New Jersey County Upgrades VMS to Better Manage 600 IP Cameras

Qognify, aprovider of video and enterprise incident management solutions, has announced Cape May County as one of the first organizations in the world to deploy Qognify VMS, a truly next generation open architecture enterprise-class VMS that delivers low total cost of ownership, business process support, advanced ecosystem integrations and cloud readiness.

Cape May County is the southernmost county in the state of New Jersey. With much of the County along a picturesque peninsula that includes 30 miles of sandy beaches, it 95,000 year-round population swells to almost one million during the summer months. The Cape May County Government is responsible for the operation, safety and security of the County, including sites such as its airport which is also home to the Department of Emergency Management, the Sheriff's Department, Superior Court and jail, the Cresthaven Nursing Home, as well as the Cape May County Park & Zoo, which attracts as many as 15,000 visitors each day.

With sites spread out across the County’s 267 square miles, the surveillance challenge how to manage a growing network of highly distributed surveillance cameras, that are required to be live 24/7, to help keep residents, workers, visitors, the government’s 1,200 members of staff and its infrastructure safe and secure. A complication is the need for some cameras to be located rural and low bandwidth areas.

The responsibility falls to Network Administrator at the County of Cape May, Dan Gilbert. He states: “Every camera needs to be fully operational and recording non-stop, anywhere the public might be, from the play areas in our Zoo to libraries, airports and courts. Our video management system (VMS) is essential to the performance of the entire network.”

Cape May County’s 600 cameras are all IP and predominately from Axis, with a small number from Sony and other manufacturers. These cameras are connected to 11 NVRs and consume in the region of 2.5 petabits of storage, with all footage being stored for a minimum of 60 days.

The company that has been trusted to meet the Cape May County’s video management requirements for more than 10 years is Qognify. Gilbert explains how this long-term partnership began: “We visited a nearby utility company to learn about how it was managing video surveillance and we were impressed with what we saw.” He continues: “The fact that the NiceVision solution was trusted for the surveillance of its nuclear power plants instilled us with the confidence to use the same solution.”

In the years since, Dan Gilbert has diligently evaluated a range of other VMSs, but has always preferred Qognify, moving from versions of NiceVision to VisionHub, adding: “We want to be sure we have the best system and are delivering the best value for money to the government. I have tested many other VMS’s and even earliest iterations NiceVision would outperform many of them.”

The latest upgrade began in early 2022, when the County became one of the first organizations in the world to deploy Qognify VMS, a truly next generation open architecture enterprise-class VMS that delivers low total cost of ownership, business process support, advanced ecosystem integrations and cloud readiness.

Qognify VMS meets all the County’s fundamental requirements for a VMS. It is can easily handle 24/7 monitoring, as well as being simple to manage, maintain and operate. Gilbert notes a big performance advantage of the new system, that has already been deployed across two of the six sites. “One of the biggest advantages that Qognify VMS provides is that we can control everything from a single console. The video configurator, administration and ability to view live video is now all in one place.”

“Qognify VMS operates so smoothly,” comments Gilbert. This smoothness also extends to the quality of video playback. “It doesn’t matter if you are watching video footage from one day or one week ago. We have ultra-smooth, frame-by-frame, no jitter playback from every camera on the network. It has made a big difference in clarity and picture quality.”

This improvement is even more impressive, given the video networks bandwidth challenges, with the County operating an ethernet virtual private line, and bandwidth speeds as low as 20MBPS in some areas.

Given the scale of the County’s infrastructure it has taken a phased approach to upgrading to Qognify VMS, moving site by site. “With the scale of the infrastructure we have It can feel like we are operating our own small country.” The full transition to Qognify VMS is expected to be completed by the end of year, whilst at the same time the County is increasing the number of cameras in operation.

Looking to the future, the relationship between Cape May County and Qognify is strong, with Qognify VMS providing added functionality that the County can choose to take advantage of. This includes powerful bi-directional integrations with access control and intrusion detection systems, as well as video analytics. Furthermore, as bandwidth increases across the County it has the option to store video data in the cloud using Qognify Cloud Bridge, to reduce its hardware footprint, add even great resiliency and scale its already significant storage requirements as needed.

Gilbert concludes: “With Qognify VMS we are futureproofing our surveillance network for many years to come.”

Featured

  • 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

  • From Monitors to Mission Control

    Security Operations Centers (SOC) were once defined by rows of static monitors, each displaying a single feed with operators quietly watching for issues. That model has become obsolete. Incidents evolve too quickly, data comes from multiple locations, and decisions must be made in seconds—not minutes. Read Now

  • New Gas Monkey Garage Venue Uses AI-Enhanced Video Technology

    Gas Monkey Garage, the automotive custom shop and entertainment brand founded by Richard Rawlings of Fast N’ Loud TV fame, has opened a vibrant new restaurant and bar in South Dakota, equipped with advanced, AI-enhanced video tech from IDIS Americas. Read Now

  • Data Driven, Proactive Response

    As cities face rising demands for smarter policing and faster emergency response, Real Time Crime Centers (RTCCs) are emerging as essential hubs for data-driven public safety. In this interview, two experts with deep field experience — Ross Bourgeois of New Orleans and Dean Cunningham of Axis Communications — draw on decades of operational, leadership and technology expertise to share how RTCCs are transforming public safety through innovation, interagency collaboration and a relentless focus on community impact. Read Now

New Products

  • Unified VMS

    AxxonSoft introduces version 2.0 of the Axxon One VMS. The new release features integrations with various physical security systems, making Axxon One a unified VMS. Other enhancements include new AI video analytics and intelligent search functions, hardened cybersecurity, usability and performance improvements, and expanded cloud capabilities

  • 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.

  • 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.