Monitoring K-12 schools and institutions of higher education and ensuring the safety of students, faculty and staff has grown increasingly complex. Many large campus security and public safety teams are now investing in advanced solutions to take a more proactive approach to risk detection. But did you know that these same systems can also help decision-makers gather data to gain more insight into the operational aspects of campus management?
Physical security systems are no longer just tools for safeguarding students, staff, visitors and facilities. These systems collect vast amounts of data. This information comes from surveillance cameras, video management systems, access control systems, automated license plate recognition, and other connected devices. Analyzing collected data enables administrators to make better-informed decisions to optimize budgets and enhance the on-campus experience.
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A unified, open physical security platform helps organizations tap into the full potential of devices and equipment they already own, using data in new ways to streamline operations. It brings teams across the organization together on a common toolset, using a common language, to gain insights and make improvements to the things they do every day.
Start with a Unified Approach to Campus Operations
With the rise of data analytics, security system data can be used as more than just a tool to keep people and facilities safe. When you bring this data together in a unified system, it can become a core element in the digital transformation of organizational processes.
The goal of a unified security system is to create a connected campus, where all data points are actionable in one intuitive interface. The result is a clear view across all classrooms, buildings, sports facilities, and common areas that can be centrally managed and monitored from one location. A connected campus enables a cohesive flow of information, where each data point can be correlated to streamline operations and provide insights that weren’t available before.
To do this requires a shift from siloed, standalone systems to an open, unified platform. With a unified system, operators can view and access data from all these systems in the same interface. Security data can be used to understand not only when breaches occur, but the circumstances and problems leading up to them.
Data-Driven Insights Are Very Helpful
The first step towards maximizing the value of your physical security system’s data is to define your needs. You can focus on the data points that matter most. What are the problems you need to solve? Do you have an idea for a solution you want to test? Are you looking to gather information to set a benchmark or to track key performance indicators?
Beyond security, your connected systems can offer tangible operational benefits such as:
- Automating people counting to reduce lines or crowding, manage occupancy, understand space usage, or comply with regulations.
- Maintaining traffic flow by detecting stopped vehicles in prohibited areas or keeping count of how many vehicles are present so that staff can be dispatched to address potential issues quickly.
- Optimizing parking lot usage by automatically redirecting visitors to empty lots using digital signage when lots are at capacity.
Once you’ve defined your goals, you can identify who needs to be consulted or included in decision-making. Then decide which systems might gather the data that’s needed and how to gain access to that data.
Your Organization May Already Have the Hardware You Need
Your security infrastructure can do double duty in your day-to-day operations. Repurposing your existing infrastructure doesn’t have to cost much. You might not even require any additional investment at all.
A high-stakes football game in some communities might draw tens of thousands of people to your campus. In that case, you probably already have cameras in place for security purposes. You can combine the footage from those cameras with people counting analytics to identify other issues such as long lines that may cause wait time issues or overcrowding.
Likewise, you may already have an automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) system in place to help automate payment enforcement in your parking lots. With video analytics to keep count of how many cars enter and exit each of your lots, you can provide real-time data to help visitors know which lots have space available. They don’t need to waste time circling the lot.
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If your campus already has digital screens in place to broadcast emergency notifications, you may be able to leverage these to communicate helpful information, such as which parking lots are open or which entrances are available.
Many retailers now use camera analytics to identify when stock runs low, where to position things so they will sell, and which store aisles become choke points for customers. Couldn’t your campus store do the same thing?
Operational insights from security systems may also be used to optimize resource allocation. For example, insights from campus surveillance and access control tools are often used to identify underutilized or overcrowded spaces. Your access control system can inform you of how many times a door is opened, leading to proactive maintenance of door hardware. You can adjust maintenance staff or other resources accordingly.
Aligning building operations with actual usage patterns may also help campuses meet sustainability goals. You can use occupancy data from access control and video management systems to inform policies around utility use. To reduce energy use, rooms that are occupied less often may be kept at a lower temperature or programmed to switch the lights off if no one is present.
Break Down Campus Silos: Departments Must Work Together
Every day, campus security systems collect important data about the school environment. A unified security platform can help make sense of this data by providing integrated systems the ability to present business insights that enhance decision making across the entire organization.
Thinking outside the box requires breaking down organizational silos. Your security team is focused on the data that they need to identify suspicious activity and ensure security, but they can also help their colleagues use security technologies in innovative new ways. Facilities management, IT, administration, and other departments can all benefit from access to the data gathered by your security system.
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This is a two-way street. Most purchasers of ALPR systems are in the parking business. Yet, the parking department is often separate from the security team. The same ALPR system used for parking management could be useful to security operators in investigations or for proactive monitoring of security threats. If ALPR data is shared between teams, security operators could use it to find vehicles linked to incidents or use arrival and departure times to help establish a timeline of events.
In a similar way, when student and faculty IDs are connected to a unified security system, it can improve the on-campus experience while also beefing up security. Mobile credentials are popular today because few adults are ever without a smartphone. Instead of getting a plastic key card, students and staff can use their cell phones to gain access to secure spaces such as dorms or computer rooms. The NFC-enabled credentials can also be used to enable more convenient payments at the cafeteria or campus store, to validate parking, or to check out materials from the library.
Shift How You Think About Security Data
Security systems can serve more than just campus security teams. When data from these systems is shared across departments, it creates a more connected, efficient, and collaborative campus.
When organizations bring data from many different sources into one place, they get a more complete picture of what’s happening in their environment. A unified, physical security platform enables the integration of devices and applications and centralizes data for better visibility, operations, and intelligence.
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Taking physical security system data beyond its primary purpose of protecting people and assets means changing the way organizations think about and manage that data. The source of the data may be the same but the use of it can be different. To filter out the noise, campuses can create different dashboards for operators with data relevant to their functions. You can customize the data displayed for managers in facilities, safety and security teams, and IT departments.
With a unified security platform, K-12 schools, colleges, and universities can include their physical security systems as a core component of their digital transformation efforts. By leveraging this data, campuses can move beyond traditional security measures to create a more connected, efficient, and adaptive educational environment.
Bruce A. Canal, CPP is education executive lead for Genetec and is responsible for developing and driving business strategy for the education vertical. He has more than 25 years of education-related security experience and is the former director of physical security for the eighth largest school district in the U.S. and previously served as an officer for the Indiana State Police.
NOTE: The views expressed by guest bloggers and contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, Campus Safety.
