Always Improving

During the spring of every year, Honeywell Building Solutions hosts a symposium for end users, making them available to invited members of the media.

For two years now, I have listened to numerous stories from end users who swear by Honeywell’s products, but mostly they regale their successes because of the company’s customer service. One such example is the Penn-Harris-Madison (PHM) school corporation in Indiana.

It took a bit for me to get used to the term “school corporation,” but I think you’ll understand what I mean by reading the cover story inside this issue of Campus Security and Life Safety.

My contact for the story, Mike Seger, is the director of safety and student services. He lives and breathes this stuff, with a passion for keeping students, staff and teachers safe and secure. I thought it was just Mike, but exploring further, the sentiment for security at PHM is woven through every fiber of the school corporation.

In talking with Jerry Thacker, PHM superintendent, the prevailing thought is that the school wants to be the best at everything they do.

Okay, so they have a great high school football program, and also mentioned a phenomenal music program. The point, however, is that safety and security begat students who have an environment conducive to learning and prospering.

“After Columbine,” Thacker said, “the school corporation ratcheted up school security.”

Because of this, more than 70 percent of the students in the district are involved in extracurricular activities. Same goes for the school at large.

PHM also acts as a host training site for active shooter training, involving law enforcement, fire departments and EMT staff on every level.

Thanks to Honeywell for making this end user available; both you and I can learn a little something more about the security environment in a school setting.

This article originally appeared in the November 2013 issue of Security Today.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • The Next Generation

    Video security technology has reached an inflection point. With advancements in cloud infrastructure and internet bandwidth, hybrid cloud solutions can now deliver new capabilities and business opportunities for security professionals and their customers. Read Now

  • Help Your Customer Protect Themselves

    In the world of IT, insider threats are on a steep upward trajectory. The cost of these threats - including negligent and malicious employees that may steal authorized users’ credentials, rose from $8.3 million in 2018 to $16.2 million in 2023. Insider threats towards physical infrastructures often bleed into the realm of cybersecurity; for instance, consider an unauthorized user breaching a physical data center and plugging in a laptop to download and steal sensitive digital information. Read Now

  • Enhanced Situation Awareness

    Did someone break into the building? Maybe it is just an employee pulling an all-nighter. Or is it an actual perpetrator? Audio analytics, available in many AI-enabled cameras, can add context to what operators see on the screen, helping them validate assumptions. If a glass-break detection alert is received moments before seeing a person on camera, the added situational awareness makes the event more actionable. Read Now

  • Transformative Advances

    Over the past decade, machine learning has enabled transformative advances in physical security technology. We have seen some amazing progress in using machine learning algorithms to train computers to assess and improve computational processes. Although such tools are helpful for security and operations, machines are still far from being capable of thinking or acting like humans. They do, however, offer unique opportunities for teams to enhance security and productivity. Read Now

Featured Cybersecurity

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 3

  • 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. 3

  • Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden Door Controls is pleased to announce that, in response to soaring customer demand, it has expanded its range of ValueWave™ no-touch switches to include a narrow (slimline) version with manual override. This override button is designed to provide additional assurance that the request to exit switch will open a door, even if the no-touch sensor fails to operate. This new slimline switch also features a heavy gauge stainless steel faceplate, a red/green illuminated light ring, and is IP65 rated, making it ideal for indoor or outdoor use as part of an automatic door or access control system. ValueWave™ no-touch switches are designed for easy installation and trouble-free service in high traffic applications. In addition to this narrow version, the CM-221 & CM-222 Series switches are available in a range of other models with single and double gang heavy-gauge stainless steel faceplates and include illuminated light rings. 3