Washington, DC -- (PRWEB) July 03, 2013 -- Vector Electric, Capital Communications, LTG Federal and GAGE International have joined forces to integrate commercial off the shelf systems delivering advanced solutions that meet the Federal Government’s rigorous requirements for security and interoperability.
Duane Pittman, president of Vector Electric, “Bringing these subject matter experts, all highly accomplished in their fields, along with best of breed, world-class technologies into a single, holistic solution is a great value to our customers. This is clearly a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.”
These technologies include:
Brivo Systems- ACS OnSite Aparato HSPD-12 FIPS 201-(2) compliant Physical Access Control System
Xirrus- Secure FIPS 140-2 compliant 802.11 wireless network access arrays and control
IQinVision- High definition megapixel video surveillance cameras
VideoInsight- Video surveillance and video management
Veracity- Cold Store Network Video Storage
Working together, these firms have a proven track record and proven performance with Customs and Border Protection on the U.S. Northern Border, including a mission critical installation for managing and monitoring detention cells at the busiest Land Point of Entry (LPOE) along the U.S. - Canadian border.
As part of a recent access control system upgrade project, the General Services Administration (GSA) approached Vector Electric, Inc. (VEI) requesting that an additional technological feature be included: a “guard tour” capability, utilizing existing Personal Identity Verification (PIV) cards that would provide an audit trail of guard visitations to each detention cell and document that detainees are being properly monitored.
VEI began installing Guard Tour as part of the Brivo system at locations including the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, the Customs Fort Street Cargo Facility at the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit, and the International Bridge at Sault Ste. Marie, MI. After a number of months in which Brivo and VEI observed the Guard Tour system in action, the companies saw many ways to make Guard Tour even more effective and efficient in meeting the unique and pressing needs at each LPOE facility.
The overall goal for the new, integrated system was for end users to be able to use their HSPD-12 PIV cards seamlessly throughout the entire facility. In addition, high-level integration of all the various systems was needed to bring the facility to a whole new level of security and system flexibility.
The Brivo system, in addition to its core server functions, also serves as the backbone for the new duress system. Whenever a staff member presses a duress button, all other staff are made aware via lights installed throughout the facility, and through new custom applications development the Brivo system pinpoints the location of the incident and records the event for any future reporting or investigation needs. Additionally, VEI in partnership with Brivo Systems has recently developed enhanced reporting capabilities virtually eliminating the need for handwritten detainee documentation.
Working with the wireless provider Xirrus, the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel served as the “laboratory” for testing and perfecting new features and functionality for Guard Tour based on extensive Customs and Border Patrol staff feedback. Highlighted new features include secure FIPS 140-2 wireless network transmission and enhanced network security.
“We worked together to engineer the architecture and identify the technology that would meet the stringent requirements for a secure wireless solution for CBP. Xirrus with FIPS-140-2 compliant technologies fit that bill,” explained Bill Knapp, Director of Business Development, Capital Communications. “In the end, we have achieved a high-performing, highly secure network.”
All video and access data is available through the combined interfaces, providing a full view of activity anywhere in the facility through both access control audit trails and video confirmation. The Brivo and Video Insight interfaces reside side-by-side on the desktop. The IDS, duress and PACS systems report data to Brivo; and all video data flows to the Video Insight dashboard. The operator can mouse from one interface to the other—no wasted key strokes, full system visibility.
The companies have been installing and fine-tuning Guard Tour for these DHS facilities for over 4 years and the innovation continues. “This is the highest level of integration and seamless operation of this number of systems we’ve achieved thus far in our many federal security installations,” said Pittman. “We believe this scalable, highly flexible system model is perfect for rollout to any DHS CBP facility looking for a cost-effective, highly functional, and rapid way to achieve HSPD-12 compliance. What’s more, through the Brivo interface this system is ‘cloud ready,’ it’s just a matter of when the end user decides to make the transition.”
