Organizing the Surveillance

The security industry is huge, and I often depend upon others to send me leads and tips about possible stories. This is the case with education and security, as the two go hand-in-hand.

In this issue’s cover story, I was alerted to a recent install at the Garfield Public Schools in New Jersey. Mary Wilbur, the vice president of marketing at Salient Systems, brought to my attention an overhaul at all 14 schools and two administrative sites.

What makes this story interesting is the fact that the schools worked with Jim Kane, a consultant working exclusively with the National Cooperative Purchasing Agreement. This agreement means a job is spec’ed out, and already meets established criteria for purchase and install of new equipment. The best part, Garfield schools will not only save money, but they get best-of-breed equipment, too.

Garfield Public Schools has been searching for a more responsive video with reduced bandwidth consumption. When all is said and done, the schools will have installed more than 400 Sony IP networked cameras and will be using Salient Systems VMS. More intriguing is the VMS’ Dynamic Resolution Scaling (DRS) option. According to Brian Carle, Salient’s director of product strategy, DRS will scale the video to the server and to the screen that an authorized person will be viewing. It will send only the resolution that is necessary, keeping bandwidth usage to a minimum.

I hope you enjoy our Campus Security and Life Safety specialty publication. There are a number of takeaways from this issue, including helpful case studies about campus emergency notification stands (Sam Shanes, Talkaphone) and card-based identification (Brett St. Pierre, HID Global). Our other authors have poured knowledge and experience into their submissions, which I’m sure you will enjoy, as well.

We’re all in this together, making the campus a safer and more secure environment.

This article originally appeared in the November 2014 issue of Security Today.

About the Author

Ralph C. Jensen is the Publisher of Security Today magazine.

Featured

  • Work Anywhere, Secure Everywhere: 2025 Tech Predictions

    Five years after the pandemic, organizations need a flexible work reset to stay productive and support any work arrangement. Despite the pandemic-fueled workplace shift that began five years ago, companies across industries and geographies continue to increase flexible work configurations. However, many tools adopted during COVID onset remain in place today, and they now need a reset to keep employees productive and secure regardless of location. Security leaders must re-evaluate existing practices and reinvest in zero trust security, passwordless environments, and automation adoption to improve efficiency and productivity. Read Now

  • Guiding Principles

    Construction sites represent a unique sector of perimeter security, especially amidst a steady increase in commercial construction. As in any security environment, assessing weaknesses and threats remains paramount and modern technology, coupled with sound access control principles, are critical in addressing vulnerabilities at even the most secure construction sites around the world. Read Now

  • Empowering 911

    In the wake of the tragic murder of UnitedHealth Group CEO Brian Thompson, media coverage flooded the airwaves with images, videos and detailed timelines of the suspect’s movements. While such post-incident analysis is not new, today’s 911 centers now have access to similar data in real-time. This technological evolution marks a pivotal transformation in emergency response, transitioning from analog calls to a digital ecosystem capable of saving more lives. Read Now

  • Security Industry Embraces Mobile Credentials, Biometrics and AI, New Trends Report From HID Finds

    As organizations navigate an increasingly complex threat landscape, security leaders are making strategic shifts toward unified platforms and emerging technologies, according to the newly released 2025 State of Security and Identity Report from HID. The comprehensive study gathered responses from 1,800 partners, end users, and security and IT personnel worldwide, and reveals a significant transformation in how businesses are approaching security, with mobile credentials and artificial intelligence emerging as key drivers of innovation. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge.