Campus security systems

Johnson Controls, the pioneer in smart and sustainable buildings, and Microsoft Corporation announces a global collaboration to digitally transform how buildings and spaces are conceived, built and managed. Microsoft also announced the general availability of Microsoft Azure Digital Twins. As a key partner for Azure Digital Twins, Johnson Controls’ OpenBlue Digital Twin is a comprehensive platform that will support the entire ecosystem of building and device management technologies with digital cloud technologies. IoT connected solutions Johnson Controls is a Microsoft partner leveraging several Azure services including Active Directory Services, Azure Data Lake, Access Control and Time Series Insights. Microsoft’s Azure Digital Twins is the newest Azure platform service integrated into Johnson Controls OpenBlue platform that aims to enable the creation of next-generation IoT connected solutions that will model the real world. Johnson Control’s platform turns the physical world into computable objects that will enable customers to create detailed digital versions of physical buildings, assets and systems. The use of digital twins plays an important role in helping technicians identify the root cause of issues Digital twins are digital replicas of physical entities capable of providing an in-depth analysis of data and the potential to monitor systems to mitigate risks, manage issues and utilise simulations to test future solutions. The use of digital twins plays an important role in helping technicians identify the root cause of issues accelerating problem solving. Existing building infrastructure Additionally, building managers are able to support COVID-19 safety and security protocols, while ensuring efficient use of energy and other facility resources. Azure Digital Twins enables the creation of knowledge graphs based on digital models of entire environments, whether they are buildings, factories, farms, energy networks, railways, stadiums or entire cities. These digital models empower property managers with actionable insights that drive better products, optimise operations, reduce costs and create breakthrough customer experiences. OpenBlue Digital Twin is a unique platform that is purpose-built with smart buildings and spaces in mind, enabling and unifying all aspects of an intelligent building; security, employee experience, facilities management, sustainability and more. The open platform’s open system seamlessly integrates with existing building infrastructure, regardless of brand, make or model. Analysing large datasets Our partnership with Microsoft is a vital ingredient in our innovation strategy" “Our partnership with Microsoft is a vital ingredient in our innovation strategy, as the company shares our vision of using technology to transform the environments where people live, work, learn and play,” said Mike Ellis, vice president and chief digital and customer officer at Johnson Controls. “Digital twins are playing an increasingly important role in the design, construction and ongoing operation of healthy buildings and spaces, and can be particularly valuable when analysing large datasets and predicting patterns and trends to tell our customers things they don’t yet know. Our OpenBlue digital platform, closely connected with Microsoft’s platform and workplace technologies, represents an unbeatable opportunity to help our customers make shared spaces safer, more agile and more sustainable.” Safe and sustainable campus "We have an incredible opportunity to use advances in cloud and compute capabilities to help customers reimagine the physical world," said Scott Guthrie, executive vice president, Cloud + AI, Microsoft. "By integrating the power of Azure Digital Twins with Johnson Controls OpenBlue Digital Twin platform, our collaboration will provide customers with a digital replica and actionable insights to better meet their evolving needs.” Among the numerous pilots currently under development is an ambitious effort at The National University of Singapore (NUS). As part of the university’s ongoing efforts to create a smart, safe and sustainable campus for students and staff, the new alliance’s complementary products and services are coming together to test the foundations of a Digital Twin-powered operations platform. Integrated building management National University of Singapore (NUS) is excited about using Microsoft’s Azure Digital Twins technology" The data-driven platform will enable integrated building management across the campus and serve as the foundation for energy and space optimisation, predictive maintenance, and unmanned operations. “National University of Singapore (NUS) is excited about using Microsoft’s Azure Digital Twins technology and Johnson Controls OpenBlue platform, in our digital transformation journey that changes the way we design and manage our buildings and infrastructure, while retaining smart, sustainability and safety principles at the core of the entire campus," said Professor Yong Kwet Yew, senior vice president (campus infrastructure), NUS. Supporting sustainability efforts Working with Microsoft, Johnson Controls will address how people can return to work to maximise space while operating facilities safely, including: Energy Optimisation – optimising energy usage within facilities maintenance with a goal of reducing carbon emissions that save money and support sustainability efforts. Access Control and Safety - addressing physical access and safety using live video analytics and spatial intelligence, combining Microsoft cloud services and Johnson Controls security access controls hardware end points. Collaboration for Facility Managers - integrating facility management workflows with workplace collaboration platforms such as Office 365 and Microsoft Teams to increase productivity and collaboration across remote teams. Workspace Optimisation - maximising the use of spaces by merging building and occupancy data with experiences to create actionable insights for facility managers and the occupants.

Aiphone, the foremost international manufacturer of intercom and security communication products, is announcing its IXG Series tenant, guard, and entrance stations are integrated with Telecoil (T-Coil) to assist individuals with hearing loss or impairments who wear compatible devices. Integration This integration allows the IXG-DM7-HID IP Video Entrance Station to send out an electromagnetic signal that the T-Coil within a person’s hearing aid picks up, allowing the hearing aid and the intercom system to directly connect to produce a clearer sound and to remove audio interference. This feature allows those who suffer from hearing impairments to more easily communicate using an intercom system in multi-tenant facilities, as well as medical or elder-care facilities. Support accessibility “The Telecoil integration is important to ensure Aiphone’s intercom and security communication products can be easily used by individuals who are hearing impaired and require the assistance of a hearing aid,” said Brad Kamcheff, Marketing Manager for Aiphone Corp. “More than 13 percent of people in the United States report some difficulty with hearing and Aiphone wants to ensure that our devices support accessibility and the Americans with Disabilities Act." Process of T-Coil integration The T-Coil integration works like this: when a hearing-impaired individual approaches an intercom, the sound signal is connected to an amplifier, which generates a current to pass the signal to the induction loop, which is usually made of copper tape or wire. The loop then produces an electromagnetic field and is then picked up by the T-Coil. As each hearing aid individually tailors the sound to the specific needs of the individual, the integration with T-Coil allows for reduced background noise and the full spectrum of sound frequencies required for intelligibility will be available. IXG Series The IXG Series from Aiphone features the benefits of an IP intercom with the versatility of a multi-tenant solution, all powered by a single, full-featured system. IXG Series solutions are ideal for commercial sites, industrial facilities, schools, campuses, parking garages, retail, emergency calling and correctional applications.

The implications of COVID-19 have been profound, and the road to business recovery is evolving and fluid. Facility providers around the world are shifting priorities. The focus was once creating a workplace that promotes employee productivity and company values. Now, it’s ensuring that the workplace, and everyone who enters it, remain safe and healthy. With all the coronavirus uncertainty, it might feel strange to start working on how to open offices again. But no matter whether offices are planning on reopening in one month, or one year, that’s precisely what needs to be done. The office will never be the same again, and returning will be a bigger adjustment than most think. Those who procrastinate risk wasting a lot of time and money on last-minute, inadequate solutions. Where to start? While many companies are focusing on clean-desk policies, one-way corridors, and fewer seats in conference rooms, these habits alone won’t be enough. To meet the new standards for workplace safety, organisations will need to adopt technology in order to create a high-functioning, healthier, and safe space for the employees and visitors. Enter touchless technology Read on to learn four ways to increase safety and security in the new workplace with touchless technology: Hands-free authentication Once a luxury, now a necessity for the new workplace. Hands-free, frictionless, contactless or touchless, whatever one calls it, it’s not just a convenience factor anymore. Avoid Contact with Surfaces: Avoiding unnecessary contact with any potentially contaminated surfaces during these times is critical. With employees returning to the workplace and visitors coming and going (cleaners, contractors and guests to name a few), that’s up to hundreds of people per day who could be touching the same reader to get access. Mobile Access: With touchless mobile access, companies can create a convenient, reliable and safe environment that instills confidence in employees, tenants, and visitors. Virtual Credentials: Touchless access using virtual credentials stored in a mobile phone or wearable can activate boom gates, turnstiles, doors, elevators, and more from a configurable distance, unlike keycards that often require direct contact to work. Bluetooth Access: Without removing the phone from the pocket, touchless access via Bluetooth provides contactless, barrier-free and user-friendly access that guarantees secure entry, minimises high-frequency touchpoints and reduces the spread of germs. Implementing a touchless check-in experience A touchless check-in experience can limit surface contact and help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and potential future outbreaks in the workplace. Rather than touching a tablet to enter information, or signing in on paper manually, touchless check-in does not require touching equipment or surfaces upon entry into a building, office or facility. Here’s how it works: Send visitors the check-in information before the arrival, either via email or SMS. This will include basic building information such as where to park, where to go once they arrive and steps to obtain the visitor pass. Have important health and safety information to read in advance so the visitors know what to expect while at the workplace. Allow guests to sign any documents or take photos in advance. This could include a COVID-19 screening questionnaire that dictates whether visitor access is permitted. When all necessary information has been received and the person has passed the questionnaire, the organisation’s admin can issue a temporary credential OTA to the visitor’s mobile device. This eliminates the need for a face-to-face sign-in, makes it faster and easier for authorised contractors and visitors to access the building, and ensures that when the set time-period on that credential expires, the visitor will no longer be able to gain access. Maintain comprehensive activity and incident logs Employees access offices with keys and cards, and visitors check-in at the front desk makes it difficult to track down close contacts It can take up to two weeks before someone sick with COVID-19 begins showing visible symptoms, during which they are unknowingly highly contagious to others. This is where the ability to conduct thorough contact tracing is crucial to stop the spread as soon as possible. Where employees access offices with keys and cards, and visitors are checking in with an illegible scribble at the front desk, it becomes incredibly difficult to track down close contacts. Employees could be socially tailgating the co-workers, and visitors could forget to sign in, meaning people can be unaccounted for and records of who entered the organisation and when become inaccurate. Using touchless access technology, the reader can detect nearby Bluetooth devices, whether the user badges in or not, making it simple to recall detailed logs of everyone who was present when an infected individual was around. Dynamic management of credentials So, let’s say the organisation gives the employees and visitors a touchless access experience. Now they can track person-to-person proximity with contact tracing. How do they stay responsive with continually changing access requirements? If a person or persons have been exposed to someone who has COVID-19, how does the organisation stop that person from accessing the workplace? Instant OTA Credentials: With a cloud-based access manager, issuing and revoking access is simple. Instantly issue a secure mobile credential with the click of a button, eliminating the need for face-to-face onboarding and handling cards. Remote Access: Changes are immediate, meaning the organisation can manage touchless credentials remotely and take fast action towards health and safety breaches. Wellness: COVID-19 risk profiling is essential for businesses to ensure that no one presenting flu-like symptoms is permitted to access the workplace. Sign-in Access: Conducting daily health screenings before allowing employees to return to the office and integrating this into the touchless visitor sign-in progress, allows the organisation to reject access to people who don’t meet basic return-to-work guidelines. Restrict Access: With remote management of credentials, a visitor who fails to pass a health questionnaire before arriving can have access restricted. Control Density with Booking Systems: To control the capacity of specific spaces within the building (maybe it’s a meeting room or even a gym class studio) implement booking systems that only enable authorised users inside. Valid Credential: It might seem like a simple solution, but linking touchless access technology with booking systems ensures no one can join spaces without a valid credential. Notifications in Real-Time: When headcount reaches unsafe levels, the reporting system will notify security, safety and workplace teams in real-time. All that needs to be done is set a maximum number of devices for that space and the access control system will do the rest.

Safetrust, a pioneer in virtual credential solutions, and AlertEnterprise Inc., the foremost physical-logical security convergence software company, have entered into a strategic partnership to deliver next-generation digital access credentialing and controls, providing frictionless, safe and secure workspace access experience for employees, contingent workers and visitors. Benefits of collaboration The collaboration reinforces the new way businesses are defining smart and healthy workplaces, reimagining how people access physical spaces, virtual spaces and devices in this time of unprecedented change. With the integration of Safetrust and AlertEnterprise Solutions, organisations can establish centralised identity access governance, risk and compliance across their enterprise with secure digital credential options in addition to or instead of traditional badges. Timeliness, compliance and accountability “By combining Safetrust’s dynamic issuance and revocation of credentials and privileges with AlertEnterprise’s AI infrastructure and depth of understanding of business policies and practices, organisations can drastically improve timeliness, compliance and accountability,” said Jason Hart, CEO of Safetrust. “Companies can merge access to physical resources, such as specific office spaces, multiple parking garages, and corporate gyms, effectively creating a consistent experience for employees and peace of mind for organisations.” Demand for safe access Jasvir Gill, Founder and CEO of AlertEnterprise said “Because of COVID-19, the demand for safe, seamless access to shared spaces is skyrocketing." "We are excited about this collaboration with Safetrust as it will give our customers the ability to future-proof the workspace access experience during the pandemic and beyond.” “Physical Identity Access Governance combined with touchless mobile access technology is an integral part of the Future of Work.”

Safetrust, a pioneer in virtual credential solutions, introduces the SABRE MODULE, a 30-second plug-in upgrade that adds DESFire EV3 and remote management capabilities to installed HID iCLASS readers. Supports Wi-Fi The module simplifies the transition from legacy prox, iCLASS or SEOS credentials to DESFire EV3 and supports Wi-Fi which allows customers to remotely manage and configure their readers, eliminating the need for onsite visits. Plug and play The fast, plug-and-play solution requires no rewiring and allows organisations to extend the ROI of their existing infrastructure with their installed readers, it’s the end of rip-and-replace. Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) “Safetrust technology extends the useful life of access control infrastructures and provides a transition path away from expensive and proprietary vendor card products to interoperable industry standards such as DESFire EV3, Global Platform and OSDP SC,” said Jason Hart, CEO of Safetrust. “With support for Bring Your Own Key (BYOK), a customer can choose the card manufacturers that best suit their design needs and pricing.” Over-the-air updates Over-the-air (OTA) updates enable future features to be delivered seamlessly from a central management portal. This includes future product features, software patches and any evolution of new card specifications.

Navigate360 invites everyone to welcome P3 Global Intel to the Navigate360 team. As they continue to focus on extending value to their customers, P3 brings a wealth of expertise along with state-of-the-art tip acquisition and management technology. The P3 solution is the renowned choice of Crime Stoppers Programs, Law Enforcement Agencies, Campus Safety Programs, and Federal Agency Initiatives in the US. Its proven technology is used in over 35,000 schools and districts across the country, where it has helped school leadership bring mental health needs to light, avert tragedies and save lives. Threat assessment manager “When it comes to safety, solving problems before they arise through thoughtful prevention planning is undoubtedly the best way to keep schools and communities safe,” said JP Guilbault, CEO of Navigate360. “Our engagement with P3 Global represents another milestone for Navigate360 in our earnest and methodical approach to bring a complete set of safety solutions to communities nationwide.” P3 is unique because it allows students and school faculty to report tips and engage in a fully anonymous dialogue through a mobile app, a web browser, or the telephone. On its own, this technology is powerful and the synergy that the company’s customers will realise when paired with solutions such as Behavioral Threat Assessment Manager and BTA Training will be significant. It is a natural and critical extension of the work they are doing to help communities create cultures of safety. Build essential tools Anonymous reporting is especially critical for students who so often witness the struggles of their peers" The small, yet mighty team from P3 is joining the Navigate360 staff and will share their expertise, experience and deep insights. Having decades of combined experience in the public and private sectors, they will serve key roles in the assimilation of tip acquisition and management solutions into their holistic offerings. “Having spent close to 30 years working with the public and private sectors to build essential tools for critical communications, I’ve seen firsthand how a tip from a concerned student or parent can save a life,” said Kevin Anderson, Founder and Creator of P3. Safety solution plans “Anonymous reporting is especially critical for students who so often witness the struggles of their peers but are afraid to come forward. By coming together with Navigate360, we will make schools safer, as well as businesses, by enabling them to integrate our technology into their larger safety solution plans in a seamless, easy to use way.” Safety is a journey, not a destination. Navigate360’s goal is to support their customers’ journey with the tools, resources and expertise necessary to build safer tomorrows. Bringing this important technology to empower people to report concerns and prevent tragedies is another step in the right direction.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is improving everyday solutions, driving efficiency in ways we never imagined possible. From self-driving cars to intelligent analytics, the far-reaching impacts of Deep Learning-based technology empower human operators to achieve results more effectively while investing fewer resources and less time. By introducing AI, solutions are not merely powered by data, but they also generate valuable intelligence. Systems which were once leveraged for a narrow, dedicated purpose, can suddenly be engaged broadly across an organisation, because the previously under-utilised data can be harnessed for enhancing productivity and performance. Video analytics software When it comes to physical security, for instance, video surveillance is a standard solution. Yet, by introducing AI-driven video analytics software, video data can be leveraged as intelligence in previously inaccessible ways. Here are some examples of how diverse organisations are using AI-based video intelligence solutions to enhance security and performance with searchable, actionable and quantifiable insights. The video intelligence software processes and analyses video to detect all the people and objects that appear Law enforcement relies on video surveillance infrastructure for extracting investigation evidence and monitoring people and spaces. Instead of manual video review and live surveillance – which is prone to human error and distraction – police can harness video content analysis to accelerate video investigations, enhance situational awareness, streamline real-time response, identify suspicious individuals and recognise patterns and anomalies in video. The video intelligence software processes and analyses video to detect all the people and objects that appear; identify, extract and classify them; and then index them as metadata that can be searched and referenced. Maintaining public safety For law enforcement, the ability to dynamically search video based on granular criteria is critical for filtering out irrelevant details and pinpointing objects of interest, such as suspicious persons or vehicles. Beyond accelerating video evidence review and extraction, police can leverage video analysis to configure sophisticated real-time alerts when people, vehicles or behaviours of interest are detected in video. Instead of actively monitoring video feeds, law enforcement can assess triggered alerts and decide how to respond. In this way, officers can also react faster to emergencies, threats and suspicious activity as it develops. Video analysis empowers cities to harness their video surveillance data as operational intelligence Empowering law enforcement to maintain public safety is important beyond the benefit of increasing security: A city with a reputation for effective, reliable law enforcement and enhanced safety is more likely to attract residents, visitors and new businesses, exponentially driving its economic development. Furthermore, in cities where law enforcement can work productively and quickly, time and human resources can be reallocated to fostering growth and building community. Video surveillance data Video analysis empowers cities to harness their video surveillance data as operational intelligence for optimising city management and infrastructure. When video data is aggregated over time, it can be visualised into dashboards, heatmaps and reports, so operators can identify patterns and more seamlessly detect anomalous behaviour. A city could, for instance, analyse the most accident-prone local intersection and assess the traffic patterns to reveal details such as where cars are dwelling and pedestrians are walking; the directional flows of traffic; and the demographic segmentations of the objects detected: Are cars lingering in no-parking zones? Are pedestrians using designated crosswalks – is there a more logical location for the crosswalk or traffic light? Do vehicles tend to make illegal turns – should police proactively deter this behaviour, or should the city plan new infrastructure that enables vehicles to safely perform these turns? Finally, does the rise in bike traffic warrant implementing dedicated biking lanes? With video intelligence, urban planners can answer these and other questions to facilitate local improvements and high quality of life. By leveraging the video insights about citywide traffic, public transit organisations can make data-driven decisions about scheduling and services   Enhancing situational awareness Insight into traffic trends is also critical for transport companies, from public transit services to transportation hubs and airports. By leveraging the video insights about citywide traffic, public transit organisations can make data-driven decisions about scheduling and services. Analysing video surveillance around bus stops, for instance, can help these companies understand the specific hours per day people tend to dwell around bus stops. Correlating this information with transactional data for each bus line, bus schedules can be optimised based on demand for individual bus lines, shortening waiting times for the most popular routes. Similarly, the traffic visualisations and activity heatmaps derived from the video of major transit hubs, such as international airports and central stations, can be beneficial for increasing security, enhancing situational awareness, identifying causes of congestion, improving throughput and efficiency and, ultimately, solving these inefficiencies to provide a streamlined customer experience for travellers. Large education campuses Much like a city, large education campuses have internal transportation services, residential facilities, businesses and law enforcement, and video content analysis can support the campus in intelligently managing each of those business units, while also providing video intelligence to these individual groups. Campus law enforcement can leverage video data to increase situational awareness and public safety Campus law enforcement can leverage video data to increase situational awareness and public safety, driving real-time responses with the ability to make informed assessments and accelerating post-event investigations with access to easily extractable video data.   When campuses are expanding or developing additional infrastructure, they can plan new crosswalks, traffic lights, roads, buildings and entrances and exits based on comprehensive video intelligence. By understanding where pedestrians and vehicles dwell, walk, cross or even violate traffic laws, the campus can inform construction projects and traffic optimisation. Countless business operations Finally, the campus can leverage video business intelligence to justify leasing pricing for different retailers across campus, demonstrating property values based on traffic trends that can be correlated with retailer point of sale data. Whether its empowering security, productivity or decision-making, the insights generated by AI-based technology can drive significant optimisation – especially when data is fused and cross-referenced across smart sensors and systems for even deeper intelligence. The campus can leverage video business intelligence to justify leasing pricing for different retailers across campus In the case of AI-backed video analytics, diverse organisations can harness video surveillance impactfully and dynamically. Whereas once video technology investments could be justified for their security value – with the introduction of AI capabilities – procurement teams can evaluate these solutions for countless business operations, because they offer broadly valuable intelligence. And video surveillance and analytics is merely one example of AI-driven solutions’ potential to disrupt business as we know it.

Governments and corporations face crisis events every day. An active shooter terrorises a campus. A cyber extortionist holds a city for ransom. A hurricane washes away a key manufacturing facility. Not all critical events rise to the level of these catastrophic emergencies, but a late or inadequate response to even a minor incident can put people, operations and reputations at risk. Effective response plan In 2015, for example, the City of Boston experienced several record-breaking snowstorms that forced the city to close the subway system for three days. The extreme decision cost the state $265 million per day and was largely attributed to a lack of preparation and an inadequate response plan by the transportation department. The reputation of the head of the transportation department was so damaged by the decision she was forced to resign. Being able to better predict how the storms would impact the subway system’s aging infrastructure – and having a more effective response plan in place – could have saved the state hundreds of millions of dollars (not to mention the transit chief’s job). A comprehensive critical event management strategy begins before the impact of an event is felt and continues after the immediate crisis has ended. This full lifecycle strategy can be broken into four distinct phases – Assess, Locate, Act and Analyse. Assessing threats for prevention Security teams might have complained about not having enough intelligence data to make accurate predictionsIdentifying a threat before it reaches critical mass and understanding how it might impact vital assets is the most difficult challenge facing security professionals. In the past, security teams might have complained about not having enough intelligence data to make accurate predictions. Today, the exact opposite might be true – there is too much data! With crime and incident data coming from law enforcement agencies, photos and videos coming from people on the front line, topics trending on social media and logistical information originating from internal systems it can be almost impossible to locate a real signal among all the noise and chatter. Being able to easily visualise all this intelligence data within the context of an organisation’s assets is vital to understand the relationship between threat data and the individuals or facilities in harm’s way. Social media monitoring Free tools like Google Maps or satellite imagery from organisations like AccuWeather, for example, can help understand how fast a storm is closing in on a manufacturing facility, or how close an active shooter is to a school. Their usefulness, however, is limited to a few event types and they provide only a very macro view of the crisis.Data from building access systems, wifi hotspots, corporate travel systems, among others, can be used to create a profile Critical event management (CEM) platforms, however, are designed specifically to manage critical events of all types and provide much greater visibility. Internal and external data sources (weather, local and national emergency management, social media monitoring software, security cameras, etc.) are integrated into these platforms and their data is visualised on a threat map. Security teams can quickly see if there are actual threats to the organisations or communities they are protecting and don’t lose time trying to make sense of intelligence reports. The more they can see on a ‘single pane of glass,’ the faster they can initiate the appropriate response. Locating a threat Once a threat has been deemed a critical event, the next step is to find the people who might be impacted – employees/residents in danger, first responders and key stakeholders (e.g., senior executives or elected officials who need status updates). Often, this requires someone on the security team to access an HR contact database and initiate a call tree to contact each person individually, in a specific hierarchical order. This can be a time-consuming and opaque process. There is no information on the proximity of that person to the critical event, or if a person has skills such as CPR that could aid in the response. Ensuring ahead of time that certifications, skill sets, or on-call availability is included with contact information can save valuable time in the middle of a crisis response. Going even further, data from building access systems, wifi hotspots, corporate travel systems, among others, can be used to create a profile of where a person just was and where he or she might be going in a CEM platform. This information can be visualised on the threat map and help determine who is actually in danger and who can respond the fastest. The emergency response then becomes targeted and more effective. Security teams can quickly see if there are actual threats to the organisations or communities they are protecting Acting and automating The third step is to act and automate processes. If there is a tornado closing in on a town, for example, residents should not have to wait for manual intervention before a siren is activated or a message sent out. Organisations can build and execute their standing operating procedures (SOPs) fully within a CEM platform. Sirens, alarms, digital signs and messages can all be automatically activated based on event type, severity and location. Using the tornado example, an integration with a weather forecasting service could trigger the command to issue a tornado warning for a specific community if it is in the path of the storm. Summon security guards Warning messages can be prepared in advance based on event type so there is no chance of issuing a misleading or unclear alert Warning messages can be prepared in advance based on event type so there is no chance of issuing a misleading or unclear alert. All communications with impacted individuals can be centralised within the platform and automated based on SOP protocols. This also includes inbound communications from first responders and impacted individuals. An employee confronted by an assailant in a parking garage could initiate an SOS alert from his or her mobile phone that would automatically summon security guards to the scene. Conference lines can also be instantly created to enable collaboration and speed response time. Additionally, escalation policies are automatically engaged if a protocol is broken. For example, during an IT outage, if the primary network engineer does not respond in two minutes, a designated backup is automatically summoned. Eliminating manual steps from SOPs reduces the chance for human error and increases the speed and effectiveness of critical event responses. Analysis of a threat Looking for ways to better prepare and respond to critical events will not only improve performance when similar events occur again It’s not uncommon for security and response teams to think that a critical event is over once the immediate crisis has ended. After all, they are often the ones pushing themselves to exhaustion and sometimes risking life and limb to protect their neighbours, colleagues, community reputations and company brands. They need and deserve a rest. In the aftermath of a critical event, however, it’s important to review the effectiveness of the response and look for ways to drive improvements. Which tasks took too long? What resources were missing? How many times did people respond quickly? With a CEM platform, team performance, operational response, benchmarking data and notification analysis are all captured within the system and are available in a configurable dashboard or in after-action reports for analysis. Continuously looking for ways to better prepare and respond to critical events will not only improve performance when similar events occur again, but it will also improve response effectiveness when unforeseen events strike. Coordinate emergency response Virtually every organisation has some form of response plan to triage a critical event and restore community order or business operations. While many of these plans are highly effective in providing a structure to command and coordinate emergency response, they are reactive in nature and don’t account for the full lifecycle of a critical event – Assess, Locate, Act and Analyse. Whether it’s a large-scale regional emergency or a daily operational issue such as an IT outage, a comprehensive critical event management strategy will minimise the impact by improving visibility, collaboration and response.

Schools today are charged to provide an environment that is both safe and conducive to learning, which can be difficult considering the range of security incidents and challenges they face, including bullying, fights, graffiti, theft and more. In addition to working within often tight budgetary constraints, a main challenge is to provide the highest level of security in an aesthetically pleasing way that doesn’t make students feel as if they are in prison. While these two needs may seem mutually exclusive to some degree, that doesn’t have to be the case. School security can be achieved without building 20-foot walls or putting barbed wire around the perimeter. The key to balancing the security and learning environment can be found in the four pillars of a good school security strategy, namely people, practices, technology and physical environment. A mobile app or text notification system could be used to alert students and staff of potential problems Situational awareness One of the most effective measures to take is to educate staff and even students to learn to be aware about their surroundings and adopt the 'If you see something, say something' mentality. In an emergency, time is of the essence, so the speed of response becomes critical. Educating staff and students to recognise potential problems and report them is a good first step. Augmenting this with mobile apps and/or texting capabilities, for example, that allow someone to send a photo to school security or law enforcement for quick assessment and evaluation, can speed response even more. A mobile app or text notification system could also be used to alert students and staff of potential problems and provide instructions on what steps to take in order to remain safe. By providing real-time situational awareness about potential responses, these types of technologies can reduce the number of armed guards or resource officers needed to patrol a school or campus, which also makes students more comfortable and able to learn in a non-prison-like environment. Security best practices Every school should establish a set of security policies and procedures and ensure that staff and students understand what to do if they suspect a problem or if an incident should unfold at the school. However, too often, schools may not know where to start when seeking out best practices. And once these policies are in place, there may be confusion about how to audit them to ensure people are properly educated. The NFPA has begun work on a school security standard that would address a range of issues schools face on a daily basis A number of organisations are available to aid with this process, such as the Partner Alliance for School Safety a group founded in cooperation with SIA (Security Industry Association), which provides resources and tools to help schools and security professionals evaluate and establish the best security protection for their buildings. These guidelines and best practices are designed to help schools spend their often limited funds on the right security solutions. Safe and Sound Schools provides downloadable school security toolkits, and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has recently released the NFPA 3000 Active shooter response guidelines and has begun work on a school security standard that would address a range of issues schools face on a daily basis. The key takeaway is that the information is out there, and the organisations mentioned above are excellent resources for helping schools create safe, secure and learning-conducive environments. Technology in school security The second thing that needs to be considered is how technology can be brought to bear to contribute to school security. Video surveillance with video analytics can be deployed to monitor areas at certain times of day. For example, once school starts, there shouldn’t be a lot of activity in the parking lot or in particular areas around the school. For these situations, intelligent cameras with video analytics can be used to detect activity in those areas of interest to alert school security that something may need their attention. This might be a vehicle entering a lot or driving against the normal traffic flow, which may simply be a parent arriving to pick their child up early, or it could be something worth following up on. Radar detection is ideal for perimeters, where a device can be set up unobtrusively to alert when someone enters a particular area In any case, this is something that should be brought to the attention of someone who can quickly assess the situation and determine what, if any, response is needed. Because the goal in a potentially dangerous situation is speed response times. The faster you’re able to detect something using technology, the faster you’re able to respond. Therefore, being able to identify something happening in a parking lot and alert school resource officers could provide 30 seconds or a minute head start for response, which can get the school into a lockdown situation and get first responders on site more quickly.Facial recognition systems and providing access through smartphones could help create a more welcoming and secure environment for students, staff and parents After-hour monitoring solutions Monitoring buildings and facilities after hours presents a different set of challenges. For sporting events, the National Center for Spectator Sports and Security (NCS4) at the University of Southern Mississippi provides best practice guidance for sporting facilities and events not only just for universities but even including those at high schools. It’s been shown that using lighting at night can deter crime. However, it can be expensive to keep a building and grounds illuminated all night, every night. To mitigate these concerns and potential costs, there are video cameras available with extreme low-light capability that allows them to see in near-dark or in some cases complete darkness. This allows a school to save money by turning lights off while achieving a level of surveillance performance similar to daytime deployments. Radar detection Another technology for effective school security, both during and after school hours, is radar detection. This is ideal for perimeters, where a device can be set up unobtrusively to alert when someone enters a particular area. Radar can be deployed with a single PTZ camera, which can track whatever has been detected to provide real-time situational awareness for a school resource officer or law enforcement to investigate to determine the potential threat, if any, related to the perimeter breach.Following the four pillars of school security can ease the process while improving the effectiveness and efficiency of securing educational facilities More often than not, schools are faced with issues that are not necessarily the worst-case scenario everyone fears, such as how to identify parents and others who are authorised to pick a child up from school early. In this instance, facial recognition systems and providing access through smartphones could help create a more welcoming and secure environment for students, staff and parents. Lighting and landscaping In addition to technology, one of the things that can contribute to a safer school environment is environmental design. CPTED provides four basic principles, one of which is natural surveillance, which follows a 'see and be seen' philosophy. In other words, when people know they can be seen, they are less likely to commit a crime. The main points in this general principle are lighting and landscaping. For example, a school doesn’t want to block potentially vulnerable areas with landscaping, so the height and thickness of any potential landscaping elements should be carefully considered. In general, openness and visibility should be the guiding factors. Securing physical environment Another aspect of the physical environment is maintenance. If a window gets broken but isn’t fixed right away, that tends to invite vandalism. These are just two of the guidelines CPTED offers for creating a more secure environment that doesn’t feel like a prison. In general, finding the right mix between maintaining security and providing a welcoming, aesthetically pleasing and learning-conducive environment can seem like a difficult – if not impossible – task. Following the four pillars of school security can ease the process while improving the effectiveness and efficiency of securing educational facilities.

Combining artificial intelligence (AI) with cloud video creates systems that are smarter, safer and more cost-effective. Furthermore, adding AI capabilities can widen the advantage gap of cloud video systems compared to on-premise systems, especially for cost-conscious end users. “We strongly believe the total cost of ownership (TCO) for cloud systems is more affordable,” says Ken Francis, President of cloud video surveillance company Eagle Eye Networks. “And introducing really powerful AI will expand the cost differences.” Combining AI and cloud video To finance realisation of their vision to combine AI and cloud video, Eagle Eye Networks has raised $40 million of Series E funding from venture capital firm Accel. The money will allow Eagle Eye to continue its steep growth curve and leverage AI on its true cloud platform to reshape video surveillance. “The investment will make video surveillance smarter and safer for end users,” says Francis. In effect, end users have maximum flexibility to manage and analyse their video data however they wish The system sends captured video to the cloud, where a variety of AI or video analytics systems can extract valuable data from the captured video. Eagle Eye offers an application programming interface (API) to enable integration of best-in-breed third-party AI and analytics systems to leverage the video. In effect, end users have maximum flexibility to manage and analyse their video data however they wish. Delivering lower costs In addition to offering integration with third-party systems, Eagle Eye is investing in its own AI development, and hiring additional development and customer service personnel. As new technologies become part of the Eagle Eye platform, customers benefit from lower costs because of economies of scale. Keeping the emphasis on development of cloud systems, Eagle Eye also offers customers maximum flexibility in choosing their cameras. Eagle Eye’s on-premise cyber-hardened “bridge” can connect to almost any camera from thousands of manufacturers, including those connecting with HD-over-coax. The COVID-19 pandemic has expanded the need for end users to view their premises remotely, and in the process has highlighted shortcomings of their existing video systems. As a result, video manufacturers - including Eagle Eye Networks - are seeing a surge in end users updating their systems. Cloud video surveillance Given the costs of installing and maintaining hard drives for local storage (and additional challenges during a pandemic lockdown), more end users are opting to use cloud systems. In effect, the COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating installation of cloud video surveillance. “Our industry is the most resilient in the world,” says Francis. Eagle Eye Networks was on track to double their growth in the first quarter, and then COVID slowed everything down As a whole, 2020 has been a successful year for the cloud system provider. Eagle Eye Networks was on track to double their growth in the first quarter, and then the COVID lockdown slowed everything down. During the second quarter, their revenue from setup fees and appliances fell by 35% or so, but subscriptions increased slightly including customers looking to keep watch over their shuttered businesses. Temperature alerting solutions The third quarter saw another big uptick in business; August and September were booming, and not just from projects that were delayed from Q2. There has also been a spike in customers looking to apply temperature alerting solutions, says Francis. In uncertain economic times, cloud systems require around 40% less up-front costs, and provide flexibility to eliminate the system (and the expense) at any time without losing a large financial investment.  Cloud video has reached a tipping point in the United States, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, among other locales, but the technology lags in some other geographic areas such as France. Driving adoption is availability and cost of sufficient upload speed and bandwidth. In addition to Eagle Eye’s branded growth, the company also provides the OEM engine behind a half dozen or so cloud systems offered by other manufacturers. Backing multi-site enteprises About eight years old, Eagle Eye Networks has focused squarely on the small- and middle-sized business (SMB) market, especially multi-site businesses such as retail, banking and healthcare. They also work with local governments and K-12 schools. Moving forward, the company will seek to expand more into multi-site enterprise customers, some of which have 1,000 locations around the world and need to store their video locally to meet regulatory requirements. Multi-site businesses, benefit from the cloud by eliminating the need for local IT equipment and expensive staff Multi-site businesses, especially, benefit from the cloud by eliminating the need for local IT equipment and expensive staff. As internet connectivity becomes less expensive than installing new cable infrastructure, cloud systems will become more attractive to large campus environments such as colleges and airports, says Francis. The advent of 5G connectivity will also be a plus. All Eagle Eye products are NDAA compliant. Premium support services Further expanding its services, Eagle Eye Networks is poised to launch “Premium Support Services,” in which the cloud provider’s employees will proactively monitor and service customer sites for a minimum additional monthly fee. The cloud structure enables most problems to be addressed and solved remotely without needing to send personnel to a site. The new investment from Accel, a funding partner of top-tier tech companies such as Facebook, Dropbox and Spotify, is Accel's first investment in the security industry. In addition to investing in AI, Eagle Eye also plans to leverage the funding to expand into new regional markets with new data centres and additional staff in business development, sales and support roles.

Video, access control and visitor management are among the technologies that are enabling greater safety and security at hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Video surveillance systems enable hospital management and security professionals to know what goes on in and around a medical facility. Recording images in high resolutions (megapixels and gigapixels) is becoming more and more important in healthcare, says Jason Ouellette, Product Line Director – Access Control, Tyco Security Products. Video event management software Video analytics are now being leveraged for patient tracking, asset tracking, and operational purposes If an incident occurs in a medical facility, the security staff has to be able to identify faces easily and accurately. Storage and costs have to be considered, of course. With technology improving and prices decreasing, video solutions can even be used for purposes beyond traditional security. For example, video analytics are now being leveraged for patient tracking, asset tracking, and operational purposes, and captured video can be used to defend against liability claims. What’s next? Video analytics will continue to be a valuable addition to any surveillance infrastructure due to its ability to address patient needs, operational efficiencies and early risk detection, says Brandon Reich, Senior Director of Surveillance Solutions, Pivot3. Through video event management software (VEMS), hospitals can customise the statistics that are relevant to their individual buildings or campuses without having to spend extra time or money on rigorous employee training. Data capture form to appear here! Real-time access control security updates Furthermore, once healthcare facilities are able to digitise all of their patient records, secure any of their ingress and egress points with real-time access control security updates, and fully transition from analogue to IP video surveillance cameras, VEMS systems that house analytical software will be able to multiply the benefits offered to hospitals, not just in real time, but in planning ahead for future risk, expansion and safety protocols. It is vital to implement integrated and innovative access control solutions With large, complex facilities, directors of security at hospitals struggle with controlling access to various levels of the facility, according to Eric Widlitz of Vanderbilt Industries. To manage the risks that hospitals face and ensure a comprehensively protected atmosphere for patients and staff, it is vital to implement integrated and innovative access control solutions. For example, ease of access with controlled entrances is vital to medical crash teams, as is the need for a zonal access control lockdown in the event of a contagious disease outbreak. Strict access limitations Different hallways, rooms, floors and waiting areas within a hospital require different amounts of restriction, and sensitive materials, such as medical files, controlled substances and sterile environments (such as operating and procedure rooms) all necessitate an additional layer of protection. Access control in particular has advanced significantly to offer healthcare facilities the ability to control access remotely, through mobile applications, confirm identity quickly and easily and program varying levels of access for visitors, patients, doctors and staff. One area that is recently experiencing rapid growth – and drastic change – is the securing of narcotics within healthcare facilities, says Robert Laughlin, CEO and Chairman, Galaxy Control Systems. In the past, all medicine was controlled in a central pharmacy located somewhere in the hospital or health facility. These pharmacies were highly secured areas, with strict access limitations; only authorised staff could get near the medicine stocks. Fiber optic communication lines For vehicle access control, medical centers and hospitals prefer beam barricades and shallow foundation barriers To improve the speed of delivery, and to have the necessary medicines ready at hand for in-patients without retaining a large delivery staff, the current trend is to have distributed pharmaceutical closets or carts that hold medicines much closer to the intended patients. For vehicle access control, medical centers and hospitals prefer beam barricades and shallow foundation barriers, according to Gregg Hamm of Delta Scientific. Manual beam barricades are installed at the Fort Bragg Veterans Administration Hospital in North Carolina to shut down certain areas of the facility when a higher alert is sounded. They will stop a 15,000-pound vehicle traveling 50 mph. The Navy Hospital in San Diego uses high speed, high security and very shallow foundation barricades to control all vehicles going in and out of the facility. With their extremely shallow foundation, they obviate the concerns of interference with buried pipes, power lines and fiber optic communication lines. They will stop a 15,000-pound vehicle traveling 50 mph. At the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, even stronger shallow foundation barriers are used for traffic control and protection. These barriers will destroy a 65,000-pound (5.4 million foot-pounds) dump truck traveling 50 mph and continue to stand. Physical access control systems Controlling visitors to hospitals and healthcare facilities can directly impact security Controlling visitors to hospitals and healthcare facilities can directly impact security. Traditional methods of visitor management, such as paper visitor logs and handwritten badges are insufficient given today’s variety of security challenges. A hospital using paper-based systems cannot easily cross-check information, confirm patient information, check visitor names against up-to-date watch lists, or visually confirm identity. An increasingly popular and important application is secure and simplified visitor management, integrated with the physical access control systems (PACS). Today’s visitor management systems enable the screening, badging and tracking all visitors or, at a minimum, those visiting critical areas or during ‘after hours’ periods, Quickly identify inappropriate visitors One other growing technology is the ability to link to internal or governmental watch lists, to quickly identify inappropriate visitors before they gain access to the facilities. For example, Visitor Management systems can be configured to perform a Sex Offender search in both Children’s Hospitals and Pediatric areas, further decreasing the likelihood that someone of the list could gain access. Wayfinding is indoor navigation to guide a person step-by-step on the way to a desired destination HID Global and Phunware Inc. are addressing the need of healthcare institutions to deploy standardised technology to provide a better wayfinding and visitor engagement experience inside the hospital, across campus and even in parking lots. The companies are collaborating to improve the experience for hospital patients and visitors to find their way within medical facilities, using wayfinding on their mobile phones. Wayfinding is indoor navigation to guide a person step-by-step on the way to a desired destination. Enterprise-level mobile wayfinding “It’s easy for visitors and patients to get lost in hospitals, and every time they do it puts appointment times and patient satisfaction at risk,” says Rom Eizenberg, Vice President of Sales, Bluvision, part of HID Global “With our location-aware app on a mobile device, we equip the visitor to get instant, turn-by-turn navigation that creates a better experience than that which is currently available on the market.” HID’s healthcare IoT solution-enablement platform simplifies the delivery of real-time location of clinicians, patients and devices. The platform is enabled by Bluvision (part of HID Global). Phunware’s Multiscreen-as-a-Service (MaaS) platform also provides enterprise-level mobile wayfinding, engagement, data and more for other vertical markets, including retail, residential, hospitality, media and entertainment and more. Missed the rest our healthcare mini series? Read part one here and part two here.

Many venues are using access control, video surveillance systems, sensors, and additional hardware solutions as part of a broader security strategy. By utilising so many disparate systems, corporate security teams are left with information “silos” that create inefficiencies and hamper communication. This abundance of hardware has left teams with too much data or too many tools, to manage effectively. Armored Things offers a software solution. The company’s “spatial intelligence platform” currently collects more data than other security intelligence solutions, utilising a broader range of sources and fusing data together rather than integrating it. The platform currently focuses on taking in data from WiFi, access control, and video surveillance systems and applying machine learning to deliver customers features such as real-time predictive analytics to prevent incidents like bottlenecks or overcrowding. Spatial Intelligence is an approach to physical security that enables users to collect, manage, and interpret data in a single platform. Combine machine learning with data The term can best be used to describe how digital transformation has affected physical security. Spatial Intelligence in its infancy looked like video surveillance data combined with machine learning to produce video analytics. The spatial intelligence solutions of today can combine machine learning with data of any source, type, and size to deliver value across a large organisation, not just the security team, says the company. Armored Things’ Spatial Intelligence platform unifies data from information silos to support data-driven decisions around operations and security. By fusing data from multiple sources, we can produce more consistent and useful insights for our customers” A suite of analytics, reporting and visualisation tools helps customers gain a real-time understanding of people and flow in their space. By removing the guesswork of everyday decisions, the product enables customers to make data-driven decisions at a moment’s notice, according to the company. Armored Things is more than a data management tool. “By fusing data from multiple sources (rather than only cameras or only WiFi), we can produce more consistent, accurate, and useful insights for our customers,” says Kevin Davis, Chief Security Officer at Armored Things. "Being able to collect the data is the first step, but turning it into actionable intelligence is where Armored Things excels.” IP cameras and other IoT-enabled devices The range of data sources includes IP cameras and other IoT-enabled devices and even outside data sources like bus schedules and weather reports. Armored Things has built a team of public safety and technical experts with the mission to keep people safe where they live, work, and play. By leveraging emerging technology to enhance physical security, the company built the software-centric Spatial Intelligence Platform for large organisations to enhance the safety and operations of their space. Schools and education facilities are among the customers that can benefit. The leadership at Armored Things cares deeply about school safety, so the recent epidemic of campus violence has definitely been a large topic of conversation, according to the company. “By delivering our products to a greater number of customers, Armored Things hopes to continue making schools a safe place to learn and gather,” says Davis. Recently, there was a significant bottleneck lasting nearly 30 minutes at the Syracuse-Clemson football game. Unifying data into one platform Digital transformation is disrupting the way our customers think about physical security,” Using Armored Things technology and providing real-time data to security and operations personnel could have identified the bottleneck as it began to form. This would have notified relevant personnel, who could have taken steps to mitigate the problem before it turned into a security risk. Keeping the security infrastructure simple is imperative to success. Integrating a software solution into the security strategy shouldn’t complicate existing operations, says the company. “Armored Things Spatial Intelligence Platform can bring your security and operations into focus by unifying all of your data into one platform for ease of use,” says Davis. For this reason, the team chose to integrate not only with customers’ existing security infrastructure but with non-traditional data sources (e.g. WiFi, event schedules, ticketing) as well. “By combining and analysing a more diverse dataset, Armored Things can help our customers make better decisions with deeper data-driven insights,” says Davis. "Digital transformation is disrupting the way our customers think about physical security,” says Davis. “As a team, our aim is to help our customers adapt to the digital age, as they transition from hardware to software-centric security solutions. Fostering organisational change is difficult, and our team hopes to make the transition process easier for our customers.”

HID Global, a globally renowned company in trusted identity solutions, has announced that the American School of Guatemala has selected its Seos credential technology to modernise its physical access system. Enhanced campus security The solution significantly improves campus security and traffic efficiency for students and parents, along with enabling staff to easily issue and manage access credentials. “We’ve significantly improved the management of vehicle traffic by reducing the time it takes for parents to access the parking lot. We’ve been able to improve evacuation and emergency processes for our students and staff,” said a spokesperson for the Security Office, American School of Guatemala. Seos credential technology The spokesperson adds, “And, best of all, we have an automated system to manage the entry and exit times of our employees to know where everyone is located on our large campus.” The American School of Guatemala is a private K-12 college preparatory school in Guatemala City, Guatemala. The school partnered with local security integrator, Grupo RQM and HID Global to replace its legacy system, which consisted of written documentation and fingerprint logs. HID readers installed at access points The new system includes HID readers installed at pedestrian and vehicle access points The new system includes HID readers installed at pedestrian and vehicle access points and 1,500 Seos smart cards issued to students, parents and staff. In addition to automating and streamlining access to the school’s buildings, the solution has led to a reduction in the average student drop-off time from 40 to 18 minutes. The school also launched a pilot with HID Mobile Access to allow secure access to the school’s parking lot via mobile IDs stored on smartphones. To gain entry, users simply drive up and hold their mobile phone to a reader, an important feature since most students travel in bulletproof armored vehicles that lack the ability to lower windows.   Upgraded security and authentication solutions “The American School of Guatemala’s access control system has all the hallmarks of HID’s industry-renowned security and authentication solutions,” said Harm Radstaak, Senior Vice President and Head of Physical Access Control Solutions with HID Global.  Harm Radstaak adds, “From flexibility and security to ease-of-use, HID’s unique combination of forward-looking technology and intuitive design helps create a robust solution that fortifies the school’s campuses and elevates the user experience.” Due to the successful deployment, school officials plan to replace its traditional key system with Seos smart cards for additional use cases, such as library and student payment services.

Trinity College Dublin is enhancing safety and support for staff and students by implementing SafeZone technology from CriticalArc. SafeZone technology Through this implementation, the university aims to deliver more rapid response to calls for assistance across all campus facilities, and to better assist students and staff working remotely, including those on placement overseas. When individuals call for assistance, in a wide range of situations, including those working alone out of hours, those with particular vulnerabilities and those with medical emergencies, the technology will enable responders to pin-point their precise location. Access with SafeZone mobile app Students and staff can check-in and use the service with the SafeZone mobile app Students and staff can check-in and use the service with the SafeZone mobile app, which puts them in immediate contact with the university’s support infrastructure. The technology will also make it easy for the responders to optimise response and to provide appropriate intervention in the event of an emergency. “During this challenging time for our students and staff, Trinity College Dublin is doing everything it can to ensure both the physical and mental well-being of everyone in our community. We are delighted to be introducing this advanced technology, as part of our support actions,” stated Trinity’s Head of Safety, Dr. Katharine Murray. Students and staff safety “It’s more important than ever for universities to keep in touch with their students and staff, to fulfill their duty of care and ensure that those who need help of any kind get the quickest possible response,” said Darren Chalmers-Stevens, Managing Director of CriticalArc. Darren adds, “We’re pleased to help Trinity College Dublin with a rapid implementation of SafeZone to help ensure the safety and well-being of students and staff.”

HID Global, the globally renowned company in trusted identity solutions, has announced that Bay State College safely brought its students back to its campuses in Boston and Taunton, Massachusetts using a digitised contact tracing solution that includes HID Bluetooth BEEKs Beacons to provide real-time location services. HID Bluetooth beacon The HID Bluetooth beacon is in the form of a simple badge holder that is used to carry existing ID badges for students, faculty, staff and guests. The beacons are part of a robust solution that makes it possible to quickly and easily perform contact tracing, removing the manual and time-consuming effort to identify who has been in contact with whom on campus. “Contact tracing is a key component for safely operating our campuses and considered by health departments to be one of the most important efforts to help slow the spread of COVID-19,” said Jeffrey E. Myers, Chief Information Officer with Bay State College. Contact tracing solution He adds, “HID BEEKS beacons are carried by each person on campus as part of our solution that enabled us to safely resume in-person classes and keep our campus operational should isolated parts of our community find themselves infected.” The HID BEEKS Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) beacons provide the starting data that Bay State College’s contact tracing solution uses to calculate the time, place, and proximity of faculty, staff, and students while on the college’s two campuses. HID BEEKs Beacons HID’s offering is part of a broader platform that provides smart building and optimisation capabilities" The information from the beacons enables college administrators to comply with state and local occupancy mandates and, when needed, rapidly respond to cases. Logs are maintained only for the 14-day period required for contact tracing, and the university has adopted strict privacy policy guidelines for data use and access. “We are very pleased that Bay State College has used HID BEEKs Beacons to help streamline and accelerate the often daunting task of contact tracing,” said Mark Robinton, Vice President of IoT Services at HID Global, adding "In addition to creating a completely digitised approach to this process, HID’s offering is part of a broader platform that provides smart building and optimisation capabilities that extend well beyond today’s pressing need to stem the spread of COVID-19.” HID Location Services HID BEEKS Beacons are part of a complete HID Location Services for Workplace Safety that also simplifies and streamlines how to manage social distancing. These workplace safety solutions build on the company’s comprehensive HID Location Services platform, deployed by Fortune 500 companies worldwide, to manage building occupancy, optimise office and facility space, improve energy efficiency and enhance security. The platform can also monitor assets as well as the condition and health of industrial equipment.

HID Global, a pioneer in trusted identity solutions, announces that aerospace company Avolon has selected the HID Mobile Access® solution for physical access at its headquarters in Dublin and other locations worldwide. Powered by HID’s award-winning Seos® credential technology, the solution enables Avolon to issue staff Mobile IDs to smartphones for building access and provides an efficient management platform for its global network of offices. Maintaining secure perimeter Avolon is one of the aircraft leasing companies servicing many of the world’s major airlines. HID partnered with Ireland-based systems integrator Summit Security Systems Ltd to deploy the HID Mobile Access solution and HID® readers throughout Avolon’s Dublin campus. Mobile IDs are sent to Avolon staff via an app on a user’s Android or iOS mobile device so they can quickly and easily use their phones to gain access to Avolon facilities. HID has offered us that and the solution gives us everything that we want in terms of security and flexibility" “We needed to maintain a secure perimeter, but we did not want the security to be a barrier. Using a mobile phone is much more convenient than an access card and phones tend not to get left behind,” said Allan Dawson, facilities project manager at Avolon. “We were looking for a system that was highly flexible, highly mobile and highly secure. HID has offered us that and the solution gives us everything that we want in terms of security and flexibility.” Touchless access control The HID Mobile Access solution facilitates around-the-clock office access for staff members and equips administrators to manage access rights from a centralised, cloud-based portal. Since Mobile IDs are issued remotely, they can easily be issued or revoked for added convenience and efficiency. “Avolon’s use of HID Mobile Access makes touchless access control possible for a more seamless user experience, which is appealing to many organisations in today’s new normal,” said Harm Radstaak, Vice President and Managing Director of Physical Access Control with HID Global. “The scalability of our solution also lays the groundwork for Avolon to easily extend mobile access across more of its facilities.” Following the successful deployment of mobile access at its Dublin headquarters, Avolon has also launched the HID Mobile Access solution at its New York, Florida and Hong Kong offices, with plans underway for its Singapore campus.

ZeroEyes, the only AI-based platform focused solely on weapons detection, has been selected by the Kenosha Unified School District (KUSD) of Wisconsin to help improve security on its campuses. ZeroEyes proprietary solution ZeroEyes’ proprietary solution will identify visible guns if present and send alerts to school administrators and security personnel within three to five seconds, helping to stop violent threats before they occur. KUSD is the third-largest school district in Wisconsin, with over 21,000 students and 4,200 employees in 23 elementary schools, five middle schools, five high schools and five charter schools. Integration with IP security cameras ZeroEyes currently integrates with KUSD’s IP security cameras to help detect visible weapons and serve as a proactive measure to prevent any violent threats on campus. When ZeroEyes positively detects a weapon, the platform sends a notification to school administrators, school resource officers and local 911 dispatch, ensuring the school can enact security protocols and give first responders real-time information to help prevent active shooting tragedies and save lives. Enhancing staff and students’ security “It’s a grim reality that active shootings happen in schools across the country, and we’ve needed to understand and implement the solutions that can keep our students, staff and visitors safe,” said Kevin Christoun, Maintenance, Environmental and Safety Manager at KUSD. Kevin adds, “At KUSD, we have a multi-layered security approach that includes the most effective and innovative technologies and resources, and ZeroEyes’ platform clearly supports our strategy.” Weapons detection solution ZeroEyes proprietary and comprehensive datasets focus exclusively on weapons detection Founded by a group of former Navy SEALs and military veterans, ZeroEyes proprietary and comprehensive datasets focus exclusively on weapons detection, to actively monitor and detect for visible weapons. ZeroEyes also trains and collaborates with customers and local first responders to conduct extensive pilots before its solution is fully implemented. In the future, KUSD plans to roll out additional installations to remaining schools in the district. Effectively countering active shooting incidents “ZeroEyes was founded upon the realisation that a proactive solution was needed to help keep people safe, with real-time information to adequately address violent threats and prevent mass shooting tragedies,” said Dustin Brooks, Vice President of Education at ZeroEyes. Dustin adds, “KUSD focuses on providing a safe and productive learning environment to its students and faculty, and we’re honoured to provide a 24/7 solution that supports their goals.”

Redlands Unified School District, located in San Bernardino Country, California, hosts more than 21,000 students across its 16 elementary schools, four middle schools and four high schools. School security is paramount for the district. It’s taken extra precautions, including a focus on lockdown procedures across its locations and the district office. K-12 school security can be challenging, especially with the uniqueness of Redlands High School. It’s an older facility that was constructed more than 100 years ago. Additionally, students must walk outside to pass from building to building, and there’s a street that cuts through campus. A crosswalk is needed to get from one end to the other. The district needed to take all of this into account when assessing their security plan. Securing every layer The district’s security team took into consideration each physical layer that needed protection The district’s security team took into consideration each physical layer that needed protection at Redlands High School, from the district level to the classroom and many openings in between. Yet, there was a common area that needed addressed. There’s a fence around the campus to protect the property perimeter. And Redlands High School is extending that fence to include the cross walk, which will help funnel guests into a single point of entry, the main office. Schlage AD Series electronic locks This opening, as well as many other perimeter openings that lead into offices, gyms, auditoriums, libraries and hallways in the school feature Schlage AD Series electronic locks that are connected to the district’s access control system. At the classroom layer, each door has mechanical hardware that can be locked from the inside. Redlands School District has started district-wide implementation of a full-feature enterprise access control system through Vanderbilt, which is capable of operating across different schools, campuses and other locations. RedRock Security and Cabling, Inc. (RedRock Technologies) had implemented and continue to support the solution. Electronic access control “When these systems are managed district-wide, schools have the ability to lock down a door at a time, a school at a time or an entire district at a time,” said Jennifer Martin, Director of System Sales at Vanderbilt, adding “It’s all about protecting the students.” With electronic access control on main points of entry and many assembly areas, plus secure mechanical locks on classroom doors, Redlands High School had most of the layers prepared in the event of a lockdown event. However, the school’s cafeteria, Terrier Hall, was a vulnerable space. “Hundreds of students use Terrier Hall,” said James Fotia, Director of Maintenance, Operations and Transportation at Redlands Unified School District, adding “In a lockdown situation, that’s a place where we would secure the kids and keep them safe by clustering them into that area and having it locked down. But it was secured by one AD-400 lock on a pair of double doors. That was incomplete.” Von Duprin RU retrofit option Allegion representatives recommended a new K-12 security solution from Von Duprin To demonstrate how the school could affordably secure big banks of doors without having a reader on each opening, Allegion representatives recommended a new K-12 security solution from Von Duprin. The Von Duprin RU retrofit option is a cost-effective solution for openings with existing exit devices that enables remote locking, or un-dogging, for centralised lock down. This enables staff to initiate an immediate campus-wide lockdown from a secured location instead of putting themselves in harm’s way to manually undog exit-device doors throughout the building. Integrated request to exit (RX), latch bolt (LX) and door position switch (DPS) signals are included to provide real-time remote monitoring and confirmation of the security status of the door. Wireless connectivity to ENGAGE Gateway There’s also a ‘dog on next exit’ feature, which is a scheduled function sent to the device to allow the door to remain unlocked the first time someone depresses the push pad of the exit device to leave that space. The door is secured in the evening, and with ‘dog on next exit’ enabled at a specific time in the morning, staff simply depresses the push pad to unlock the door. This makes unlocking the door simple for scheduled events and daily lock-up easy by reducing the need to distribute keys to staff. Additionally, the RU option connects wirelessly via Bluetooth Low Energy to Allegion’s ENGAGE Gateway which provides real-time, bi-directional communication to the access control software. RU is a modular battery powered kit that can be added on to existing Von Duprin 98/99 and 33A/35A Series devices. Enhanced door security “The Von Duprin RU option fits into special applications that haven’t been addressed in the past,” said Russell Gamble, End User Consultant at Allegion, adding “There are several openings that will benefit from this secure lockdown solution.” At Redlands High School, the Von Duprin solution is installed on five doors that surround the cafeteria area. There are main entry doors where students enter, plug in their lunch numbers and go through the buffet line. From there, they enter the multi-purpose space, where there are four additional doors, which are secured with the RU options. Access control solution with lockdown capabilities There was also interest in implementing the security solution at the district office There was also interest in implementing the security solution at the district office. The school wanted to pilot the solution there to experience the product and its features, especially the lockdown capabilities. And being that the building is so unique, it has a need for enhanced security. “The district office is a converted warehouse, so it was never really meant for meetings and offices,” said Fotia, adding “Having the Von Duprin RU has been a wonderful fit in providing security in a not so ideal building.” Integration with Vanderbilt solution The main building is built U-shaped and the loading dock is in the middle. In the middle there is a courtyard area with four portable offices. The Von Duprin RU is on each portable door. At both locations, the Von Duprin RU options are integrated into the Vanderbilt solution and part of the broader lockdown solution. “The greatest thing about this solution is schools now have a way to electronically add control to doors that used to be manually monitored,” said Jennifer Martin. Remote lockdown and door access control She adds, “With the Von Duprin 99 Series, doors allow for free egress, but they aren’t usually monitored by access-controlled systems. If someone has it dogged so the doors are unlocked or propped open, someone has to manually go around and lock each door.” This solution ensures staff is alerted if a door is propped open and enables the ability to lock down the door remotely, even if it was previously mechanically unlocked. Enhanced lockdown capabilities for peace of mind Redlands Unified School District is pleased with the addition of the Von Duprin RU Redlands Unified School District is pleased with the addition of the Von Duprin RU to its school security plan. Integrating the solution with the Vanderbilt system, along with the Schlage electronic locks on campus has improved lockdown. According to the district’s Coordinator of Operations and Facility Planning, Ken Morse, it’s also improved peace of mind because there are less errors and more control over these areas. In the cafeteria, Terrier Hall, they’re able to secure doors that used to be manually controlled. This eliminates human error and the risk of manually locking doors in an emergency. Fotia said the school also likes the budget-savings aspect since it was able to simply upgrade the hardware it already had in place versus purchasing entirely new equipment. He’s excited to see other areas where the Von Duprin RU might be a fit. “The security measures and the lockdown capabilities are the main reasons we wanted the Von Duprin product,” said Morse, adding “Putting something on a schedule is also a great bonus because of how many common-use facilities we have. We’ve found that scheduling it is relatively easy. The doors are open only when they need to be. We have everything scheduled at the district office so it’s open during our hours, which has been a huge benefit.”

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