Tips For Designing Integrated Electronic Security Systems For Educational Environments
Expert advice will help maximize the efficacy and value of your school’s security system
- By Joshua Herron
- April 01, 2017
Successful implementation of technological solutions requires a thoughtful approach, one that considers the needs of the people who benefit from it. In an educational setting a well-designed security system is crucial to creating a safe and nurturing learning environment, and it can also make all the difference in the fast response time needed to effectively handle an emergency situation.
There are many elements to consider when improving or upgrading
a security system at a school. Better integration will ease the processes
of purchasing, installing and maintaining this critical investment in
your organization’s facilities, and more importantly, the investment
you will be making towards the well-being of your student population.
THE IMPORTANCE OF AN
INTEGRATED SECURITY SYSTEM
Your organization’s facilities may already have multiple safety, communication
and security systems, which taken together represent a
collection of hardware and software (and expensive software updates)
as well as various vendor relationships. The challenge with this
arrangement is that the many separate system components do not
“speak” to one another. This lack of integration makes it challenging to
operate with the flexibility an open campus requires, and also inhibits
the rapid response time that schools need during emergencies to
obtain appropriate data and imaging for quick decision-making.
There is much for your team to consider as you evaluate a new and
more integrated security system. These tips save your organization
time and money, while also supporting a safer, better connected educational
environment.
CONSIDERATIONS FOR A WELL-DESIGNED,
COST-EFFECTIVE SECURITY SYSTEM
The optimal security solution in a campus environment is one that is
well-integrated, flexible, coordinated, and supported by security
expertise so your staff can focus on the regular full-time work of providing
the best education possible for your students.
IMPORTANCE OF INTEGRATION
A true integrated security system develops and leverages connections
with video, intrusion, access control, fire and intercom systems
to ensure complete control of the safety and security of a campus.
This makes it possible for all systems in a facility or campus to
work together for a common resolution when an emergency or
safety event occurs.
An example will help explain why integration is so vital: in the event
of an emergency lockdown, several things need to occur at the same
time. The intrusion alarm system should send a notification to local
authorities, the intercom system should play a pre-recorded message
to ensure faculty and staff are informed of the scenario, cameras across
the school should immediately populate the district control center
monitors, and the access control system should ensure that all entrances
are secured. Digi Security Systems has developed a solution that can
execute all of these functions with the push of a single button.
A security system that is integrated will also help your institution
prevent false alarms, which in some instances can save thousands of
dollars in fees from local responding law enforcement. It is critical that
the security system is designed to quickly relay event information to
key decision-makers; this in turn accelerates the flow of information to
designated executives to determine whether law enforcement is
required to intervene. This speed puts the control of your institution’s
spending and decision making back in your hands.
ANALYTICS, INTELLIGENCE AND HIGH-RESOLUTION VIDEO
The extent of your school’s ability to make a quick decision will be
enhanced by the quality of the information key decision-makers
receive as well as the speed with which they receive it. In addition to
seeking out improved integration in your next system, look for analytics
that support decision-making. For instance, Digi has additional
built-in intelligence and analytics that even more readily facilitate this
key decision-making for the end user. Digi’s self-learning video analytics
can determine whether there is a human entering an area versus an
animal (or other non-intruding object like a branch or vehicle driving
by), avoiding the challenge of false alarms that can result in unnecessary
staff check-ins or law enforcement costs. With this intelligent software,
your school is only being alerted when a true threat (such as a
break-in) presents itself.
High-resolution video allows for clearer imaging to ensure that no
mistakes are made. Digi deploys systems that work together to provide
the best alarm and event data while also capturing the highest resolution
video possible to ensure the greatest probability of identification.
FLEXIBILITY AND CONNECTIVITY
With the evolution of security technology, an ever-evolving challenge
has been to find a balance between providing a safe place for students
to learn, and maintaining an open and accessible school campus. Specifically,
security systems should not create obstacles for students to
move from one activity or classroom to another, allowing them to
focus on the work at hand. Digi installs systems that allow administrators
and staff to schedule for events or change the access flow of a system
remotely. This creates a structure that is flexible enough to be
adjusted on an as-needed basis to preserve a more open campus culture,
ensuring that the balance of openness and security of the campus
is maintained.
WATCH FOR ONGOING SOFTWARE UPGRADE FEES
Many school districts and universities experience frustration with
ongoing software fees, which are effectively a toll for the system they
have already purchased to continue to function as it should. Digi
balances effectiveness with budgets by ensuring that the systems
they provide have no recurring software licensing fees. This helps
schools use their limited resources to improve and expand on their
existing systems.
COORDINATION AND SAVINGS ACROSS VENDORS
As facilities professionals know, managing the various vendors across
an array of buildings can become a full-time job, presenting challenges
for budgeting and procurement, and even simply ongoing operation
and maintenance. Many times, schools have diminished control over
the vendor that manages and controls the installation of their systems
across the facility, with four or more vendors involved at any given
time. This makes it extremely difficult to guarantee consistency on
installation procedural standards, as well as to ensure there is clarity of
responsibility amongst different vendors (as unfortunately fingerpointing
can often occur amongst unaffiliated vendors). Digi offers
educational customers the ability to adopt local board of regents contracts
to put control of the installation and systems back into the hands
of the people that use them, and Digi remains as the primary point of
contact even after installation.
Look for strong vendor management to ensure maximum savings.
Many times schools find themselves left with high cost service calls
and poor quality because the security general contractor has selected
the lowest-bid service providers. Digi invests time into creating a portfolio
of the most comprehensive security solutions for educational clients,
and also has negotiated vendor pricing to below-market rates to
provide the best value possible while still preserving quality.
WORK WITH SECURITY AND SAFETY EXPERTS
TO CUSTOMIZE AND IMPLEMENT
When selecting, designing and installing a security system, it is vital to
ensure that your team works closely with a life safety and physical
security expert to develop the system and procedures that work best
for your school environment. This professional should design and integrate
systems that give your team confidence that they work well
together. At the beginning of the system selection process, Digi provides
all quotes, engineering, and proofs-of-concept at no cost. Sample
systems installed on site allow potential clients to become familiar and
comfortable with their future security system even before making a
purchasing decision.
It is important to choose a security system provider that remains
available to your team after the system is installed. Digi provides
expert training to assist your team in the development of standard
operating procedures and staff training to complement the system and
your specific response plan, as well as ongoing support once the system
and procedures are up and running. Digi always carries a significant
hardware inventory, allowing them to have extremely quick response
times should customers require service.
AN EXPERTLY INTEGRATED SECURITY SOLUTION IS KEY
Just as is true for a student or a curriculum or a campus, the whole is
greater than the sum of its parts when it comes to creating a supportive
and safe educational environment for your students. It is not the performance
of software or hardware components alone that
your facilities team should be searching for when evaluating
a new security system, but also integration, flexibility
and security expertise.
This article originally appeared in the April 2017 issue of Campus Security Today.