9 October 2012 - Security Buyer Magazine

Lifestyle Fitness gyms installs ievo’s fingerprint readers

With a focus on keeping costs low, but maintaining a high spec gym, Lifestyle Fitness has invested in ievo® fingerprint access-control pods across the UK to improve the efficiency within their gyms. The highly successful fitness chain has 5 sites within the UK with the new access control system already installed, with 3 more scheduled in the near future. Lifestyle Fitness required a new system that was not only easy to use and highly reliable but one that was more secure than PIN or tokens. They were therefore introduced to ievo® by a recommendation from Vistec Systems. “The first site for this venture was commissioned in December 2011 and to date the system has worked perfectly.” Dean Hawkins, Vistec. The Ievo readers were installed in order to improve access control in terms of ease of use and quickness for member’s .The previous system required members to wait until a member of staff was available to register them. The gym also had problems of members losing their membership cards which again cost LifeStyle Fitness both time and money producing new cards. The new system has eliminated any need for cards at all. Lifestyle Fitness currently has the ievo system installed within Stoke, Barnsley, Darlington and Chesterfield with planned installations for sites Carlisle and Wembley also. How the system works The member registers their print upon signing up with Lifestyle Fitness. This print now acts as the identification method, replacing the traditional membership card. When the member attends the gym they simply press their finger onto the reader and this opens the first door of the pod. The member then moves into the pod where the door then closes. The member presses their finger on the second reader, where the second door opens providing the member with access to the gym. “The new system is great; we are thrilled with the results. The system looks fantastic and our members have all expressed their positive feelings towards it. From my view the new system also eliminates non member’s accessing our facilities through the passing about of gym cards from members to non members. It is a much fairer system as it means everyone there has paid. We are looking to implement this system within more of our gyms in the near future!” Gordon Hall, Managing Director of Competition Line Contact www.ievoreader.com

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Raytec announces Lighting for Surveillance webinar training dates

Event News, Surveillance / Ghyslaine Cordrey

Raytec have released details for their autumn/winter educational webinar programme. The new programme includes in-depth technical product training on Raytec’s latest lighting technologies and a guide to protecting your perimeter with light. The highlight is “Tips from 100 Years in Light”, where six of Raytec’s experts with over 100 years combined experience in the field, share their personal tips to achieving the best results with light. VARIO In-Depth: Wednesday 10th October 4pm BST (11am EST/ 8am PST Americas) Test Nights Explored: Wednesday 31st October With guest speaker Daren Lang from Axis 4pm GMT (12pm EST/ 9am PST Americas) Tips from 100 Years in Light: Wednesday 21st November 4pm GMT (11am EST/ 8am PST Americas) Protecting Your Perimeter with Light: Wednesday 12th December 4pm GMT (11am EST/ 8am PST Americas) To participate and reserve your place for one or more of the Raytec Webinars, please email marketing@rayteccctv.com stating which session(s) you wish to register for. T: +44 (0) 1670 520055 www.rayteccctv.com

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IP Video Surveillance Servers – Pre-built vs. Bespoke?

Security Management, Surveillance, UK News Desk / Ghyslaine Cordrey

Others will try to persuade you that it is best to opt for a pre-built server whether that is pre-built for 8, 16 or 32 cameras. However, what happens when you have a mix of 1 megapixel, 3 megapixel and 5 megapixel cameras, recording at different frame rates on the same server? Does the pre-built server stand up to increased processing loads? Is there room for additional on-board storage? Bespoke Servers The best approach is to build bespoke machines on tried and tested platforms. We specify our IP video surveillance and security servers to perform to the operational requirements of the project in hand. This means we can use the correct processors depending on how many video streams you are recording and viewing. We can calculate the correct amount of storage for now and allow for expansion in the future if required. Using Intel® processors and chassis, the correct mix of SAS and SATA drives for recording storage, we build machines to manage the IP Video recording now and into the future. One size does not fit all There is no one size that fits all. Depending on the codecs used by the IP cameras makes a substantial difference to the processor that is required on the server. For example, cameras with MJPEG or MPEG4 codecs require a lot less processing power but demands more on the live drives for recording and require more storage space for archiving. Where IP cameras use the increasingly more popular H.264 codec, the processor needs are more intensive and robust. The pay off though is in reduced bandwidth and storage. With H.264 the storage is a fraction of MJPEG & MPEG4 and means that servers can now retain most if not all of the storage on board. Only when there is a large quantity of cameras on a site might you require additional external storage. Take advantage of latest IT components The fact that each server can be designed specifically for each IP video project is a major advantage. It means that as a customer you can avail of the latest and best IT components that make your server for your project the most efficient choice. The IT industry is advancing all the time and new chips, processors and hard disk drives become available on an ongoing basis. Why would you lock yourself into a pre-built machine that could be 6 or 12 months out of date? Open to more business opportunities Also, with bespoke servers there is no need to lock yourself into one brand. If you are pitching for a video surveillance system in a college or a multinational for example, the IT management team might have a preference for DELL or Intel or HP or IBM. If your only option is a pre-built branded server, then you are cutting yourself out of pitching for this business. More and more, we see requests for IP video surveillance systems where the IT team of the company is more involved. If you are in a position to understand the requirements then you can get a bespoke server from GVD that matches the IT team’s brand preference. Stress Testing and Experienced Technical Support Before we hand over our bespoke servers to our customers, we bench and stress test the machines. This ‘real world’ quality checking is vital in our opinion. Our experienced technical support team can replicate typical issues and scenarios in advance of the server being deployed on site. This ensures that there are minimal on-site issues and if there are; then our technical support team are able to solve these either remotely or on-site. Useful Checklist when specifying your IP Video Surveillance Server ü What Frame rate do you require to record at constantly? ü What Frame rate do you require to record at on Video Motion Detection? ü What is the bit rate from the cameras (if available)? ü How much motion will be on-site? ü What is the required retention time for recordings? ü Is recording required at full resolution? ü What Form factor of Server/PC is required? Rack, desktop or Tower ü Is Raid 5 required on archived HDD? ü Is Raid 1 required on Live recording HDD? ü Is Raid 1 required on operating system HDD? ü Is a redundant power supply required? ü What warranty is required on recording server? (GVD offers a various levels of warranty to suit your needs) ü How much overhead is required for future expansion? Summary So, in summary, when you are looking for a server to manage IP cameras, remember: One size does not fit all Bespoke servers perform to the exact operational requirements for the IP security project at hand Take advantage of the latest and best technology components Don’t lock yourself into ‘proprietary jail’ – choose bespoke servers that can be built on different brand platforms, opening up opportunities where particular IT brands are preferred Ensure that the server you are buying has been stress tested to the same scenarios that are on your IP camera project Choose a reliable supplier that offers you an experience technical support team Owen O’Connor, Technical Director, GVD | making IP easy www.gvd.ie

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Winsted furniture equips Sheffield tram operator’s control room

UK News Desk / Ghyslaine Cordrey

Leading control room furniture manufacturer Winsted EMEA has equipped Stagecoach Supertram’s recently revamped control room in Sheffield with a brand new, ergonomically designed and modular console. The unit is now being used to help operators monitoring operations on the modern tram network serving the city. Supertram provides three light rail routes covering some 30km (50% of the system runs on streets with mixed traffic) and each of the 25 vehicles in the fleet carries around 250 passengers. The tram network, which began operation in 1995, links five park and ride sites with the busy city centre and gives easy access to the rail station, shopping areas, both of Sheffield’s prestigious universities, the Cathedral, sports arenas and many new popular entertainment venues. Winsted was commissioned to source the console through dg8, an independent design and engineering group overseeing Supertram’s control room refurbishment. Winsted’s inclusion in the project is the first time it’s collaborated with either dg8 or Supertram, as Darryl Lymer, from Winsted’s Business Development team explains: “We were invited to provide ideas and produced computer aided design (CAD) drawings and colour renders illustrating solutions to the control room furniture’s performance requirements. “We followed this through with a site visit by dg8 and Supertram representatives to our manufacturing premises, demonstrating to them in person how the console would meet their daily operational needs when monitoring the tram network around Sheffield.” Winsted suggested using a console from its Command range and a Prestige Insight unit was duly provided, attractively finished in red cherry wood. The console supplied was custom specified to include a credenza (radial shelving, providing stylish and practical added work surface storage space for manuals, binders etc), along with a CPU (PC) shelf, pull-out keyboard, phone trays and power outlets. This Prestige Insight console offers long-term advantages through its modular design, which allows the console to be adapted to meet changing future requirements, thereby extending its operational lifespan. Commenting on its collaboration with Winsted, Stagecoach Supertram’s IT & Comms Manager Nick Harrison confirmed that the company is pleased with both the standard of equipment provided and the service provided: “The control room dated back to 1994 and needed to be completely gutted and rebuilt, with the operators temporarily re-located during this process,” he explains. “Winsted was able to work around delays in our original schedule and we found the company to be very flexible and adaptable. The new console was installed within the one day timeframe that we’d been promised and has made a significant contribution towards the resounding success of this project”.

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