Knight Security Systems Makes Stride With Video Surveillance Contract With Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services
Knight Security Systems, a leading security systems integrator, has completed Group I and II of its contract with the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services to install cameras and centralized video security management at its 12 state-supported living centers located across the state.
Group I of the project and was completed in July and included 130 buildings at four DADS facilities in Mexia, San Angelo, Denton and San Antonio. Group II was complete in early October and included 114 buildings at four facilities in El Paso, Abilene, Lubbock and Lufkin. Work on Group III began in mid August and includes 92 buildings at four facilities in Austin, Brenham, Richmond, and Harlingen (Rio Grande campus).
“Originally the DADS contract specified that we complete the entire project by August 2011,” noted Knight Security Services President, Phil Lake. “We said then that we believed we could finish six months ahead of schedule. After completing Group I in July and Group II in October, we are well on our way to reaching that goal.”
The entire project includes nearly 35 miles of fiber cabling and a network of more than 3,000 high-definition video cameras in 336 buildings across the state.
“Our standardized and modular design method simplifies the system deployment while providing a very scalable solution to support the long term needs of DADS,” said Christopher Hugman, P.E., Knight Security Systems Vice President and Executive Project Manager. “By standardizing each component of the system—video cameras, network switches, power backups, management systems, etc.—we were able to pre-engineer each system by building and campus, providing cost and time savings while deploying a more robust and reliable system configuration. Because we did our homework and planning we were able to complete this first Group on time and were able to avoid unexpected issues.”
In addition—and important to the project—installation and onsite maintenance are less intrusive and safety and security are enhanced via centralized monitoring and control.
The Department of Aging and Disability Services was created to administer long-term services and supports for people who are aging and who have cognitive and physical disabilities. DADS also licenses and regulates providers of these services, and administers the state’s guardianship program. DADS began formal operations on Sept. 1, 2004.
The Texas DADS project was implemented through the Texas Department of Information Resources purchasing process. Knight is a licensed DIR vendor and is also licensed by the Texas DPS Private Security Bureau.
“Nothing Knight Security does is cookie cutter because no client is exactly the same,” Lake said. “Even within the scope of this project we saw differences among the DADS campuses. We work with each facility to give them exactly what they need. In developing this solution for DADS, we have worked to remain price competitive through thoughtful system design and project planning. We have worked with our manufacturer and implementation partners to ensure that we provide the best value to HHSC. Knight determined from the outset that we could not compromise on the quality of the system.”
Knight Security Systems is responsible for general project management and administration; video system design, engineering and assignments; overall project acceptance and training; and ongoing service-level agreement and technical support. As the lead contractor on the project, Knight Security Systems has enlisted installation and infrastructure hardware and software partners well established on security and infrastructure projects with the State of Texas. The project included the installation of OnSSI software, IQinVision cameras, Dell Servers and ZyXEL network equipment. ONSSI’s SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) based system monitoring has proven to be an extremely beneficial tool in allowing Knight Security to identify issues and respond to problems promptly.
KST Electric, Ltd., a full-service electrical, data and communication contracting company based in Manor, Texas, is a major partner on the project and has managed the installation of the nearly 35 miles of fiber optic cable and all interior network cabling for the system infrastructure.
“With thousands of customers, from small businesses to large government campus environments, Knight Security Systems is familiar with the nuances and challenges that can arise with a project of this nature,” Hugman said. “The design of the DADS video surveillance system reflects this crucial experience and knowledge and has led to a very smooth implementation that is on budget and ahead of schedule.”