Securing your building is imperative to the safety and security of those inside, but building requirements change, as do security needs, at the drop of a hat.
An upgraded security system can help to manage these changes for owners and investors, painting a clearer picture of safety and finance.
The challenge that comes with upgrading a system is finding a cost-efficient way to stay up-to-date, without driving up operating and occupancy costs.
Chicago-based Encompass AV took that challenge head on with Craig Millspaugh of 90 North Group, expanding their system coverage and capabilities, while meeting budget requirements.
In 2014, 90 North Group added The Reserve at Deer Park, a 7-story build-to-suit office building sits on 58 acres in the Chicago suburb of Deer Park.
The property originally included an anchor tenant in the automotive industry, but as the tenant released floor space, Millspaugh wanted to update the building’s security, reconfiguring the building’s entrance and security plan to accommodate their new tenants.
The previous system was installed during construction of the building in 2001, but after a break-in and vandalism to the site’s cafeteria, the building’s security gaps were quickly brought to light.
(The Reserve at Deer Park is a 7-story build-to-suit office building that sits on 58 acres in the Chicago suburb of Deer Park, that offers a unique opportunity for a large company to establish a corporate identity in a campus-like setting in Chicago’s north/northwest suburbs. Courtesy of NAI Hiffman and YouTube.)
“We were reconfiguring the building to accommodate different tenants and it was obvious that we had too many blind spots, low image quality, and not the right type of cameras,” said Millspaugh.
“Even though the price point of the cloud-based system was slightly higher, it was easy to see why our assumptions about just replicating our previous system needed to be revisited.”
Encompass AV opted to move the building to a cloud-based security system versus another on-premise DVR data storage system.
The cloud-based system requires less maintenance and on-site hardware, is less vulnerable to security breaches, and allow for easy remote access.
AI cloud-based Verkada cameras were also installed to not only keep a watchful eye, but also inform management on activity levels, detect threats, are easily searchable, and can connect to and inform first responders in the case of emergency, making safety a priority.
(Why Verkada? Easy, Remote Access In Minutes. To view cameras, simply log into your Verkada account on any browser or device. Once you’re signed in, quickly see, save, and share footage from any camera, across all sites on one, easy-to-use platform. Courtesy of Verkada and YouTube. Posted on Mar 26, 2020.)
Hundreds of hours of HD video from multiple cameras can be recorded and securely observed from anywhere in the world, on any device with internet access.
System users can search footage to hone in on attributes as specific as gender traits, clothing color, and even a person’s face.
The system paid off almost immediately, after another vendor had damaged an elevator but wouldn’t take responsibility.
The Deer Park staff was able to send an auto-expiring, time-stamped link to of the camera feed, clearly showing the incident, and ending the blame game.
Staff was also able to verify release of a package worth several thousand dollars.
Tenant staff was able to pull up footage of the dock area in which the package was clearly seen leaving in the hands of the delivery driver, verifying that it was, in fact, a transit issue.
A reliable security system with software that is easily trainable and manageable for site staff can keep businesses from incurring unnecessary incident costs as well as allowing for quick action against threats.
“Traditional security cameras with closed-circuit video can require hours of searching when they need something identified,” explained Encompass AV Founder and President Tim Pickett.
“The cameras and AI software we use process the visual information in real time and catalog it, allowing for a quick, and easily searchable option down to shirt or hair color.”
“The system is also very adaptable so it will be able to keep up with new needs and integrations for this team for many years to come.”
(Learn More. See a brief introduction to Encompass Audio Visual LLC. Courtesy of Encompass AV and YouTube.)
AST strives to meet a 3 STAR trustworthiness rating, based on the following criteria:
- Provides named sources
- Reported by more than one notable outlet
- Includes supporting video, direct statements, or photos
