Although Adelphi University’s roots trace back to 1863 and its campus is nestled in peaceful surroundings, the school’s officials are strong proponents of adopting high-tech security solutions so they can take full advantage of its benefits.

“The university has always been proactive in implementing the latest security technology to better serve the university community in the event of an unfortunate incident,” says Adelphi Executive Director of Public Safety and Transportation Gene Palma. “These systems are useful for crowd management, maintaining the security of our buildings and extending the reach of our staff.”

Driven by this philosophy, and having just completed some construction, it only made sense to upgrade the school’s security video system. Phasing out Adelphi’s existing DVRs and bringing all cameras into central storage over the existing network infrastructure would bring its security surveillance system into the 21^st century. The project included the 75-acre campus’ performing arts center, early childhood learning center, parking facility and soccer field.

Work Called for Experienced Integrator
But finding the right integrator can be a challenge for any campus. Appropriate experience, specialization, financial stability, location and reputation are just some of the attributes that make an electronic security contractor a good fit.

Fortunately for Adelphi, Associate Director of Public Safety and Transportation Robert Hughes had developed a strong relationship with the integrator Idesco when he worked at New York University (NYU). When Hughes joined Adelphi, he invited Idesco to participate in the bidding because it had the specific expertise that the project required and could meet the school’s deadlines.

Along with other potential vendors, Idesco submitted its bid and worked with Adelphi to fine-tune the requirements, meet budget goals and future-proof the project. It quickly became clear that it would be a collaborative effort given Adelphi’s level of security sophistication – the university’s existing life-safety and security systems included card access, ID management, fire alarms, sprinklers, panic and duress alarms, emergency call boxes, and emergency notification. An additional factor working in Idesco’s favor was that it and Adelphi shared a common relationship with Com Bell.

IP System More Productive
Because of the distances between buildings, the large number of cameras being added and the need to improve security capabilities, an IP video solution made the most sense. The camera brand of choice was Axis, with 26 IP indoor fixed mini domes, 13 outdoor fixed mini domes, eight pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) cameras and two 1.3 megapixel cameras being installed.

These devices allowed Idesco to work with Adelphi’s Office of Information Technology and Resources to route cameras to the recording hardware in the most efficient manner. The cameras could also be managed on an individual basis to accommodate variations in network availability, such as a temporary offsite facility.

“With the IP system, being able to mange the recorded images using digital zoom and other features makes our use of the system more efficient and more productive,” says Hughes.

On-Net Surveillance Systems Inc.‘s (OnSSI) NetDVMS IP network video recorder and camera management software was selected to serve as the “brains” of the solution. The control platform gave the campus a single interface to the new system, enabling them to create and manage views as required. The interface brings images to a PC and large flat-screen monitor located in the public safety booth where officers can call up one or many cameras.

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