Valencia College & the University of Central Florida Partners in Education and Safety Florida higher education turns to complete security installation

Transcription

1 Valencia College & the University of Central Florida Partners in Education and Safety Florida higher education turns to complete security installation Valencia College serves 71,000 students across 60 buildings in campuses located in Orlando, Winter Park, Kissimmee, and Lake Nona, Florida. Named the top U.S. community college in the nation in 2011, Valencia College was the first recipient of the prestigious Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. Valencia College ranks first among two-year colleges in the United States for the total associate s degrees it awards and has a graduate rate triple the average of comparable schools. The University of Central Florida (UCF) is the second-largest public university campus in the United States, serving more than 60,000 students and 8,000 full-time employees. The school encompasses 180 buildings across a 1,415- acre main campus and nine regional campuses. Called a Top Up-and- Coming national university by U.S. News & World Report, a best-value university by The Princeton Review and Kiplinger s, and one of the nation s most affordable colleges by Forbes, UCF offers 212 degree programs and has become an academic and research leader in numerous fields. Synonymous with excellence in providing higher education in central Florida for five decades as separate institutions, Valencia College and the University of Central Florida have worked together as a team for years to ensure that those who earn an associate s degree at Valencia have a seamless transition to continue on to earn a bachelor s degree from UCF a program referred to as DirectConnect to UCF. Student success, however, hasn t been the only priority that Valencia College and UCF have shared. CHALLENGE Two Large Florida University Systems Sought Systematic Access Control and Video Management to Enhance Safety and Protect Assets Administrators at Valencia College and UCF understood that their campuses, along with those across the nation, faced continued and increasing threats of violent acts and crisis situations. Each institution wanted a comprehensive and cohesive security system that could control everyday entry and lockdown access to doors, as well as access to live and recorded video that was easy to manage and simple to use. Their desire to provide the safest environment possible for students, staff, and property led to another strong partnership: Open Options Access Control and Milestone Systems Video Management Software (VMS). It was in 2004 that Valencia College initially sought a systemic access control solution to secure 50 doors around campus, primarily data closets. It was also during this time that the forwardthinking administration began to deploy smart classrooms consisting of expensive resources projectors, document readers, and laptops that aided teaching and further engaged students 1

2 in learning. Network video cameras began to proliferate over the aging analog solution and Valencia College sought to deploy IP video surveillance along with access control as part of their widening security solution to protect growing assets and enrollments. Orlando-based system integrator Phil Lutes, president and owner of Signature Systems of Florida, won the ensuing Valencia College security bid with a powerful suggestion: deploying Open Options DNA Fusion Access Control software along with HID Global iclass readers and cards to secure doors, and Milestone Systems XProtect VMS to manage live and recorded video. Their ability to integrate and provide one solution from within a single interface has laid the groundwork for a seamless user experience future-proofed to remain ahead of everchanging security technology trends. When UCF began planning an upgrade of their own security solution stand-alone battery operated access control that did not provide the level of security needed and a variety of small analog video systems dispersed throughout multiple campuses Lutes and Signature Systems of Florida again answered the request for proposal with the same winning combination. SOLUTION Open Options DNA Fusion Access Control Software with HID iclass Card Readers and Milestone Systems XProtect Video Management Software With an Assortment of IP Video Surveillance Cameras Open Options software, DNA Fusion, provides a complete access control solution including door control, visitor management, and photo ID management in an open platform that interfaces seamlessly with other systems such as video, biometrics, and intercom. Open Options can be managed via a regular client, the web, or Apple and Android smartphones. HID Global iclass readers and cards offer enhanced security through encryption and mutual authentication. Both are reliable and affordable, too, making them ideal for campuses of all sizes. Plus, HID iclass readers and cards have the versatility to support specified capabilities today such as controlled access to buildings with the option to be upgraded later to allow for additional applications. Milestone XProtect VMS is an easy-to-use, yet, powerful software for controlling video surveillance. XProtect enables users to access live and recorded video to gain real-time situational awareness and investigate incidents, control pan-tiltzoom cameras (PTZ) to investigate suspicious activity, and export recordings as evidence. 2

3 The Open Options integration with HID Global and Milestone XProtect allows the systems to work together to provide comprehensive security through the powerful combination of access control with video. Live or recorded video can be accessed from within the DNA Fusion event manager using a camera tree or facility maps. Users can also display multiple monitor views and simultaneous playback using built-in controls. With Open Options DNA Fusion, HID iclass readers and doors, and Milestone XProtect installed throughout both college systems, Valencia College and UCF have an allencompassing security solution that they each continue to build upon. At Valencia College, Open Options manages access control with 1,200 HID iclass card readers across 60 buildings. Our construction standard and remodeling standard is that every exterior door will have electronic access, said Assistant Vice President of Safety and Security Risk Management Tom Lopez. In the building interiors we base access control on how it is equipped. If it is a smart classroom with an abundance of expensive equipment, then access control protection is their standard there, as well. Lopez said that his employees have found Open Options to be an easy-to-use solution that comforts faculty in the event of an emergency on campus. Our instructors are reassured by the fact that we can secure and lockdown doors and buildings if we have that need during a crisis situation, he said. Milestone Systems XProtect Enterprise video management software controls 336 Axis and IQinVision video surveillance cameras throughout the Valencia College locations. Lopez notes, When an incident occurs on our property it s very easy to export video and watermark it for timestamp and evidentiary purposes. Our investigations have been aided by the use of video which has been met with very positively by our administration and law enforcement officials. At neighboring UCF, their door protection began as a stand-alone battery operated access control that did not provide the level of security needed for such a large and rapidly growing institution. The solution Lutes and Signature Systems of Florida developed has now grown to Open Options DNA Fusion software operating 700 HID iclass card readers. UCF has been an innovator in their approach to access control as they utilize virtualization, said Lutes. UCF was one of the early users of Open Options to virtualize the software and organize their distribution by splitting it into tenants, said Lutes. Taking the concept of tenants in one building, with different people on different floors, UCF created one database for all cardholders and allowed each department to manage its own users. They accomplished this inside of a 3

4 virtual machine. Now they deploy the clients as virtual machines so they don t have to install the client software at different locations. It s a very efficient way of running and managing the Open Options software and users. UCF Chief Information Officer Bob Yankello said Open Options provided them the flexibility they sought in an access control solution. Open Options integrated with our current system and with the ability to work with Active Directory we can easily populate the database as new employees come into the system, a frequent occurrence in higher education and with UCF, in particular, he said. Video management at UCF was also not standardized as they had a variety of small analog video systems dispersed throughout the University. Lutes began video surveillance management with Milestone Systems XProtect Enterprise, and as the system has grown some departments are transitioning to XProtect Expert to take advantage of the additional features of centralization and edge storage. The Milestone Systems VMS now manages live and recorded video from nearly 1,500 Axis, IQinVision, and Panasonic video surveillance cameras throughout UCF with more being added on a regular basis. Officials from Valencia College and UCF agree that the powerful combination of access control by Open Options and video management by Milestone Systems has provided a cost-effective and efficient security solution that has made their campuses safer. Open Options Southeast Regional Sales Manager Charles Johnson said other institutions should follow the successful model created by Signature Systems of Florida, Valencia College, and UCF. Security has become a campus-wide issue that garners input from all stakeholders so it s very much a matter of teamwork as it relates to the administration, software developers, hardware manufacturers, and integrators, Johnson said. It s encouraging to see Valencia College, the University of Central Florida, and Signature Systems of Florida collaborating to replicate a successful security integration that will offer protection for 130,000 students and hundreds of facilities across central Florida. 4

5 FAST FACTS Customers Valencia College University of Central Florida Technology Partners Open Options Access Technology HID Global iclass Readers and Cards Milestone Systems XProtect IP Video Management Software Signature Systems of Florida Security Integrator Industry Education Geography Florida Challenges Large number of buildings Multiple locations Increasing/varying number of users Solution Open Options DNA Fusion Access Control software Milestone Systems XProtect Video Management Software (VMS) Stats Valencia College HID iclass Card readers 1,200 Milestone Systems XProtect Enterprise VMS Axis and IQinVision cameras 336 University of Central Florida HID iclass Card Readers 700 Milestone Systems XProtect Enterprise and Expert VMS Axis, IQinVision, and Panasonic cameras 1,496 About Open Options Open Options is a leading provider of innovative access control solutions with a commitment to customer service and open platform products. Our products work together to provide a complete security solution including visitor management, photo ID, and more. Our flagship access control software, DNA Fusion, is an open platform solution that interfaces seamlessly 5

6 with other systems such as video, biometrics, and intercom. Open Options has been providing superior access control solutions worldwide since 1998, and we continue to grow each year due to our firm commitment to open architecture hardware and by consistently providing both reliable and cutting-edge technology. To learn more about Open Options solutions, visit About HID Global HID Global is the trusted source for innovative products, services, solutions and know-how related to the creation, use and management of secure identities for millions of customers around the world. The company s solutions range from physical and logical access control, credential management, card printing and personalization, visitor management, government and citizen IDs, and RFID technologies used to identify and track animals and objects. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, HID Global has over 2,100 employees worldwide and operates international offices supporting more than 100 countries. HID Global is an ASSA ABLOY Group brand. For more information, visit About Milestone Systems Founded in 1998, Milestone Systems is the global industry leader in open platform IP video management software. The XProtect platform delivers powerful surveillance that is easy to manage, reliable and proven in thousands of customer installations around the world. With support for the widest choice in network hardware and integration with other systems, XProtect provides best-in-class solutions to video enable organizations managing risks, protecting people and assets, optimizing processes and reducing costs. Milestone software is sold through authorized and certified partners. For more information, visit About Signature Systems of Florida Signature Systems is the dba of Alert Security, incorporated in We are steadily growing while quickly developing the skills and expertise needed to match the increasing importance of life safety and security systems in the commercial business sector. Today Signature Systems of Florida has the reputation as one of the most experienced and reliable security systems integrators in Florida. For more information, visit 6