Start-Up Integrator Lands Unified Security Management Project
By Cindy Dubin, Business Solutions magazine.
With a project that includes 32 IP-based surveillance cameras, this new integrator proves that experienced IP-based security experts are in demand.
Young companies often can have difficulty getting started, but Genesis DataCom has not found this to be a problem. Genesis is an integrator of structured cabling and IP technology (e.g. the equipment required for video surveillance systems). The fledgling integrator was started in April 2011 with just 13 employees.
Headquartered in Little Rock, AR, the town’s size made it easy for Genesis DataCom to get its message out to potential clients. One of those was a global nonprofit that provides agricultural training to communities in developing countries. “As we went around town conducting cold calls and meet-and-greets with local IT and security departments, we developed a relationship with the IT folks at this nonprofit organization,” explains Zach Wirges, president of Genesis DataCom. “We learned that it wanted to migrate to an IP-based video surveillance system, and once it saw that we specialize in the deployment of networked security devices, the organization was motivated to learn more about us.”
A Unified Security Management Model
Genesis was tasked with overhauling the customer’s analog-based surveillance system, which consisted of 11 cameras. The analog system did not enable the security and IT departments to gather the data it needed as video coverage was limited. More “eyes” were needed to effectively secure the main administrative offices, public areas, and a warehouse. In addition to limited coverage, the CCTV system only archived seven days of surveillance footage, and the organization needed to increase video retention times for investigative purposes.
Genesis also worked to update the facility’s card access system. “The interface between the prior access control and video surveillance systems acted independently of each other,” says Wirges. “Unfortunately for the customer, its systems quickly became outdated.” As Genesis began researching vendors, it crossed paths with Next Level Security Systems and found that its solutions fit with Genesis’ business model. And, the nonprofit, it seemed, fit the mold for what Next Level’s solutions could do, says Wirges. “The Next Level line is network-based and seamlessly integrates surveillance and card access,” he says.
Next Level Security Systems develops the NLSS Gateway, a unified security management platform that integrates networked video management, IP access control, video analytics, and intrusion from the point of manufacture. Instead of piecing together separate components from various vendors, these traditionally separate subsystems are available in a single package, installed all at once and operated over a single user interface. This approach enables critical information from these systems to communicate seamlessly with each other. Overall, Genesis installed card access on approximately 40 doors for 500 credentialed users and 32 IP-based surveillance cameras. The install occurred in two phases. Phase one included the NLSS Gateway, and phase two included the installation of HID E400 controllers and external readers. Eventually, the HID EdgeReader ERP40 IP Access Solution with built-in readers will be installed on elevators and internal warehouse doors.
Genesis DataCom calculated the required bandwidth for both the surveillance system and the card access solution. As the customer already had cable in place, Genesis merely extended the existing network and attached its own devices. No network rebuilding was necessary.
An Ongoing Revenue Stream
The Next Level security management system can either be a hosted solution or managed on-site, and in this case, the customer contracted Genesis DataCom to manage the solution under a maintenance contract. The hosted capability brings value to Genesis, says Wirges, which can build recurring monthly revenue through the delivery of remote managed services. Currently, the client pays two Genesis IT technicians to be on-site for 40 hours per week.
“As the client’s security team becomes more comfortable with the solution, it plans to expand its use. In the near future, the customer would like to link the cameras to the doors and enable analytics to count the number of people entering and exiting. This will also enable the client to correlate access events with video footage of comings and goings,” says Wirges.