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By Deborah L. O'Mara
Editor-in-Chief

Those who are under the impression that the education market isn’t savvy to the latest security strategies definitely need to go back to school. The education vertical today is all about providing the best solution—one with the flexibility to grow to address future needs. Whether leveraged on an existing infrastructure or crafted with a new IT solution, educators know how important it is to provide their students with safety and security that works. And, more often than not, Internet protocol (IP) cameras are part of the plan.

Integration solution provider Idesco Corp., based in New York City, has been immersed in serving the needs of the education market for decades. They’ve seen the changes and even pioneered some of their own in identification badging, access control, biometrics and digital video surveillance and visitor management solutions. The 60-year-old company is third-generation family owned and operated.

While access control and visitor management remain at the company’s foundation, Idesco has also been providing the advantages of the latest IP camera solutions and software to its customers. Case in point is a recent installation at the Amityville Middle and High Schools in the Amityville Union Free School District. The end-user specifically wanted a software platform that would “permit integration with as yet unspecified systems to grow with them in the future,” said Andy Schonzeit, Idesco’s president and chief executive officer. “We were able to deliver a platform that would permit future integration by leveraging the existing infrastructure with a combination of the latest equipment and analytic software. And, we did it with precision under extreme time constraints.”

“The client—the school district administration–was in the process of upgrading their communications infrastructure and was very aware of the need to future proof their new camera system,” continued Schonzeit. “Their first requirement was met simply by using an IP-based system. While an IP camera is generally more expensive than a quality analog device, installation costs typically are significantly lower when integrated with a solid network infrastructure,” he said.

Time for IP
Idesco Operations Manager Greig Silver said upgrading the network presented the opportunity for the Amityville schools to make the move to IP. “It’s the right choice for the school and their future,” Silver said.  “After we were awarded the bid, we went right to work and installed 50 cameras at the high school in three weeks before students came back for summer school. The school district was so impressed they added another 78 cameras for the middle school. The outside cameras were simple to coordinate but the interior cameras had to be installed during professional days and other periods when the students were not present,” he said.

Other members of the Idesco installation team included Dave Bowen, vice president of Sales & Marketing; Desmond Carter, sales engineer; Shlomi Vizgan, project manager; and a host of support persons inside the company as well as vendors (see Key Suppliers list). Penny Notarnicola, senior project manager from West Suffolk Board of Cooperative Educational Services helped the Amityville Union Free School District put their plan down on paper before the bid and provided Idesco with the information they needed to make it a straight-forward installation, Silver added.

The system is decentralized as opposed to being centrally located at a single site, which allows authorized users access from multiple PCs. “They specifically didn’t want a traditional centralized solution that required a command center where monitoring took place inside a security room or guard booth,” said Dave Bowen, vice president of Sales & Marketing.

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