Page 106 - Security Today, April 2018

DIGITAL UPGRADES
SPANNING THE DISTRICT
State-of-the-art data center serves 26 schools spanning 39 square miles By Paul Kong
The Everett Public School district is located in Everett, Wash., and is the largest city in Snohomish County. The school system includes 27 schools spanning 39 square miles, with a student population of almost 20,000. With so many campuses to monitor and pro- tect, it was clear that the older surveillance system, a mix of off-brand analog products accumulated over three decades located at each site, was no longer adequate.
CATCHING UP WITH TECHNOLOGY
Thanks in part to a state-wide grant, in 2014, Everett Public Schools upgraded its entire video security infrastructure to a digital, IP-based system that included intelligent cameras from the Hanwha Techwin Wisenet camera line and a well-suited interoperable Video Manage- ment Solution (VMS).
The information technology department was asked to design a modern security system that would serve the district’s current needs, be cost effective and handle future expansion. To accomplish the task for all campuses, they recently constructed a centralized, state-of-the- art data center for the district headquarters in Everett. The initial IP
camera system, featuring Hanwha Techwin products, was installed in 2014 to provide security video coverage at the then new district head- quarters by RFI Communications. In 2015, a district-wide video sys- tem was installed by Cabling & Technology Services.
“Our video surveillance system was built to provide information and access to multiple stakeholders in the school district, including school administrators, principals and our police officer partners,” said Brandon Knutson, video security system manager for Everett Public Schools. “While campus security officers are primary users of the sys- tem, not everyone needs to see everything, and the ability to precisely control access to feeds has been key to simplifying the system for administrators and principals while still allowing law enforcement the comprehensive access they require.”
CENTRALIZED DATA CENTER
The move from siloed analog security systems for each school to a centralized hub architecture for all video feeds has been a huge suc- cess for the organization. The district has achieved a new level of control, quality and confidence. With more than 600 cameras in use, and more Wisenet series cameras from Hanwha added regularly, the
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