University of Central Florida Modernizes IT Infrastructure

Campus Achieves Comprehensive Data Protection and Centralized Management for Entire Security and Surveillance Ecosystem with Pivot3 and Milestone Systems

The University of Central Florida has deployed its Pivot3 hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) platform for more robust video surveillance data protection, improved remote access to sensitive and critical data from any device, streamlined management for all their campus safety and security IT systems, and support for additional datacenter workloads as they grow.

Located in Orlando, Fla., the University of Central Florida (UCF) is one of the largest universities in the country with more than 66,000 students and more than 12,000 employees. It is regularly recognized as one of the best colleges for quality, access, impact and value. U.S. News & World Report recently named UCF as one of the nation’s Most Innovative Colleges for 2018.

Prior to implementing Pivot3, UCF was struggling with the costs and complexity of managing 58 standalone servers, 12,000 individual access points, hundreds of video surveillance cameras, and a diverse range of digital video recorders, or DVRs. The university’s IT organization and security teams required a solution that could easily consolidate these disparate systems, centralize management and provide more effective, efficient and reliable video data storage.

Pivot3 HCI streamlines video management and storage capabilities by hosting the university’s Milestone XProtect VMS, and server and storage management on a single platform. Pivot3 also offers industry-leading resilience — critical in environments such as public universities that have demanding data protection and retention requirements in order to mitigate risk and ensure legal compliance. If multiple hardware failures occur, servers remain online and previously recorded data is protected and available when needed. Pivot3 is also designed to support mixed workloads and can host multiple applications on a single infrastructure, delivering significant return on investment for the university as its security and IT needs evolve.

“We wanted a security solution that specialized in video storage but also offered options to expand into other datacenter use cases as needed, and Pivot3 was the hands-down winner,” said Joseph Souza, assistant director of security for UCF’s Department of Security and Emergency. “During our selection process, both our security team and our IT organization discovered that Pivot3 delivered the best solution for our growing environment.”

In addition to hosting Milestone System’s video management software, Pivot3 also captures and protects video data from 2,500 video surveillance cameras and supports up to three petabytes of storage. Pivot3’s ability to easily scale to this level was a key criterion in UCF’s selection process as its demand for more cameras and video data storage capacity continues to grow. The UCF camera count is expected to rise to over 3,000 when the university’s downtown Orlando Campus opens in the fall of 2019.

“UCF is a leader in educational excellence, and we are pleased to play a role in helping the university protect critical assets and enhance security operations,” said Brandon Reich, surveillance practice leader, Pivot3. “The education market in particular experiences significant benefits and cost savings through the implementation of Pivot3 HCI – not to mention the increased security benefits for students and staff - which reduces complexity and cost, delivers scalability and increases resiliency.”

Featured

  • The Future is Happening Outside the Cloud

    For years, the cloud has captivated the physical security industry. And for good reason. Remote access, elastic scalability and simplified maintenance reshaped how we think about deploying and managing systems. But as the number of cameras grows and resolutions push from HD to 4K and beyond, the cloud’s limits are becoming unavoidable. Bandwidth bottlenecks. Latency lags. Rising storage costs. These are not abstract concerns. Read Now

  • The Impact of Convergence Between IT and Physical Security

    For years, the worlds of physical security and information technology (IT) remained separate. While they shared common goals and interests, they often worked in silos. Read Now

  • Unlocking Trustworthy AI: Building Transparency in Security Governance

    In situations where AI supports important security tasks like leading investigations and detecting threats and anomalies, transparency is essential. When an incident occurs, investigators must trace the logic behind each automated response to confirm its validity or spot errors. Demanding interpretable AI turns opaque “black boxes” into accountable partners that enhance, rather than compromise, organizational defense. Read Now

  • Seeking Innovative Solutions

    Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. You may recognize these terms as the “5 Phases” of a grieving process, but they could easily describe the phases one goes through before adopting any new or emerging innovation or technology, especially in a highly risk-averse industry like security. However, the desire for convenience in all aspects of modern life is finally beginning to turn the tide from old school hardware as the go-to towards more user-friendly, yet still secure, door solutions. Read Now

  • Where AI Meets Human Judgment

    Artificial intelligence is everywhere these days. It is driving business growth, shaping consumer experiences, and showing up in places most of us never imagined just a few years ago. Read Now

New Products

  • Compact IP Video Intercom

    Viking’s X-205 Series of intercoms provide HD IP video and two-way voice communication - all wrapped up in an attractive compact chassis.

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles.

  • PE80 Series

    PE80 Series by SARGENT / ED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin

    ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in access solutions, has announced the launch of two next generation exit devices from long-standing leaders in the premium exit device market: the PE80 Series by SARGENT and the PED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin. These new exit devices boast industry-first features that are specifically designed to provide enhanced safety, security and convenience, setting new standards for exit solutions. The SARGENT PE80 and Corbin Russwin PED4000/PED5000 Series exit devices are engineered to meet the ever-evolving needs of modern buildings. Featuring the high strength, security and durability that ASSA ABLOY is known for, the new exit devices deliver several innovative, industry-first features in addition to elegant design finishes for every opening.