Challenge
Avaya has deployed the Avigilon High Definition (HD) surveillance system to monitor employees and visitors
To secure the perimeter of its corporate headquarters in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, Avaya has deployed the Avigilon High Definition (HD) surveillance system to monitor employees and visitors as they enter and exit the parking lots while maintaining an open and welcoming atmosphere.
Solution
Avaya installed 15 Avigilon five megapixel cameras, which are mounted strategically around the campus to monitor traffic. With two workstations set up to display both front and back views of the parking lots, security officers manage the system using Avigilon Control Center software with HD Stream Management and store five terabytes of surveillance data using the Avigilon Network Video Recorder.
Benefits
The Avigilon HD surveillance system provides a high level view of Avaya's parking lots but can easily zoom in up to 150 feet to clearly see details for positive identification. Avaya also estimates a 300 percent improvement in the ability to see image detail at night. Avaya performed a cost benefit analysis between using gates and using the Avigilon solution. They quickly realised that the Avigilon solution was more cost effective, since the initial investment and ongoing maintenance costs for installing gates to restrict access to the parking lots would have been about 75 percent more. Security guards can now also work more efficiently and quickly investigate a potential issue to increase response times and deliver improved overall protection.
With a focus on product quality and technology innovation, Avaya has developed a reputation for high performing, reliable, and "bulletproof" enterprise communication solutions, including unified communications, contact centre, and IP telephony technologies. To secure the workplace and ensure asset protection, Avaya has taken the same approach to security - investing in an equally reliable and ‘bulletproof" surveillance solution to secure the perimeter of its corporate headquarters. To this end, Avaya chose the Avigilon High Definition (HD) surveillance system to improve visibility into the company's parking lot around the clock.
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| Avigilon High Definition (HD) surveillance system improves visibility into the parking lot around the clock |
Securing an open landscape
The Avaya headquarters sits on 25 acres of land in Basking Ridge, New Jersey and is backed by both a wooded tree line and a cemetery. To secure the company's four parking lots, Avaya considered a couple of options, including installing gates at all entrances and exits to ensure only authorised access. However, Avaya quickly realised that the cost of hardware, installation, and maintenance was prohibitive. In addition, the company felt that gates would create an unwelcoming look that would detract from the facility's open and friendly atmosphere.
After much thought, Avaya's security team agreed that visibility into the parking lots was the main goal and could be more effectively achieved with a megapixel surveillance solution like the Avigilon HD surveillance system. "The Avigilon HD surveillance system enables us to easily capture a license plate and other vehicle information," explains Bill Parkin, senior manager, physical security at Avaya. "It is also a more cost-effective solution that does not compromise the aesthetics of our headquarters - a win-win all around."
Improving visibility of entire campus
To help with the selection process and deployment, Avaya turned to the security experts at Advanced Video Surveillance, Inc. (AVS) of Fairfield, New Jersey, who immediately introduced Parkin to the power of Avigilon's HD and megapixel surveillance cameras. AVS and Avigilon set up a demo to illustrate the performance, image clarity, and outstanding functionality of the HD surveillance system. "Our parking lots are shaped in semi-circles located off a loop road that surrounds the main building, making full coverage challenging," explains Parkin. But AVS helped Avaya strategically place the cameras throughout the lots for maximum coverage.
To increase visibility of the entire campus, Avaya installed 15 Avigilon five megapixel cameras, which are strategically placed to monitor vehicles and individuals who enter and exit the parking lots. AVS consulted Avigilon to ensure all critical areas were covered. With two workstations set up to display views of the parking lots, security officers manage the system using Avigilon Control Center software with HD Stream Management and store five terabytes of surveillance data using the Avigilon Network Video Recorder. "The Avigilon megapixel cameras do a fantastic job - the solution as a whole is phenomenal," claims Parkin. According to security guards, the Avigilon HD surveillance system is also very easy to use, with an incredibly friendly user interface. "If the guards couldn't easily operate the system, they wouldn't hesitate to let me know. So far, I have only received positive feedback."
Detailed images day or night
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| Avaya invests in an equally reliable and ‘bulletproof" surveillance solution to secure the perimeter |
The Avaya security team has been extremely impressed with Avigilon's zooming capabilities, as demonstrated by the Avigilon five megapixel cameras. We now have the ability to view a wide area and digitally zoom in on the fine details that allow us to identify people or vehicles. "With the ability to capture detail 150 feet out, we can actually see the rust on one of the drains in our parking lot."
Not only is image clarity greatly enhanced during the day, it is also much better at night. "Other vendors claim to provide superior low-light performance, but based on my experience, they rarely deliver," says Parkin. "I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Avigilon HD surveillance solution truly does deliver exceptional day/night performance." Since deploying the Avigilon HD surveillance system, the security officers have significantly increased their visibility of the parking lots at night, which allows for more efficient use of patrols.
Avigilon helps solve hit and run
Parkin has been really pleased with the results achieved with the Avigilon HD surveillance system and has already had an experience using it for positive identification. "Just five days after installing the system, we received a report of damage to an employee's vehicle," says Parkin. "The police were called since our initial investigation indicated that there was a possibility the vehicle was damaged on company property." The police officer investigating the incident could match the paint color on the damaged car to the color of another vehicle in the vicinity, but didn't have concrete proof one way or the other, Parkin easily searched through saved footage and was able to clearly determine that the damage did not occur on company property. On the Friday before the alleged incident, the plaintiff's car was not damaged, but video of the vehicle entering the parking lot on Monday morning showed the damage - proving that the accident did not occur in the Avaya parking lot. Parkin showed the evidence to the employee and police officer, and the issue was quickly put to rest. According to Parkin, searching through the stored footage was fast and easy: "It only took us 15 minutes to go through four days worth of footage."
A cost-effective surveillance solution 
Avigilon products improved security and better overall protection for employees and visitors
"The initial investment and installation costs for the gates would have been about 75 percent more than the Avigilon solution," says Parkin. According to Parkin, the gates required many ongoing costs as well, including coverage for potential damage to employee cars due to possible gate malfunctions. In addition, Parkin believes that employees and visitors would have soon tired of the gates. "The gates would have worked for the first few months, but my guess is that they would have eventually become an inconvenience and we would have ended up having to keep the gates open most of the time to ease traffic in and out of the lots." For Parkin, the Avigilon HD surveillance system is a more suitable, less obtrusive, long-term solution.
The Avigilon HD surveillance solution has delivered other key benefits as well, including a general improvement in security and better overall protection for employees and visitors. Avaya security guards can also work more efficiently than before. "If we get a call about a possible incident in the parking lot, the guard can zoom into the image for more information and dispatch a mobile guard immediately to check out the situation," explains Parkin. "We can now more confidently provide clear, exact images to the police for investigation purposes."
A brighter future
According to Parkin, deploying the Avigilon solution was also a lot of fun: "It was one of those projects where you wonder where else you can use the technology." In fact, Parkin would like to deploy the Avigilon HD surveillance solution at other company locations. "With its advanced functionality and superior image quality, I believe Avigilon is in for a lot of growth and a very bright future," adds Parkin.
With a focus on developing reliable, performance-driven communication solutions that improve business processes, Avaya is equally focused on creating an open, yet highly secure work environment for its employees. "With the Avigilon system in place, I am confident we have complete coverage of our parking lots for maximum security," concludes Parkin.
