Tyco Security Products protects the valuable assets and security of the employees of the second largest university in Colombia.
The University of Antioquia, the oldest and second largest public university in Colombia, installed CCTV, fire prevention and access control systems to protect its entry points, classrooms, offices and control lighting using integrated solutions from Tyco Security Products.
INTRODUCCIÓN
La Universidad de Antioquia, también conocida como U de A, es una universidad pública regional con vocación investigativa. La universidad, cuya sede principal está ubicada en la ciudad de Medellín(Colombia), viene ofreciendo títulos de educación superior desde 1803.
El claustro educativo cuenta con varias sedes alternas en la ciudad de Medellín, aparte de su campus principal, denominado Ciudad Universitaria. En total, la universidad está integrada por ocho campus, tres escuelas, tres institutos y un edificio administrativo. en sus instalaciones también se encuentran el museo Universitario, el Teatro de la Universidad, la Biblioteca Central y las instalaciones deportivas. Muy cerca del campus principal se encuentra la Sede de Investigación Universitaria(SIU), donde se llevan a cabo proyectos de investigación especializados y donde se albergan los más avanzados recursos tecnológicos de la U de A.
On a typical day, about 35,000 people work and study in the university city, including students, professors, employees, contractors and visitors.
The priorities of the security team at U of A were to monitor visitor activity and prevent losses on campus. Theft was a considerable problem, costing the university close to $150,000 each year in computer equipment. In addition, important updates to the fire prevention and protection systems were required, since the systems that were installed were inadequate and did not comply with current regulations in Colombia.
THE CHALLENGES
The main security challenge for the U of A was the theft of computer equipment from classrooms, offices and warehouses. It was almost impossible to determine who was responsible for the incidents, since the university did not have systems to track the entry or exit of electronic devices from those places to which they had been assigned, adding to this challenge was the fact that the campus was open, which meant that virtually anyone could enter its facilities without having to present identification or access control credentials.The university did, however, have records containing all students, employees and contractors who had been on campus. Unfortunately, this information was stored in at least five separate databases that were not connected to each other. “Despite having a large amount of data on the people who visited the campus, people continued to come and go from the campus and its buildings and classrooms when they wanted to, through the different entry points, without any type of control. This became a public security problem within the university”, assured Javier Toro, electronic security consultant and auditor at the University of Antioquia. The fire protection systems installed on campus were an additional obstacle, as they were not suitable for the facility and, to make matters worse, the university staff lacked adequate security training and protocols. The university also wanted to implement a physical security system that would allow for future upgrades and expansion.
Hueiman Montoya, from Segurtec Limitada, the integrator that led the project, recognized that implementing a Tyco Security Products access control system was essential to create a security system that would meet the current and future needs of the company.
University, among others, a perfect integration with the intrusion detection panels currently installed on the campus to protect six entrances as well as the gradual incorporation of the electro-mechanical systems of the different buildings; including lighting panels from different manufacturers using standard protocols such as BACnet.
THE SOLUTION
At the beginning of the project, the first step was to secure critical spaces such as specialized classrooms and offices where expensive computer equipment was kept, this was achieved with the installation of intrusion detection alarm panels and a video surveillance system from Tyco Security Products. , integrated into a central command center to allow easy management by university security personnel.
Once the access control system was installed, it was possible to monitor the entire university population from students, professors and employees to graduates and retirees using MIFARE cards. The access control system provides coverage for the entire perimeter of the university campus, the library, the extension building, the specialized classrooms and the offices, including the main entrances to the facilities where there is a significant volume of traffic.
At the same time, IP surveillance cameras were installed throughout the campus, bringing the total number of IP and analog cameras in use to more than 300.
“Our staff and teachers ask us all the time if we can install more cameras. Everyone is very pleased with the addition of dome cameras and with the whole project in general. People feel safer here, which is important”, concluded Javier Toro.
Using additional bandwidth from the installed IP cameras, the university has added a new specialized fiber optic system with a speed of 10 GB to exclusively transmit electronic security data. The new fiber optic system was installed in all buildings on campus and extended to the SIU research facilities, located a couple of blocks from the university campus, where the monitoring center is located.
Recorded video is managed using Tyco Security Products network video recorders, with a dedicated communications rack containing 10 servers, providing approximately 70 terabytes of storage capacity and operating all systems (software, applications and database). data). According to Javier Toro, some of the servers are used to process daily workload data and others are used for redundant storage.
From the university's control center, security personnel can monitor video across the entire campus. A video wall and smaller screens located throughout the control center allow staff to constantly monitor the campus. Video management integrates with the access control system for a clearer picture of events. Currently the system has coverage on the main campus and the extension building, however there are plans to extend the video management system to the university library and museum.
Additionally, the university has leveraged the capabilities of its access control platform, also from Tyco Security Products, to control gates and access points with turnstiles.
According to Montoya, the biggest challenge in the process was replacing the panels and keyboards, as well as upgrading the infrastructure with the proper piping and wiring to ensure maximum system stability. The trickiest part was migrating the databases to the platform. access control, a process that had to be carried out perfectly. An error could mean that certain users could not enter the university campus because their access control credentials had become unusable.
Both Toro and Montoya declare themselves "very satisfied" with the project, largely because it has significantly reduced theft and helped control other illicit activities. It is now necessary to verify the identification of all visitors, which helps keep track of everyone on campus at all times. Additionally, the university has saved money due to the decrease in thefts.
The future
The final phase of the project, which includes the fire protection systems, will be completed by mid-2015. According to Toro, this final phase will comply with the Colombian Code of Earthquake Resistant Constructions, which states that "all public buildings must have a fire detection and extinguishing system and audio evacuation". By 2015, all 29 buildings on campus will have adequate fire protection systems.
Montoya explains that each building will have an alarm panel, sirens, strobe lights, and emergency levers for manual activation. This platform will be directly connected to the access control platform for the management of the surveillance and alarm system, in the event of an event. Additionally, messages will be recorded for four different stages of an event, starting at the lowest level, a caution alert, up to the highest level, a total facility evacuation message. I state that in the near future it is possible that the university will continue to develop the building automation system for the lighting, HVAC and elevator management systems in the rest of the buildings.
About the University of Antioquia
The University of Antioquia, known as UdeA, is a public higher education institution founded in 1803, based in the city of Medellín, capital of the department of Antioquia. Its purpose is to seek to develop and disseminate knowledge in the fields of humanities, science, arts, philosophy and technology, through research, teaching and university extension in undergraduate and postgraduate programs, through learning methodologies. face-to-face, semi-face-to-face, open and distance education.
About Tyco Security Products
Tyco Security Products and its leading brands do business in more than 177 countries around the world, in multiple languages, and have more than 2,800 employees, working in, among others, teams in research and development, marketing, production, sales, service and logistics teams in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific. Developed by designers from a variety of related disciplines, our products continually enable our customers to see more, do more, and save more across industries and segments, including healthcare, government, transportation, financial, and retail, commercial and residential. In various parts of the world, Tyco Security Products protects 42% of Fortune 500 companies, transportation systems on five continents, and 37% of the world's top 100 marketers, Tyco Security Products also helps protect more than two million commercial businesses, thousands of students in more than 900 educational facilities, and more than five million private residences.
About Segurtec Ltda.
Segurtec Limitada is a full-service security systems integration company for commercial and residential installations of intrusion, fire detection, surveillance, physical access control and long-range communication. Committed to a high quality technical service and with highly qualified personnel, the engineering department of Segurtec Limitada offers consulting services, training, development of solutions and projects, including technical support in all areas related to the products.
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