Utah Universities Achieve Security Best Practices for Statewide Adoption
of Open Platform IP Video
The Challenge
Schools should be safe havens for education. New developments in video
surveillance based on IP technology are helping primary and secondary schools,
colleges and universities improve security, as well as enhance operations and
minimize losses in commercial areas such as bookstores, cafeterias and vending
machine halls. Compared to traditional analog video systems, IP-based solutions
are much more versatile and cost effective. It is also a cost advantage to be able
to leverage previous investments in analog cameras by connecting them through
inexpensive video encoders in an IP video surveillance system.
For these reasons, two Utah universities wanted to significantly upgrade
their existing surveillance systems. Utah State University (USU) and Salt Lake
Community College (SLCC) both had stand-alone analog systems with just a few
cameras in different campus buildings with viewing capabilities limited to single
locations. Officials wanted more comprehensive campus-wide solutions that
could be operated from single command centers for each school. Campus staff
had not always kept cameras operable so efficient video playback also became a
major issue, especially as it pertained to police investigations.
The Solution
Each school decided on an open platform, IP-based solution centered around
Milestone XProtect video management software (VMS) and network cameras
from Axis Communications.
USU is the land grant school for Utah, and has campuses in every county in the
state. At the end of 2015, USU had nine locations managed with Milestone
XProtect Corporate software, with the Milestone Federated Architecture feeding
back the video data to the main campus in Logan.
USU has 435 cameras deployed at all of its locations and SLCC has 235 cameras.
SLCC has recently standardized on Axis cameras, while USU has purchased
Axis cameras almost exclusively for the past several years in addition to using
Axis encoders to integrate older analog cameras into the Milestone IP video
platform. SLCC currently has 180 cameras deployed through Axis encoders for
incorporating their older, analog cameras.
Advantages
With the adoption of the Milestone platform, each campus has been able
to centralize their video monitoring and greatly improved coordination with
on-campus police, reducing incidence response time and mitigating the theft
of student valuables and in the campus bookstores. The easy-to-install Axis
cameras give each campus high-resolution images that provide comprehensive
coverage through seamless integration with the Milestone VMS.
Large Populations, Multi-site Campuses
Salt Lake Community College is Utah’s largest college with the most diverse
student body. It serves more than 60,000 students on 10 campuses and hosts
online classes. SLCC offers flexible scheduling with an exceptional range of
academic and career-oriented options. Salt Lake Community College offers over
200 degree and certificate programs in academic, technical, and vocational
fields. It is accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges.
Since its founding in 1888, Utah State University has evolved from a small-town
college tucked away in the Northern Utah mountains to a thriving research
university respected around the world. Students choose from an array of
academic and social opportunities at a university known for its intellectual and
technological leadership.
Open Platform Builds in Future Growth and Scalability
When it comes to surveillance for higher education, the Utah universities were
looking to invest in a “future-ready” platform that could evolve and scale with the
growth of the schools. Both saw enormous benefits in the Milestone open platform,
which provides a unified management approach with the flexibility to deploy a wide
variety of camera models and third-party integrations. Eric Allen, systems administ-
rator at USU, said the university maintains servers and storage in a single, centralized
location—a primary reason USU migrated to the Milestone platform. “One of the best
things about Milestone is our ability to leverage our existing infrastructure across campus
,” said Allen. “We can now plug in a new camera, have it immediately pop up in the
Milestone system and monitor it from our desk, instead of running around to different
locations to check on and manage cameras.” Axis Cameras the Best Choice While
Milestone supports numerous camera choices, USU and SLCC now rely almost exclusively
on Axiscameras for a variety of reasons. “The setup and ease of use with the Axis cameras
is fantastic,” Allen said. “They’re just great little cameras that you can put up anywhere
and never have to worry about.” Nathan Howard is an IT project manager at SLCC who
highlights the Axis ease-of-use. “You can configure all your camera settings at one time
in the Milestone software, from frame rates to your password, which is an incredible time
saver,” said Howard.
Milestone Makes Campuses More Secure
Travis Dunn, a sergeant with the USU Police Department, said that the
Milestone-Axis solution has allowed him and his deputies to initiate proactive
safety protocols.
“When it snows in our higher elevations, we can see it in the camera system and
call out snow removal staff to clean sidewalks faster,” said Dunn. “So we’re not
waiting for someone to slip and fall.”
Dunn also cites the reliability of Milestone and Axis technology in facilitating the
police department investigations.
“We use it to get statements from people in our interview rooms,” said Dunn.
“It’s important that the video works the first time, because we don’t often get a
second chance with criminals.”
Nathan Howard added that a huge advantage in the switch to IP video was
the clarity of the images and the ability to share them with the police for
investigatory purposes.
“With the old analog system, we had a lot of blurry images,” said Howard. “It
made it very difficult on our police to conduct investigations. When there is an
incident now, we have crystal-clear Axis image quality as well as the ability to
zoom in on the views as we need to with the Milestone software. The image
quality has made our investigations more efficient and more effective.”
Milestone Mapping Features Offer Big Benefits
The Milestone mapping features have proven particularly useful for the
universities. Nathan Howard of SLCC works in concert with the Utah Highway
Patrol (UHP), the state police for the state of Utah. He created default camera
views for UHP, to ensure officers are only looking at the necessary cameras.
“I can go into the UHP group on the Milestone platform and easily modify their
views if they need eyes on a new area,” said Howard. “In addition to all the
buildings they have access to view, I have set something up for them called a
‘blank view.’ It’s a 2×2 or a 2×6 blank grid. If they have evidence they need to
submit to court, they can scroll down to a camera and pull in only the pertinent
feeds. It’s a fantastic feature.”
Stone Security Helps Establish System Uniformity, Open Communication
and Best Practices
In 2008, USU partnered with Utah-based Stone Security to help choose a
security system that best met its specifications. Stone Security was named the
Milestone Systems Installation Partner of the Year in 2010. In 2013, in addition
to being named Regional Partner of the Year, it also became the world’s first
Milestone Diamond Reseller. Stone Security relies exclusively on Milestone and
Axis in its deployments and installations.
As a Utah-based company, Stone Security also had the advantage of being
intimately familiar with the various universities’ structure and requirements.
This allowed Stone to sell the significant benefits of the non-proprietary, open
platform architecture that Milestone offers clients who need to protect their
investment over the long term. As USU moved forward standardizing on both
Milestone and Axis, other educational institutions saw the success of the
solution and followed suit.
David Tidwell, IT manager at USU, commended Stone Security for its extensive
knowledge of Milestone and Axis products, as well as exemplary customer
support.
“Stone Security has been a great partner in this process,” said Tidwell. “They’re
available at a moment’s notice, they take the time to troubleshoot problems
and they are always calling us with the latest and greatest product rollouts from
Milestone and Axis. It’s been a great and fruitful relationship from the outset.”
Five of the seven major universities in Utah are now using a security solution
featuring Milestone software and Axis cameras. Since 2011, Stone Security has
organized the annual Campus Security Conference, which provides a forum for
the universities to hear about new offerings from Milestone and Axis and to
discuss challenges, solutions and best practices with each other.
Mike Hussey, who was recently named the chief information officer (CIO) of
the state of Utah, was the keynote speaker in 2015. He was responsible for
the recent installation of Milestone and Axis at the state capitol and said
that the conference is a great way for him to continue the learning process.
“We are in the middle of our Milestone/Axis security installation,” said
Hussey. “So many of my colleagues and I at the Capitol are new to the
software and the cameras. Attending this conference is a great way for me
to learn more about the companies whose products the state has invested
in, and hear from Utah’s higher learning institutions about exactly how they
are using these products to not only keep their campuses safe, but create
smarter, more efficient communities.”
As a newer Milestone user, Nathan Howard of SLCC also appreciates the ability
to reach out to sister universities for guidance.
“To have this network of individuals with years under their belt using
Milestone and Axis is invaluable,” said Howard. “When I didn’t know what
frame rate to set up my live views versus my recording views, all it took was
one phone call.”
A Video System That’s Easy to Use
USU’s Milestone user base is diverse, including the IT departments monitoring
data centers and network equipment, USU police respondingto on-campus
incidents, researchers supervising labs and department managers handling the
flow of building traffic and watching out for thefts. In light of this, Allen was
thrilled how easy Milestone XProtect was to teach.
“Training sessions were really easy,” said Allen. “We only have to sit down
with them for five to 10 minutes, show them the system and they run with
it.”
Howard used the numerous Milestone online tutorials to generate a
reference guide for himself. When it came to the point of installation, he
already had a good working knowledge of the system.
“The user interface is so intuitive,” said Howard. “And it couldn’t be easier to
add a camera or click over one on a map and pull it up on my screen.”
Allen said there are only two administrators running the entire Milestone
system at USU, and that’s never been a problem. “The ease of use means we
can get in, do what we need to do and never worry about system glitches,”
said Allen.
Milestone and Axis Provide Unexpected Benefits
USU has leveraged Axis and Milestone beyond traditional campus security.
The college has a farm on campus where animal science professors and their
students conduct research with cows and goats. David Tidwell said that in the
past when a cow was far along in her pregnancy, researchers were forced to
sleep at the farm to ensure they didn’t miss the birth.
“We have a couple of Axis cameras monitoring the pens,” said Tidwell. “Now,
the researchers can watch the cows on Milestone from the comfort of their
homes. If they see an animal start to go into labor, they can make sure someone
gets there. Milestone and Axis have changed everything.”