UK School Deploys Avigilon HD Surveillance System

  • Nov 29, 2010

Avigilon recently announced that Walsall Academy in the United Kingdom has deployed the Avigilon HD surveillance system to safeguard its 1,150 secondary students and protect high-value areas such as its state-of-the-art technology and music suites. Recognized for its exemplary student behavior, Walsall Academy selected the Avigilon HD surveillance system for its ability to significantly improve the performance of its existing analog-based system and extend coverage across campus to create a calm and purposeful environment.

“Limited by budget, we chose to upgrade to the Avigilon Control Center Enterprise network video management software platform -- the only solution designed specifically for HD surveillance -- to  enhance system management and dramatically improve image quality of our existing surveillance infrastructure,” said Adrian Bowater, director of finance at Walsall Academy. “The surveillance system is critical to our ability to track students’ behavior, reduce horseplay and petty theft, and has had a significant impact on student behaviour across campus.”

Administrators seamlessly manage the hybrid surveillance system using Avigilon Control Center Enterprise NVMS. The Academy installed Avigilon HD cameras to monitor main entrances, parking lots and corridors, coat rooms and technology suites and also installed Avigilon analog video encoders to boost the performance of its existing analog-based cameras which are located throughout the interior of the school.

An Avigilon HD NVR stores up to six weeks of continuous surveillance video -- an improvement over its previous system, which could only store seven days of footage. The Avigilon HD Surveillance System operates 24x7 and is monitored live by administrators during the day and remotely by key users if necessary.

Enhanced image quality and advanced functionality have improved overall security at the Academy, causing a ripple effect amongst students and contributing to good overall behavior. Because of its user-friendly interface and ease-of-management, Walsall Academy has been able to train more users on the Avigilon HD Surveillance System to share the workload and achieve greater investigative success.

Users can now search for details in a third of the time previously required and can quickly and easily export video to share with local law enforcement.  By leveraging its fixed assets and improving the performance of its analog cameras, the Academy has saved significant installation and maintenance costs, and was able to upgrade to high definition surveillance for the same cost as simply adding analog cameras.

“Student safety has become a top priority for England’s Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (OFSTED,) which carries out hundreds of school inspections each week,” said Alexander Fernandes, president and CEO of Avigilon. “The Avigilon HD Surveillance System gives Walsall Academy a reliable and highly effective way to monitor activity and ensure students’ safety, well-being, and good behavior -- helping the school achieve excellent results not only with OFSTED, but with students and parents alike.”

 

Featured

  • Report: 47 Percent of Security Service Providers Are Not Yet Using AI or Automation Tools

    Trackforce, a provider of security workforce management platforms, today announced the launch of its 2025 Physical Security Operations Benchmark Report, an industry-first study that benchmarks both private security service providers and corporate security teams side by side. Based on a survey of over 300 security professionals across the globe, the report provides a comprehensive look at the state of physical security operations. Read Now

    • Guard Services

  • Identity Governance at the Crossroads of Complexity and Scale

    Modern enterprises are grappling with an increasing number of identities, both human and machine, across an ever-growing number of systems. They must also deal with increased operational demands, including faster onboarding, more scalable models, and tighter security enforcement. Navigating these ever-growing challenges with speed and accuracy requires a new approach to identity governance that is built for the future enterprise. Read Now

  • Eagle Eye Networks Launches AI Camera Gun Detection

    Eagle Eye Networks, a provider of cloud video surveillance, recently introduced Eagle Eye Gun Detection, a new layer of protection for schools and businesses that works with existing security cameras and infrastructure. Eagle Eye Networks is the first to build gun detection into its platform. Read Now

  • Report: AI is Supercharging Old-School Cybercriminal Tactics

    AI isn’t just transforming how we work. It’s reshaping how cybercriminals attack, with threat actors exploiting AI to mass produce malicious code loaders, steal browser credentials and accelerate cloud attacks, according to a new report from Elastic. Read Now

  • Pragmatism, Productivity, and the Push for Accountability in 2025-2026

    Every year, the security industry debates whether artificial intelligence is a disruption, an enabler, or a distraction. By 2025, that conversation matured, where AI became a working dimension in physical identity and access management (PIAM) programs. Observations from 2025 highlight this turning point in AI’s role in access control and define how security leaders are being distinguished based on how they apply it. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • FEP GameChanger

    FEP GameChanger

    Paige Datacom Solutions Introduces Important and Innovative Cabling Products GameChanger Cable, a proven and patented solution that significantly exceeds the reach of traditional category cable will now have a FEP/FEP construction.

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.