Orlando Regional Healthcare Revamps Security

April 13, 2006
Migration to IP Security Untangles Coax and Confusion for Greater Efficiency, Scalability

LAS VEGAS (ISC WEST, Booth # 22063), April 5, 2006 – Orlando Regional Healthcare (ORH), a private, not-for-profit healthcare network with 1,572-beds spread over eight hospitals, is migrating from analog video security to an IP-based system, using Sony IPELA® SNC-DF70N MiniDome fixed-angle network cameras in what will grow, according to hospital officials, to be a 500-plus IP camera installation in the next three years.

The decision to replace the existing analog system came after hospital officials saw that future security needs at the growing institution could not be met without the fundamental improvements that IP-based systems offer.

“We began this process by simply wanting to add additional analog cameras to cover two parking garages, and ended by rethinking our entire system,” said John Hackett, director of Protective Services for ORH. “We have struggled with separate security video operations in each of our facilities, and discovered that with an IP-based system we could unify operations to improve efficiency, reliability and safety while cutting costs.”

Hackett noted that once senior ORH officials saw that a capital investment in an IP-based system would deliver significant savings, initial plans for a gradual phase-in of IP were passed over for a broader, immediate implementation with 34 Sony SNC-DF70N network cameras installed in two garages, and 68 legacy analog cameras carried over into the system through encoders.

From Patchwork Analog to Unified IP

According to Hackett, the aging analog security installation at ORH had been upgraded gradually and piecemeal over time. A major upgrade to DVRs had occurred in the past few years, but he said that numerous time-lapsed tape recorders were still in use. Still, the basic system architecture remained: an awkward assortment of various standalone operations with varying degrees of utility and documentation scattered throughout the institution, Hackett said. Each element had different operating instructions, passwords and issues. The long-term prospects for this largely undocumented installation, according to him, were not promising.

“We expended an incredible effort to keep this running, with security staff changing tapes and different procedures everywhere,” Hackett said. “Much of this ran on ‘tribal knowledge’ and when members of the tribe left, they took the knowledge with them.”

Even with the enormous effort invested, the quality of the analog imaging remained sub-par and unreliable. Also, accessing it was problematic.

“The DVR’s image quality was low,” Hackett said. “When there was an incident, scrolling through hour upon hour of footage was tremendously wasteful. Finally, when we finally pinned down the video, it was often so poor that it was not worth looking at.”

These problems came to a head, he said, with the need to add coverage for two garage facilities. This required another standalone DVR, and there was no room in the security office to fit an additional unit. So instead, according to Hackett, this new installation would serve as the starting point for a new IP system that would create a unified system across the enterprise.

One possible issue was the IT department’s participation. Fortunately, they immediately grasped the IP security concept because they already had IP cameras installed in network closets to keep an eye on equipment throughout the system.

“Obtaining the IT department’s buy-in was crucial. They requested that a parallel network built on a separate fiber optic cable be installed so that this could scale to an enterprise-wide IP security system supporting hundreds of cameras,” said Diane Savikas, project coordinator for Biomedical/Electronics for ORH.

The IT-friendly buildings eased the installation and integration. According to Savikas, many of the buildings were designed with network architecture in mind. Data closets conveniently located throughout facilitated a Power Over Ethernet (POE) installation of the Sony SNC-DF70N cameras with Cisco 3750 POE switches. Power and data are carried over the single cable, saving the need for connecting cameras to electrical outlets, she said. The cameras connect to a dedicated server running D3Data’s NETVM (Network Video Management) security video management software, a browser-based NVR solution designed for enterprise network security applications.

Another major institutional shift is how the IT department has taken over management of the security system.

“It’s quite an improvement to go from having security officers changing tapes to IT professionals managing a server,” Savikas said.

A Proactive, Not Just a Reactive, System

After going “live” in January, the system delivered results that immediately confirmed its superiority. Since the system is exceptions-based, it only records images when motion detectors trigger the cameras. The advantages of such an approach were demonstrated with a report of tampering with a vending machine.

“With the old system, we’d have our work cut out for us reviewing hour after hour of video looking for an event,” Hackett said. “Here, the situation was resolved quickly. I was able to scan through five days of video monitoring in a half-hour.”

Other value-adds from the new technology came unexpectedly. According to Hackett, the ease of viewing recordings uncovered holes in the physical plant that needed to be fixed. In one instance, he said employees had found a way to circumvent a security door for a shortcut that could also be used by unauthorized personnel. Elsewhere, garage hours were altered to suit employee needs after the system revealed that they needed access to facilities earlier.

“We’ve made many positive changes because of the added awareness the system brings,” Hackett said. “We have a far better sense of the facility now so we guard it and manage it more effectively.”

New Technology, New Opportunities

I.Comm, the Michigan-based VAR and system integrator specializing in IP-based communication systems, with offices in Orlando and Tampa, Fla., designed and installed the system. The main focus of the company’s work with ORH had been Patient care and voice communications. The arrival of IP-security affords an occasion to cross-sell these new technologies with existing installations as well as opportunities to develop new clients.

“The transformation of the security industry through IP video offers an opportunity for us to revisit our clients with a compelling proposition – upgrade and improve while saving costs,” said Rob Sayre, project manager for I.Comm. “We have had an excellent relationship with Sony through the many other IP-based products offered. Their expertise has made adding security systems a win-win for us and our clients.”