At the Head of the Class

Aug 1, 2007 12:00 PM

As a self-professed early adopter of new technologies, Bentonville High School (BHS) in Arkansas recognized the need for its video security surveillance system to evolve from an analog solution to network IP technologies. The campus had invested heavily over the years in its IT infrastructure across the campus, and moving security cameras onto the network was the logical next step. By switching from analog to network video, BHS experienced several key advantages:

• increased independence, reliability and scalability;

• decreased installation and maintenance costs;

• the ability to share video among security and administrative personnel; and

• the ability to respond quicker and more effectively to security threats on the campus.

Network video at work

BHS is growing by leaps and bounds. The number of students in the district is growing by 7 percent per year. As a result, BHS is continually adding facilities, resources and technology. Keith Line, network administrator for the district at BHS, views the IT network as his lifeline and has worked hard to establish a robust, secure IT environment to serve administrators, teachers and students.

“At Bentonville Schools, we first installed IP phones on the campus in 2000 and have remained early adopters of new technologies ever since,” Line says. “However, the analog cameras were antiquated, and the service agreements were not affordable. Putting video cameras on the IT network enabled us to leverage these existing investments while significantly improving our campus security.”

As an educational facility, BHS has challenges similar to other schools — limited resources coupled with growing needs, and also the need to protect two campuses that are continually expanding in size.

The school previously used analog cameras and DVRs, but the system had to be accessed from one room, and there were limited personnel with the required knowledge to use the system. The system was also not conducive to scaling as more cameras were added. When the school exceeded the number of cameras a DVR could accommodate, it had to invest in another DVR and more coaxial cable infrastructure. Also, administering the system was a non-core competency for the BHS staff and required use of outside contractors.

When transitioning to the next phase of the school's security system, Line knew investing in IP video made sense. “So many other technologies we use run straight off of the network — why not video, too? We had the infrastructure in place to put cameras on the IT network and to support and manage them just like any other peripheral. We could add one camera or 200, as long as we had the storage capacity,” Line says. “Network video was definitely the right answer for the school.”

Grading the system

When Line decided to transition to network video, he tapped into Jefferson City-Mo.-based Wren Associates' expertise for advice on which products to put on the network. Line learned that the company offered a complete IP solution along with enterprise-grade Wren VMS Software that would enable the school to easily capture, review and manage video across multiple buildings or campuses.

Using Wren Video Management System (VMS) Software — designed to support either local or centralized video management — allowed the BHS IT department to decide how best to accommodate video on the network. The IT team chose a distributed architecture using a main server in the technology center and multiple recording servers distributed across campus. With this configuration, video impacts the network only when a request is made for live or recorded video. Each camera is localized with a recording server that never touches the main IT data network unless a request is made from the remote client.

The implementation team at BHS decided to go with Wren's Network Video Solutions in a newly constructed BHS building. They installed a total of 190 cameras throughout the building, covering key areas from entrances and exits to hallways and gymnasiums. Additionally, Wren offered BHS an upgrade path to leverage their investment in the legacy analog cameras. Using Wren encoders, Wren allowed BHS to give their analog cameras digital functionality and put them up on the network. This helped them to maximize their investment in existing equipment and to allow it to function seamlessly with new network video systems and Wren VMS Software.

Reflecting on the system set-up, Line recalls, “It was really simple. I am by no means a video surveillance expert, but I found it simple to connect the new IP cameras and encoders — we made the connections, assigned them all IP addresses and boom — they were up and operating on the network.” Because the cameras integrate with the existing network, the IT team could troubleshoot and manage the system in-house rather than depending on outside consultants.

Additionally, the Wren VMS Software offers a watchdog feature that notifies network administrators when either a camera or recording server is not performing as expected and will send an e-mail to the appropriate IT person to address the problem before valuable video is lost. The features and capabilities empower BHS's IT team to take charge of the video surveillance system and to ensure that it does not negatively impact the performance of the overall network.

BHS has a dedicated School Resource Officer, or SRO, who is a Bentonville police officer working onsite full-time. The video software enables the SRO to keep an eye on the entire campus by organizing live views into multiple-pane displays to view video from any PC across campus.

Since the new system's installation, the BHS SRO has identified and responded to security incidences from smoking to gang activity. Network video has also allowed BHS to connect with the local police department. In case of an emergency, police officers and first responders can log in from the police station to see live video. If an incident occurs, access to video enables police to prepare ahead and to share information with officers onsite.

Line, the security team, and administrators at BHS foresee other areas where video will be of use. Since the initial implementation of network video, they are trying to raise money to install network video in all 14 schools in the district. Line says: “The bottom line is that in a school of 11,000 students, there is always something going on.”

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© 2008 Penton Media Inc.

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