Page 76 - Security Today, September/October 2021

"It is essential, for example, for security personnel or staff to be able to react instantly to a troubling situation, whether in the congested hallways of a high school or middle school, or remote locations such as stadium bleachers or large fields of a college campus."
By Ken Francis
Transforming K-12 and Higher Ed
Cost has always been the biggest problem; complexity is a challenging issue
Intelligent Campus
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Aschool needs more than great academics and smart students to be an intelligent campus. To support education and intellec- tual growth, campuses need to be safe, cyber-secure, and very smart.
This does not come as news to community and education leaders. Schools and colleges have wanted high performance security systems for decades. The biggest problem has always been cost, and then there is the complexity of the system, the challenge of integrat- ing video and access control, or the need to hire extra personnel with special skills to manage the system.
For years, elite private schools and universities were the only cam- puses benefiting from advanced security platforms and video man- agement systems. Thankfully, this trend is shifting, as cost-effective and scalable video management systems and remote access technolo- gies have become available to K-12 school districts and universities across the country. Now, companies like Eagle Eye Networks offer
cloud video management systems that are seamlessly integrated with existing technology, and managed with minimal effort.
Security Capabilities and Suspicious Activity
Violence on campuses is unfortunately something that all education leaders must think about in a proactive way. The most important benefits a school, its students and faculty gain from a cloud-based video surveillance system is bolstered security across the campus.
It is essential, for example, for security staff to be able to react instantly to a troubling situation, whether in the congested hallways of a high school or middle school, or remote locations such as stadi- um bleachers or large fields of a college campus.
Advanced analytics within a security system can notify security personnel in real time of situations worth addressing, while provid- ing critical information to key decision makers so they can act quick- ly and decisively. The adaptability and flexibility of these security
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