Thursday, May 7, 2009

Enhancing Security on Campus: Technology Takes Center Stage

On-Demand security breaks on to the scene as Video Analytics capabilities grow.

Unified campus-wide security systems mean anywhere-anytime access to any building on campus, without limitations. With more and more campus violence being covered in the media, students and parents have safety on their minds like never before.

The old small-scale camera systems are being replaced with new unified IP camera systems that come with greater access, more storage, better vision and very futuristic video analytics.

There’s a little bit of a learning curve to the new software that’s out there, but once it is mastered any university security admin or systems admin will start to see real advantages. Such as the Web Client that allows unlimited remote access to live and stored video recordings. Access can be given to local law enforcement, hospitals, and first-response teams so that a crisis situation can be monitored remotely and on-site.

Being able to integrate the campus police video with local law enforcement desktops is critical. Both sets of eyes should be watching during any crisis situation. Also, residence hall offices can be given desktop access to archived & live video for situations they may have with dormitories.

The new unified systems integrate with a network-based access control solution, which means long-term flexibility for campus growth and pretty futuristic capabilities that go well beyond surveillance... and into the world of video analytics.

Video analytics technologies are revolutionizing IP camera capabilities. Sophisticated object detection and human identification capabilities are growing fast. The new capabilities, such as abnormal behavior recognition, access tailgating and object-left detection, can be used to generate specific and actionable alarms.

Some other video analytics capabilities include: counting the number of individuals entering a building or going through a door-- knowing the location, speed and direction of travel-- and targeting out of place objects or people in a specific area.

Imagine a camera zooming in on a suspicious or unexpected truck at a loading dock, or a camera giving real time data of a criminal’s movement through a building? Knowing if the criminal has left objects in certain rooms, or when their movement stops. What about watching the watcher... cameras that know when security guards fall asleep on the job, or can detect a pronlonged absence?

CNC Microtech partners with Genetec to deploy these solutions. For more information please email or call: brian.drew@cncmicrotech.com / (518) 858-1800

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Working Remotely – Work 2.0

Saving space and creating better work-life options. A Solution for staying connected remotely.

Why was Villanova ranked the most “connected, plugged-in, and high-tech campus in the country”? While consistently at the cutting edge of technology, until recently Villanova lagged behind in one area: their legacy phone system.

So what happened after they upgraded to an IP based phone system that complemented the capabilities of their data network? Flexibility happened. Flexibility was the strategic advantage of unified IP communications.

Before the IP based phone system- there was a growing tide. More and more employees were working off campus and there was an increase in missed calls, extra voicemail, multiple call attempts, lack of resources to field calls, etc…

But you can’t downplay the advantages of University and Government employees being able to work remotely. Freeing up real estate and reducing congestion are just two examples of why this new trend is something organizations should be promoting.

Not only does a unified communications system allow for flexibility- it brings along new perks. IT professionals get increased productivity from the streamlined system-monitoring and administrative capabilities of an IP Telephony platform. Also, for safety and security staff, caller ID support is a real advantage.

End results: employees can place/take calls from their personal computers wherever they are working, protect current investment and leverage IT team experience by integrating system with current data equipment, create work-life options, caller ID, E911 enabling first responders to know exact location of emergency, and better crisis alert capabilities.

CNC Microtech partners with Avaya to make this happen. Fast deployment & superior service. Learn more: brian.drew@cncmicrotech.com or 518-858-1800