Page 74 - Security Today, January/February 2022

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out to ensure protection of these facilities and the safety of their students, faculty, staff and visitors to those locations.
Remote Security Management
Some academic institutions are transitioning to cloud and mobile-based security systems which simplify site management without the dependency on local servers or on-site per- sonnel. With pandemic security at height- ened importance, having a system that can be managed remotely offers enhanced con- trol and flexibility. Remote security manage- ment includes many innovative tools and techniques which can include:
• Instant Credentialing: Employees can use their mobile phones to access the facility, and visitors can access the facility at set times via a text or email link.
• Remote Unlock: Unlike unlocking a door by presenting a credential or key to the lock itself, remote unlock allows for any entry point to be remotely unlocked from anywhere.
• Elevated Body Temperature Monitoring: Body temperature measurement systems are a fast and safe way to measure body heat and can be seamlessly integrated into access control systems.
• Contact Tracing: Using Bluetooth contact tracing technology that interfaces with access control, companies can observe their workforce social distancing and record contact distance and duration.
• Lockdown: Consider a riot that breaks out on campus. With remote lockdown, the campus is able to implement a remote lock- down, which can be implemented from anywhere, that closes all the doors to the facility and ensures the campus’ safety inside the premises.
• Schedule changes: Managing building clo- sures, changes in personnel hours, etc., across multiple academic facilities can be done by the security administrator remote- ly. The ability to make real-time changes keeps access available and facilities secure.
• Real time alerts: Students, faculty and administrative staff can get notified imme- diately about potential security threats such as nearby protests, or interior physical security threats like a critical door propped open, so that the facility is secure when workers aren’t there.
• Integration Critical: Depending on the legacy system, there are many integration opportunities to streamline a current sys- tem with other tools, offering an enhanced security experience. For example, a univer- sity could integrate video monitoring with remote security management so that the system administrator can remotely access and monitor real-time video feeds in con- junction with access events.
An emerging technology that is picking up steam as a powerful addition to a campuses video security and analytics portfolio are con-
cealed weapon detectors. These scanning solu- tions use advanced sensors and artificial intel- ligence to detect a wide range of concealed weapons and threats, such as firearms, metal- lic weapons, and improvised explosive devic- es, on a visitor entering an educational facility.
Additionally, more and more colleges and universities are staying ahead of cyber-threats that might slip past traditional security defenses with the help of professional analysts and cyber security specialists. Engineers and architects are contracted to assess IT and cyber system infrastructure, identify vulnera- bilities and assess risks, and uncover electron- ic evidence. Specialized areas of service include threat assessment through cyber forensics and e-discovery, cyber intelligence and threat management for people, organiza- tions, and events around the globe using a combination of intelligence-gathering tech- nology, human analysis and mitigation mea- sures.
Evolving Training Key
for Campus Security Professionals Committing to training programs helps ensure that campus security professionals are prepared for—and ready to respond to—all hazards that could threaten the institution or an individual. Security professionals are trained to respond to the most common inci- dents including First Aid, CPR and AED prac- tices, as well as complex scenarios including handling confrontations, dealing with fire and being alert to all safety hazards. Additionally, campus security professionals must be a “good fit” and possess the necessary mindset and training to work, communicate with, respect and protect today’s increasingly-diverse and vibrant campus communities. The security team must plan, practice and revise their operational procedures to ensure readiness. It is important that university security directors work with a trusted physical security services and system integrator to assess the systems and processes currently in place to best under- stand where they are at risk. This will allow them to make informed, personalized deci- sions when they begin implementing changes to their security platform and processes.
Jim Lantrip is Senior Vice President, Opera- tions for Allied Universal, a leading security and facility services company in North Amer- ica. He can be reached at Jim.Lantrip@aus. com. Frank Spano is Director of Higher Edu- cation Security Services for Allied Universal. He can be reached at Frank.Spano@aus.com.
22 campuslifesecurity.com | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022