comprehensive situational awareness. Autonomy will be a key theme, with drones and autonomous surveillance devices becoming integral to patrolling and monitoring expansive areas.

Cybersecurity vigilance will be paramount as these systems become more interconnected, necessitating robust measures to protect against evolving digital threats. Cloud-based solutions will offer scalability and flexibility, enabling more dynamic and responsive security architectures. Predictive analytics, driven by AI and machine learning, will empower security systems to anticipate and prevent potential risks.

Amid these advancements, the industry will need to uphold a commitment to privacy by design, striking a delicate balance between effective security measures and respecting individual privacy rights.