A Profile in Partnership

A Profile in Partnership

Tech leaders rely on open-platform community to deliver security solutions

Microwave sensors, also known as Radar, RF or Doppler sensors, detect walking, running or crawling human targets in outdoor environments. In 1971, Southwest Microwave developed the industry’s first bi-static microwave sensor and has remained a leading provider of microwave links and transceivers for the protection of open areas, fence lines, gates, entryways, rooftops and wall-mount applications. Over the last several decades, the company has continued to advance the field of perimeter security, including the introduction of fence and buried cable detection systems with pinpoint location accuracy.

Today, Southwest Microwave is the largest U.S.-based manufacturer of perimeter security devices, with more than 80,000 detection systems deployed in more than 100 countries, protecting government and military installations, utilities, industrial and corporate campuses, correctional institutions, transportation centers and more.

To assure that critical alarms, data, sensor diagnostic, and maintenance and control information reliably integrate with the total security system, including the video surveillance network, Southwest Microwave partners with other innovative technology leaders. Milestone Systems’ open-platform VMS has become a focal partner technology.

“If there’s an intrusion on a perimeter, you’ll get an alarm, but if you don’t have cameras on that event, the effectiveness of the alarm data is greatly limited,” said Jeff Drews, sales manager of U.S. Government & Military Systems at Southwest Microwave. “The ability to tie directly to a customer’s video management system allows us to incorporate

Milestone’s robust logic in its rules engine to trigger cameras, lights and video recording. The integration of video assessment takes the perimeter security system to a whole new level.” Milestone’s XProtect VMS platform delivers video management that’s easy, flexible and reliable. Its open architecture enables integrations with hundreds of third-party partners worldwide. With support for the widest choice in network hardware and solutions with other systems, XProtect helps organizations manage risk, protect people and assets, optimize processes and reduce costs.

“Southwest Microwave and Milestone have done a great job of collaborating to build this integration,” said Jeremy Scott, strategic alliances program manager at Milestone Systems. “Southwest Microwave is an expert in intrusion detection, and Milestone is an expert in video management. This partnership allows us to bring together our respective engineering expertise for a robust, single-pane-of-glass solution that benefits customers.”

The Southwest Microwave INTREPID Series II Perimeter Module plug-in by Milestone allows any of the INTREPID Series II systems to provide status and alarm information with associated video directly into the XProtect Smart Client. The plug-in enables customers to configure and direct camera preset views to the precise intrusion point in order to assess security threats in real time.

“The broad capabilities of the VMS perfectly complement our perimeter intrusion detection products,” said Maira Zanrosso, director of sales and marketing at Southwest Microwave. “Visual confirmation of a perimeter intrusion attempt is a powerful tool for the user, and with this plug-in, the user has the ability to determine the appropriate actions to take based on this data.”

The plug-in is compatible with XProtect Corporate, Expert, Enterprise, Professional and Express 2014 or newer. The INTREPID Series II plug-in is a Milestone Certified Solution, documenting that the integration has been thoroughly tested and verified.

“The beauty of our open platform and an agile software model, is that we’re able to take input from the entire channel and incorporate that feedback into releases in a timely manner,” Scott said. “We don’t operate in a vacuum; we rely on feedback from our partners, customers and technical teams to make sure we’re providing relevant updates.”

Using this Milestone plug-in for the Southwest Microwave INTREPID Series II, customers can create a completely secure perimeter and establish detection zones anywhere along the protected area. This minimizes the possibility of blind spots and enables operators to focus attention on vulnerable areas in their campus perimeter. Users can also integrate Intrepid Series II system information, generated alarms and system elements with the maps feature in the XProtect Smart Client, providing operators with a graphic site map they can use to control, list and view system information.

“With the plug-in integrated directly to our equipment, we’re eliminating a whole range of unnecessary hardware or software,” Drews said. “The integration speeds up response time and eliminates many potential failure points. The Milestone collaboration is a key factor in elevating security system performance and operations.”

Milestone and Southwest Microwave recently released a major upgrade to the Intrepid Series II plug-in, addressing many partner and user requests from the initial release.

“Milestone has done a great job of staying on top of requests and advancing the technology,” Zanrosso said. “The integration has been a real benefit to us, to Milestone, and most importantly, to our customers. This has become a powerful partnership

This article originally appeared in the January/February 2019 issue of Security Today.

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