While security system construction designers must think about each system separately for design and installation expertise, they must also consider the association of building management and public safety and how they overlap. When designers perform a specific function for a specific purpose, they may not always be able to view the operation as a whole. Four examples illustrate the principles of integration. In order to form an advanced system of integration, the designer must understand the whole management picture; have a knowledge of operating times, exits and stairwells, and electrical and mechanical areas; and complete a facilities personality profile to reveal inconsistencies or special conditions. Communications media which can be chosen include dial-up modems, leased line modems, multiplexing, microwave link, power line carrier, PC network. The selection process considers what is physically feasible as well as which electronic mix will keep intact the base operational flow. In the future, parallel developments in automation will take the form of artificial intelligence that will give the control operator a powerful tool with which to work. 6 figures. (Author abstract modified)