Campus Security Upgrade Ensures Success for the Kangan Institute
The Kangan Institute, with numerous campuses offering a wide range of courses in a variety of fields, chooses Allied Telesis PoE switches for a reliable, robust security network.
Kangan Institute is a major Australian training provider for the automotive, aerospace, health, and nursing sectors, as well as indigenous education. It also has a strong presence in a variety of industries such as fashion, business, and justice, and legal.
Kangan Institute’s campuses offer a wide range of courses in a variety of fields, ranging from certificates to diplomas.
Campus Safety and Security
Student safety is paramount. Every year, more than 30,000 students attend classes at Kangan Institute. Campus grounds are highly trafficked, with students passing through both day and night. It’s a constant challenge for security staff to keep students safe and to deter vandalism. Security staff must remain alert, ready to respond to any emergency.
One of the tools relied on by the security team is the Institute’s Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) system.
Kangan Institute is an educational institution and we need to respect students’ rights to do what they need to do without ‘Big Brother’ looking over their shoulder all the time. But a certain level of monitoring is required to keep people and facilities safe. We use CCTV to monitor main entrances and gathering points.
Kangan Institute,
Senior Consultant, Corporate Services, Resource Management Group
Security System Upgrade
In 2010, spurred on by the opening of a multi-million dollar Automotive Center of Excellence, Kangan Institute decided it was time to upgrade its CCTV system and replace the existing analog technology with a modern IP network solution.
Aware that the new surveillance system would need to be stable and exceptionally reliable, the Institute turned to CCTV specialists, Q Video Systems, for advice.
"We had an asset to protect, so we made a conscious decision to move our security system to an IP format. We wanted IP, partly because it would allow us to tap into the corporate network. We have a significant investment in place to protect and grow our data network, and we didn’t want to duplicate this effort by investing in yet another infrastructure," says Kostas Kyrifidis.
A New IP Network and CCTV Solution
Q Video Systems advised that Kangan Institute should build an IP network across campuses, using Allied Telesis Power over Ethernet (PoE) switches and a Verint security system. Kyrifidis happily accepted the recommendation. “Initially, we were drawn to Allied Telesis because of Q Video System’s confidence. They said that Allied Telesis switches were very reliable and that they had encountered no problems using their equipment. We also liked the fact that service for the switches is readily available,” he says.
A fundamental aspect of successful system integration is backbone quality. With the Allied Telesis infrastructure, we are assured of success. System uptime and quality transmission is crucial for Kangan Institute — it’s part of our service delivery commitment and security technology posture.
Institute Security & Environment,
Kangan Institute
With Q Video Systems’ assistance, the IP network was developed. Approximately 400 cameras and 30 24-port 1GB PoE switches were strategically placed around the campuses.
Success
The new IP network and CCTV solution has delivered all the Kangan Institute’s security team had hoped for. Using CCTV in conjunction with the Institute’s information systems, the security team can now provide a more seamless and immediate response to emergencies. If an emergency occurs, interfaces to other applications enable staff to build an understanding of the emergency and the affected location.
In 2012, the Institute’s work in developing a streamlined, sophisticated, multi-campus CCTV solution was publicly acknowledged, with the organization receiving a highly commended award in the Integrated Security Solution category at the Australian Security Industry Awards for Excellence. “Kangan Institute is committed to our learning community and the variety of stakeholder partnerships. Our investment in our security and safety programs is well developed and, in particular, our extensive CCTV system has proven itself time and time again,” says Richard Turnball, General manager.
The Allied Telesis switches have provided a very stable backbone for this critical service. They have also given us a very flexible capacity. In the two years since the IP network was created, the physical area being monitored has grown and the number of cameras has increased by twenty percent annually. Despite these changes, the switches have continued to operate consistently and reliably without a hiccup.
Senior Consultant, Corporate Services, Resource Management Group,
Kangan Institute
