IBM, Linux rescue security solution from platform paralysis

The Benefit: Improved overall solution performance and flexibility for increased sales and enhanced customer satisfaction.

'The fact that IBM built an Informix Dynamic Server for Linux made it possible for GE Interlogix-CASI to pursue a Linux-based platform solution,' says Zev Freidus, Product Manager, GE Interlogix-CASI.

Safety first

Security is ramping up-at airports, schools, workplaces and homes. Manufacturers of high-end electronic security systems, such as GE Interlogix, a global provider for more than 15 years, are striving to offer their customers the best, most reliable security solutions on the market.

CASI, a division of GE Interlogix, deals with the world's largest enterprise-class access-control systems, supplying three out of four Fortune 100 companies with its solutions.

Picture Perfect, a mature access-control solution from GE Interlogix-CASI, has been available for nearly 10 years, and is particularly popular with colleges and other large institutions that face strict safety requirements.

More than just software

At the heart of Picture Perfect is its database. While the software itself enforces access control through various field panels placed strategically at customer building sites, the program relies on transactional server hardware to track and store access-related information. With thousands of users taxing the system at any given time, the underlying engine has to be robust.

Currently, GE Interlogix-CASI offers Picture Perfect on two platforms: IBM AIX and Linux. The AIX version, bundled with enterprise-class IBM pSeries servers, is the company's top-of-the-line solution, and has outstanding reliability and scalability.

The Linux edition, powered by IBM Informix Dynamic Servers (IDS) for Linux, offers a high-quality, extremely reliable access-control system at an affordable price.

A shifting foundation

Picture Perfect on Linux-a relatively new release for GE Interlogix-CASI-replaces a previous UnixWare solution from SCO that incorporated IBM Informix OnLine, a full-featured SQL database.

Zev Freidus, Product Manager at GE Interlogix-CASI, made the decision to transition Picture Perfect from UnixWare to Linux when division engineers needed to bring new features to market. 'Many developers are now supporting Linux, and with all the enhanced features we are developing, Linux provides the perfect solution,' Freidus explains.

IBM and Linux complete picture

With its open-source architecture and large market share, Red Hat Linux 7.2 was the perfect evolution for GE Interlogix-CASI. 'Linux plugs right into our customers' existing systems. They don't have to rearchitect to accommodate our latest upgrade,' Freidus says.

And when it comes to generating new sales, GE Interlogix-CASI has a much easier time. More often than not, Red Hat Linux has been pre-approved by a customer's information technology department. So there's no need to sell the underlying technology, just the solution.

IBM IDS for Linux provides a robust relational database with low administrative overhead, making it an ideal fit for GE Interlogix-CASI's target market. Furthermore, the seamless collaboration between Red Hat Linux and IDS for Linux has dramatically increased performance levels.

On the SCO UnixWare version of Picture Perfect, the system could sustain 50 transactions per second. When the upgrade to the Red Hat Linux version was complete, the system's capacity skyrocketed to 168 transactions per second.

In fact, the Linux solution competes favorably with the AIX version. 'We're in a perfect position,' says Freidus. 'We don't have to steer our customers toward one solution or the other. They can decide based on what makes a better fit.'