Unified Safety and Security In Schools

With the rise in both technological advancements and increase in school-place violence over the years, security and surveillance technologies have been at the forefront in school-place reformation plans. As Covid-19 has reshaped the future of the education system, further emphasis has been placed on pre-emptive screening measures of both staff and students as a means of preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus. The need to combat both medical and security-based threats has led to an increased focus on surveillance systems within the realm of education. 

Unfortunately, campus security systems for a large number of schools have been severely lacking. Perhaps of greatest concern is the lack of a unified surveillance system. While technological improvements continue to be rolled out, is it not typically feasible to do a complete overhaul of the system in place. Instead, the more economic decision has been to either replace only the most outdated parts of a system or to make only small additions to the system in place. 

This strategy, while adhering to the limited budgets of most school systems, leads to the use of multiple integrators within the school’s surveillance system. Unfortunately, this lack of unity among systems can lead to technological errors and overall lack of proper preparation against security threats. Different systems require different standard operating procedures, maintenance schedules and technical compatibility leading to poor overall performance within the system. Unfortunately, these system errors can mean the difference between life and death in certain cases. 

In an effort to improve surveillance system quality, it is recommended to standardize the system to a single platform. This standardization leads to a simplification of security processes which translates to quicker results. With a single system in place, the number of trainings is reduced for staff involved and the ease of sharing data to other users becomes much easier due to greater technical compatibility. In addition to ease of use, a unified system allows better monitoring of the environment without having to waste precious time and resources on on-site maintenance.

While the benefits of a unified surveillance system are substantial, it is often questioned whether it is truly necessary to make the change to a unified system when the current system in place, while perhaps more complex, is still operational. This question is common among school systems who are often operating on reduced budgets and have difficulty justifying an updated surveillance system. 

One of the greatest benefits to modern surveillance technology is the ability to integrate into most video camera systems. As the cameras and associated cabling are often the most expensive part of the surveillance system, the fact that many upgrades to surveillance systems don’t require new cameras is a real benefit. Therefore, one of the best strategies to upgrade to a unified system involves simply unifying the less expensive recording integrator with the old cameras and cabling. This combination of a unified system and a lower financial cost allows for reduced system complexity, better functionality and monitoring, and ease of use, all without breaking the bank.

Communication Company carries a variety of surveillance system technologies that can be integrated into existing camera and cabling systems. Complete surveillance systems and both IP-only VMS and Hybrid VMS camera options are also available. 

For more information, contact us to learn more.