Des Moines Area Community College Deploys Avigilon Technology

Avigilon recently announced that Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) in Iowa has deployed the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system to prevent unlawful activity, and boost student and staff safety.

With close to 75,000 credit and non-credit students and 3,000 staff spread across six campuses, 48 buildings, and 1.4 million square feet, DMACC can pre-empt unlawful activity and boost student safety with the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system’s superior image quality, advanced management features, scalability and ease-of-use.

“All American colleges are required to report crime data on an annual basis and while we currently enjoy a low crime rate, we know we are not immune to the threats that have plagued other colleges across the country,” said Ned Miller, director of Campus Safety and Emergency Management at DMACC. “With the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system in place, we can resolve incidents quickly and provide a safe campus environment for students and staff by providing usable, high-quality, and accessible surveillance video.”

During the first phase of deployment, DMACC designed the network infrastructure needed to effectively run the Avigilon Control Center network video management software (NVMS) with High-Definition Stream Management (HDSM) technology.

DMACC also installed 45 Avigilon HD cameras ranging from 1 to 16MP to monitor high traffic areas and parking lots at the Ankeny, Urban, and West campuses, and plans to add another 400 cameras over the next couple of years.

The college relies on 25 Avigilon analog video encoders to improve the performance of its existing analog-based cameras. DMACC stores up to 30 days of continuous surveillance video and monitors the system around-the-clock. The security management team remotely monitors the system from their desktops, laptops, or iPads using Avigilon Control Center Mobile.

Leveraging the advanced management features of Avigilon Control Center software, DMACC can find event details 10 times faster than before.

Using Avigilon’s graphic-mapping interface, the College can view footage in real time, enhancing the team’s ability to respond quickly and appropriately with up-to-date information. By recommending a system configuration that better met DMACC’s needs, Avigilon met image quality requirements and reduced system costs by 15 percent. With no recurring licensing fees,

Avigilon saves the College $12,000 annually.

The College uses the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system to resolve liability claims and improve campus traffic flow, especially during the first two weeks of school when student parking becomes a real challenge. DMACC also uses the system to confirm that the campus is being properly maintained, particularly during the winter to ensure proper snow removal and salting.

“Part of Des Moines Area Community College’s long-term program to provide the safest campus experience possible includes the deployment of high-definition video surveillance solutions,” said Keith Marett, vice-president of marketing and communications at Avigilon. “With its superior image quality, advanced management features, and user-friendly interface, the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system has become a strategic tool to dramatically reduce crime.”

Featured

  • Report: Cyber Attackers Continue to Turn to AI-Based Tools to Avoid Detection

    Comcast Business recently released its 2025 Cybersecurity Threat Report, a comprehensive analysis of 34.6 billion cybersecurity events detected between June 1,2024 and May 31, 2025. Now in its third year, the report offers business leaders a unique perspective into the evolving threat landscape and provides actionable insights to help organizations strengthen their defenses and align cybersecurity with business risk. Read Now

  • Axis Communications Creates AI-powered Video Surveillance Orchestra

    What if cameras could not only see the world, but interpret it—and respond like orchestra musicians reading sheet music: instantly, precisely, and in perfect harmony? That’s what global network technology leader Axis Communications set to find out. Read Now

  • Just as Expected

    GSX produced a wonderful tradeshow earlier this week. Monday was surprisingly strong in the morning, and the afternoon wasn’t bad at all. That’s Monday’s results and asking attendees to travel on Sunday. Just a quick hint, no one wants to give up their weekend to travel and set up an exhibit booth. I’m just saying. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • GSX
  • NOLA: The Crescent City

    Twenty years later we finds ourselves in New Orleans. Twenty years ago the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina forced exhibitors and attendees to look elsewhere for tradeshow floor space. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • GSX
  • Nothing Artificial About this Intelligence

    I have been looking forward to this year’s GSX show in New Orleans, the Cresent City, or if you prefer The Big Easy. It seems like quite a while since we’ve been here. Twenty years ago, ASIS, as it was known then was literally washed out of the city by someone known as Katrina. It is a good thing to come back to NOLA. Read Now

New Products

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • Mobile Safe Shield

    Mobile Safe Shield

    SafeWood Designs, Inc., a manufacturer of patented bullet resistant products, is excited to announce the launch of the Mobile Safe Shield. The Mobile Safe Shield is a moveable bullet resistant shield that provides protection in the event of an assailant and supplies cover in the event of an active shooter. With a heavy-duty steel frame, quality castor wheels, and bullet resistant core, the Mobile Safe Shield is a perfect addition to any guard station, security desks, courthouses, police stations, schools, office spaces and more. The Mobile Safe Shield is incredibly customizable. Bullet resistant materials are available in UL 752 Levels 1 through 8 and include glass, white board, tack board, veneer, and plastic laminate. Flexibility in bullet resistant materials allows for the Mobile Safe Shield to blend more with current interior décor for a seamless design aesthetic. Optional custom paint colors are also available for the steel frame.

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises.