Although many industries have similar needs when it comes to safety and security, Sology recognizes the importance of creating customized solutions for each of its customers. Sology prides itself on its broad range of satisfied customers from Philadelphia to Las Vegas, ranging from private enterprise clients to large public sector agencies. Ask us about references from customers for your specific Industry.
Both segments of this critical market, K-12 and Higher Education, face increasing safety and security issues as institutions large and small endeavor to protect our most important asset – our children.
K-12
The K-12 market represents a wide range of education facilities that includes public and private elementary, secondary, and high schools. Security risk tends to be more prevalent at the high schools, but some middle and elementary schools also require security systems. In the high schools in particular, there might be a higher level of implementation of security systems in urban areas as compared to suburban and rural areas.
The main risk that is addressed in the K-12 market is intrusion. These schools rely on video and electronic access control systems focused on entryways, hallways and the cafeteria. As the grade level increases, so does the number of cameras used. This is influenced not only by the school size (elementary schools are typically smaller than middle schools; middle schools are typically smaller than high schools), but also by the increased risk of vandalism and deviant behavior as children grow towards adulthood.
Higher Education
The larger the school campus, the more complex its security requirements. Video surveillance and access control are the two core integrated systems.
Video surveillance is needed to protect the facilities and the students. Access control systems, especially in student housing, are needed to control who gains admittance into the building. Often this involves a combination of a card access system and video. Schools also have video cameras in hallways and rely on higher-megapixel cameras to better identify people.
Mass notification systems are also an essential consideration, as evidenced by the Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University shootings in 2007. Most colleges and universities are implementing a text messaging mass notification system.
Government
The federal, state and local governments are active consumers of integrated safety and security systems. Essential infrastructure and homeland security initiatives at the federal level, state offices, facilities, parks and highways, and municipal safety measures all recognize the benefits of IP security cameras located in highly-trafficked areas which can reduce the amount of law enforcement personnel needed and increase community safety.
Warehouse Distribution and Transportation
The Warehouse Distribution and Transportation industries have their own set of security concerns. Many warehouses have enormous amounts of freight coming and going 24 hours a day. These facilities are large spaces with many overhead and other access doors and are a challenge to cover efficiently with cameras. High cash value freight is often the target of sophisticated criminal rings who use the chaotic, fast-paced distribution environment to move merchandise into dishonest hands. The FBI indicates that most freight theft occurs when a truck leaves a warehouse or distribution center and then never reaches its final destination.
Integrated safety and security systems can provide critical evidence and chain of custody information that allows companies to verify which drivers and handlers were involved. Other risks occur when freight is unintentionally loaded on wrong trucks. Carefully placed cameras and quick access to video can provide management with the location of the lost freight. Surveillance systems in combination with access control provides for crucial verification of the location of employees and independent owner-operators.
Utilities
As "critical infrastructure," utility operations must comply with the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) regulatory standards, which aim to maintain the reliability of the bulk electric system. Protection must extend not only to the critical facilities themselves but also to the IT network, where security breaches could also severely impact critical systems.
These requirements make the utility market a prime-target customer for a network-based physical security platform that integrates with current IT network infrastructure. Such a platform allows for logical security to be tied in with physical security. By contrast, a patchwork infrastructure necessitates dealing with multiple vendors and multiple levels of support. With a networked safety and security installation, the customer has to go to just one place to resolve issues. It comes down to easier maintenance, faster problem resolution, and most important, a more reliable environment.
Healthcare
The healthcare segment clearly benefits from the advantages of networked safety and security systems. Patient security is a growing concern in healthcare today. There is an increased need for video surveillance for all entrances and hallways. Another issue is patient liability. Being able to monitor and have a visual record of the care that a patient receives can be important in court cases relating to malpractice and improper treatment. Control and monitoring can be either centralized or accessible from a remote PC, not only saving costs but improving effectiveness. Integrating video and access control is important especially in secure areas in which drug theft is a potential problem.
Although many industries have similar needs when it comes to safety and security, Sology recognizes the importance of creating customized solutions for each of its customers. Sology prides itself on its broad range of satisfied customers from Philadelphia to Las Vegas, ranging from private enterprise clients to large public sector agencies. Ask us about references from customers for your specific Industry.