5 Must-Haves For School Security Systems

By Steve Surfaro, Axis Communications

Solutions for a wide range of educational institutions include numerous technologies, but the most useful are those that complement operating procedures, incident response, crisis management/recovery, and the security master plan. The balance is indeed delicate between available technology and funding, so successful practitioners focus on “must haves,” five of which are outlined below.

1. Safety. Security solutions such as physical access control, barriers, and locking systems deployed in school environments should not only enhance school safety, but also must comply with life safety codes and support egress requirements. For example, perimeter openings and areas of higher security require educators, students, parents, staff, and first responders ingress and egress on demand.

2. Communications.  Emergency communications and IP paging may be bundled with unified communications (UC) management systems that many schools already have. A number of solution developers offer emergency communication and mass notifications system integration. From security entry, “blue light” emergency phone communications to audio announcements to groups of phones within a school, this form of UC is gaining traction.

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