Texas School District Rolls Out More Than 600 IP Cameras At 12 Sites

The Beaumont Independent School District in Texas incorporates more than 30 K-12 schools housing nearly 20 thousand students, in addition to several administration buildings. To keep track of activities during and after school hours, deter criminal activity and insure safety and security for pupils and staff, the district implemented a new IP-based video surveillance system powered by the video control and management solution from On-Net Surveillance Systems Inc. (OnSSI).

Greg Schumacher, senior network and programming administrator for the Beaumont School District, investigated several video surveillance options to address immediate areas of concern with an eye on expanding whichever system they selected to cover all of the district’s facilities.

After having initially deployed black-and-white analog cameras with the intent of moving them from location to location to address specific issues, the district found this laborious task too difficult to maintain.

With guidance from security systems integrator Micro Integration, the district switched to a basic IP video system using Web browsers to access and control a small array of cameras. The system proved its value quickly by helping school officials and the police department quickly identify and apprehend suspects. Most importantly, incidents at the maintenance department quickly subsided once the word got out that the premises were under constant video surveillance.

The three high schools in the Beaumont ISD required a more elaborate video surveillance control and management platform to tie the satellite video surveillance systems together from the three remote locations. Micro Integration recommended a comprehensive video control and management software solution from OnSSI that integrates camera control functions, NVR, virtual matrix, intelligent video delivery and content analysis in one software platform.

“When we first started looking at various IP video surveillance control solutions on the market, it was quite overwhelming,” said Tommy Glenn, senior consultant -- security at Micro Integration. “However, once we started to narrow down the offerings, it became apparent that one solution stood out above the rest -- OnSSI. When evaluating the ability to customize the user experience, while still keeping the system very intuitive, no company’s product matched the ability of OnSSI. Now we have templates and standards built using OnSSI’s solution that we use on various projects. Our installation times are shorter and the customer receives a premier solution with open architecture so they are not locked into any manufacturers’ cameras.”

With the new IP video system in place, the number of disciplinary actions at the High School dropped dramatically. Cameras were then placed in Middle Schools with similar results. A total of 600 IP cameras have been added to the system to date at 12 schools with the goal of installing up to 900 cameras once construction on new facilities is completed.

To facilitate monitoring operations, cameras are accessed and controlled using the OnSSI solution with map overlays of the city that display all the schools/locations. The system is hosted on multiple servers custom built by Micro Integration at multiple sites and integrated. Beaumont Schools IP video surveillance system shares a centralized network backbone with the district’s IT system but is partitioned to assure uninterrupted operation and added network security. The cameras streaming to the servers require significant bandwidth on the district’s 1GBps Ethernet network, so each of the satellite systems run independently on their own backbones and are then tied together on a WAN that feeds into OnSSI’s solution. This distributed architecture greatly helps conserve bandwidth utilization according to Schumacher.

The satellite systems are integrated so they can be viewed from various locations including principals’ offices and directly at the police department. Principals can only see their own schools while the police have access to every camera in the system. Schumacher and the IT staff have control over all system programming and functions along with Micro Integration.

“The OnSSI video surveillance control and management solution allows us to easily export data from anywhere on the network and send it anyplace we want in any format,” Schumacher said. “It’s very efficient and easy to use, as are the control functions for PTZ cameras allowing even novices to operate them. As we continue to expand the video surveillance system here at the Beaumont Independent School District, OnSSI’s video control and management solution continues to exceed our expectations.”

Featured

  • Allegion, Comfort Technologies Implement Mobile Credentials at the Artisan Apartment Homes in Florida

    Artisan Apartment Homes, a luxury apartment complex in Dunedin, Florida, recently transitioned from mechanical keys to electronic locks and centralized system software with support from Allegion US, a leading provider of security solutions, technology and services, and Florida-based Comfort Technologies, which specializes in deploying multifamily access control, IoT devices and software management solutions. Read Now

  • Mall of America Deploys AI-Powered Analytics to Enhance Parking Intelligence

    Mall of America®, the largest shopping and entertainment complex in North America, announced an expansion of its ongoing partnership with Axis Communications to deploy cutting-edge car-counting video analytics across more than a dozen locations. With this expansion, Mall of America (MOA) has boosted operational efficiency, improved safety and security, and enabled more informed decision-making around employee scheduling and streamlining transportation for large events. Read Now

  • Security Industry Association Launches New “askSIA” AI Tool

    The Security Industry Association (SIA) has unveiled a brand-new SIA member benefit – askSIA, a conversational AI agent designed to help users get the most out of their SIA membership, easily access SIA resources and find the latest information on SIA’s training and courses, reports and publications, events, certification offerings and more. SIA members can easily find askSIA by visiting the SIA homepage or looking for the askSIA icon in the top left of webpages. Read Now

    • Industry Events
  • Industry Embraces Mobile Access, Biometrics and AI

    A combination of evolving workplace dynamics, technology innovation and new user expectations is changing how people enter and interact with physical spaces. Access control is at the heart of these changes. Combined with biometrics and AI, mobile access control has become increasingly crucial for deploying entry solutions that are seamless, secure and adaptive to user needs. Read Now

  • Sustainable Video Solution Delivered for Landmark City of London Office Development

    An advanced, end-to-end video solution from IDIS, with a focus on reducing waste and costs, has helped a major office development in the City of London align its security with sustainability objectives. Read Now

New Products

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.

  • 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.

  • Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems, an industry-leading manufacturer of pedestrian and vehicle secure entrance control access systems, is pleased to announce the release of its groundbreaking V07 software. The V07 software update is designed specifically to address cybersecurity concerns and will ensure the integrity and confidentiality of Automatic Systems applications. With the new V07 software, updates will be delivered by means of an encrypted file.