Equipment Standardization Can Help You Cut Security Costs
Be sure to develop functional standards across your campus so you’ll use your resources wisely.
When equipment and systems aren't standardized, your security measures are less effective and more expensive.
For years now, colleges and universities have been installing a wide variety of security and life safety technologies. Video surveillance, access control, locks, panic alarms, emergency notification systems, intrusion detection and fire alarms are just some of the systems that have been installed. The proliferation of these and other types of solutions has done much to improve campus safety and security.
The challenge, however, is that many of these systems have been installed at different times, by different departments and have been supplied by different manufacturers. Within an equipment category, such as locks, a university can have two, three, four or more types of equipment installed. Campus access control systems experience similar challenges.
“It’s not uncommon to go to a university and find that they have multiple access control platforms running across their campus,” says Kyle Gordon, STANLEY Security‘s vice president of campus solutions for North America.
This lack of standardization increases equipment and training costs, as well as creates challenges when an institution wants to merge its databases or integrate its hardware. Likewise, with video surveillance, having disparate systems that don’t “talk” to each other can hinder the integration of these solutions, which makes it more difficult for college security departments to obtain a complete picture of the campus.
To address these challenges, institutions of higher education must develop strict and standardized specifications of what security solutions will be installed. A trusted security integrator can help with this process.
STANLEY Security partners with colleges and universities to develop customized security programs for their campuses. By developing functional standards across the campus, a cohesive security program can be put in place that is budget- and resource-friendly.
There are many electronic security solutions available for all areas of a campus, and STANLEY Security frequently provides the following systems to its higher education clients:
- Access Control Systems
- Video Surveillance Cameras and Video Monitoring
- Intrusion Alarm Systems
- Standards Development & Strategic Planning
- Software Support, Consultation and Integration
- Personal Safety and Security Response Mobile Apps
- Panic Buttons for Classrooms and Staff
- Mass Notification and Emergency Communication
- Lock Down Solutions
- Custom System Integration
- Fire Alarm Systems, and Regular Tests and Inspections
- 24 Hour UL and ULC Monitoring Services
- System Consultation, Design and Installation
- Preventive Maintenance and Service Plans
For more information on the solutions you can implement on your campus, or for educational resources on improving your security program, visit STANLEY Security at http://stanleycss.com/highered.
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