Page 12 - Campus Security & Life Safety, March/April 2020

Campus Security
“We’re always looking to provide better security for students and staff, but
our goal is to make it as un-intrusive as possible. With Security Center, we’re doing just that.”
more, the Auxiliaries department on campus was already using the AutoVu ALPR system to enforce parking rules. UGA commissioned Convergent Technologies, a global service-based integrator, to handle the initial installation.
Staying Ready for Any Incident on Campus
So far, UGA has converted 10 buildings on the main campus in Ath- ens, and another eight buildings at the Griffin campus, just a few hours away. Operators keep watch over 250 doors and 100 video cam- eras. As incidents come up, operators immediately respond.
“Now, when there’s an alarm, our dispatchers don’t have to go dig- ging through different video systems to try to find the incident,” Swindle said. “They can see the live video of the event, and quickly locate the incident on the plan manager map interface to direct responding officers.”
Upon completion, UGA is aiming to have over 1,000 cameras, 1,600 door readers and 400 users on the Security Center platform. Using the Threat Levels feature of Security Center, Swindle and his team have planned response workflows for different types of situa- tions. If an emergency situation occurs, the system will immediately adapt to help responders follow procedures.
Making Everyday Tasks Easier with Customization
Securing the university buildings is a team effort at UGA. While the campus police department responds to alarms, facility managers handle day-to-day administrative tasks. Facility managers can change cardholder privileges and receive automated reports to see who’s been accessing the building.
Facility managers have also been empowered to oversee their unique building schedules. That’s because Preferred Technologies, an integrator specializing in custom solutions, developed a unique Schedule Management Plugin for UGA. The Genetec Professional Services team supported the development process.
“The university has a general holiday schedule, but every depart- ment is different. Some will still allow faculty or students to access certain buildings during the holidays,” Swindle said. “With the plu- gin, it’s now easier for facility managers to set weekly building sched-
ules months in advance, and make exceptions for academic events and holidays.”
The UGA team has also streamlined its Human Resources pro- cesses. As soon as the HR team inputs an employee’s termination date in the HR system data feed, Security Center will automatically deac- tivate the cardholder per UGA policy.
“The flexibility we get has been integral to our success with the platform,” Swindle said. “We’re able to adapt the system to do pretty much anything we need.”
Enhancing Security One Phase at a Time
The entire upgrade will be rolled out in phases over the next few years. The university is installing Security Center in one building at a time.
UGA kept existing readers by using the Synergis Cloud Link, an intelligent IP controller that supports non-proprietary access control hardware. On the surveillance side, they chose BCDVideo servers for a powerful and cost-effective storage solution, and a mix of cameras from Axis Communications, Bosch, Sony, and other vendors to meet the unique requirements of each location.
In the future, UGA might consider merging the existing stand- alone AutoVu system with the newly-installed access control and video systems to achieve a cohesive campus-wide solution.
“We’re always looking to provide better security for students and staff, but our goal is to make it as un-intrusive as possible. With Secu- rity Center, we’re doing just that,” Swindle said. “Our teams are better equipped to manage building security and to quickly respond to any incident on our campuses. Nothing has really changed for students and faculty, it’s just day-to-day campus life as usual.”
Jason Friedberg is the commercial head, Higher Education, at Genetec.
12 campuslifesecurity.com | MARCH/APRIL 2020