Planning A Connected Campus -- Security Today

7/7/2016 Planning A Connected Campus Security Today
https://securitytoday.com/Articles/2016/07/01/PlanningAConnectedCampus.aspx?p=1 1/5
By Kyle Gordon
Campus Solutions
Planning A Connected Campus
Unifying and enabling communications help plan for effective
connections
Jul 01, 2016
INTEGRATION AND UNIFICATION OF DISPARATE TECHNOLOGIES AND A WIDE
RANGE OF SYSTEMS CONTINUE TO PROGRESS ACROSS THE GLOBE. THE
INTERNET OF THINGS (LOT) AND GATEWAY SENSORS ARE ENABLING
GREATER COMMUNICATIONS WITH BILLIONS OF CONNECTED DEVICES
EXPECTED IN THE COMING YEARS, VIA HARDWIRED AND WIRELESS,
ESPECIALLY WIFI AND BLUETOOTH. SMARTPHONES ARE A WAY OF LIFE,
PROVIDING ASSISTANCE, INFORMATION AND LOCATION TO USERS’
FINGERTIPS. FOR THE EDUCATIONAL AND CAMPUS ENVIRONMENTS THESE
FACTORS AND OTHER NASCENT AND EMERGING TRENDS PLAY A
SIGNIFICANT ROLE, ULTIMATELY SHAPING THE FUTURE OF THE CONNECTED
CAMPUS AS IT APPLIES TO PHYSICAL SECURITY.
Technology is changing rapidly, transforming the campus landscape. Mobility trends,
realtime, locationbased services/global positioning systems (GPS) and even social
media are having an impact. Now, more than ever, analyzing all these moving parts
and pieces and devising a comprehensive safety plan takes a collaborative effort by
security providers, campus stakeholders and even surrounding town and cities. It also
necessitates a deep dive consultative approach and examination into existing systems
and infrastructures, points of control, compliance and regulations and the overall
physical security process and procedures in place at the institution.
CONNECTED CAMPUS/MOBILE CAMPUS
Recent education research cites that over a quarter of a billion students are due to
enroll in institutions of higher learning by 2025. With students, come new ways to
interact and communicate, such as social media platforms and, of course, the
smartphone, which is now a minicomputer in its own right. Nielsen statistics from 2014

set the largest userbase of smartphones (85 percent) as between the ages of 18 and
34.
Ultimately, a connected solution and unified plan benefits an entire campus, city and
surrounding areas and makes sense for the future success of campus solutions. Not
only is the campus safer, but overlapping and nearby populations also have greater
peace of mind through compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus
Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. The Clery Act requires colleges and
universities who receive federal funding to share information about crime on campus
and their efforts to improve campus safety, as well as inform the public of crime in or
around the facility.
The connected campus safety and security landscape should accomplish the
following.
Empower students, staff, stakeholders, campus safety, police, fire authorities and communities to
interact and collaborate through a variety of methods and integrated security technologies.
Execute and facilitate a security plan that supports critical decision making in managing and
processing events and emergencies quickly and efficiently.
Improve responsiveness and deliver faster emergency notification and alerts through readily
accessible communications platforms.
Many institutions of higher learning are already embracing sophisticated
communications technologies, such as video, cloud, wireless internet, social media
and unified communications, not only for campus safety and security, but to improve
the learning experience in the classroom and throughout the campus environment.
This willingness to take on new technologies is a first step in enabling the ongoing
progress toward a truly connected campus.
Campus safety authorities and police send messages to student populations via
smartphone apps, email, text, Facebook, and Twitter, notifying of emergencies,
lockdowns, closures, and other events. Most students continue to rely on mobile
platforms to receive their messages. Facebook alone has more than 53 percent of its
users interfacing via mobile devices only, said eMarketer’s “Trends for 2016: Six
Predictions for What Will Happen.”
Now, with specialized mobile apps, students may also have access control, multi
function cards and realtime situational awareness, including sending duress alerts,
video and GPS location, directly to a security command center in the event of an
incident. Some mobile apps allow a user to shake their smartphone, turning the device
into a highvolume, strobelight alarm. Plus, campus police can be provided this
emergency information, dispatched, and routed to incidents on campus utilizing
mobile apps on the market today. Mobility further allows uptodate, locationbased

tracking from cellular services, as well as realtime and location based notification
from Twitter, Facebook and others.
UNIFICATION OF TECHNOLOGIES
Before a campus can become connected, disparate technologies need to be able to
talk to each other or, at least, foster a series of events that result in better
communication. With that, campus safety initiatives are incorporating a number of
different technologies, including access control, video, intrusion, mass notification
systems and standalone emergency stations and duress technologies for nearby and
remote locations.
New personal safety applications and virtual protection solutions are also available
through the smartphone for students who are not near a duress or panic button station
so they can notify campus safety of an emergency immediately from their device.
Public address systems are being used campuswide to stream voice notifications or
fire alarm systems with voice annunciation also being deployed.
In some applications in the classroom, where smartphone use is discouraged, public
safety sends alerts through public address speakers or visual annunciation such as
colored strobes to indicate risk levels or alerts.
SYSTEM STANDARDIZATION
System standardization across the campus is necessary to improve security and
communications throughout the different silos of populations, including campus safety,
IT, resident halls, administration and other departments. It’s critical for a core
committee to develop standards for safety and security solutions on campus. The
creation of a core committee ensures all relevant parties play a role in developing the
standards, and, therefore, are committed to upholding them. The group regularly
assesses the standards to verify they are producing effective results. Additionally, the
committee’s efforts should make sure that future projects are held to the same
standards previously developed.
Not only do standards need to be in place for safety and security solutions, but those
standards have to be clearly documented and reviewed regularly. Standards should
create efficiency and also address what systems solutions will be deployed in new
remodeling and construction projects, again promoting integration and communication
between current solutions and new specifications still to come online.
It’s a longterm, collaborative process that makes the most sense in achieving an
effective, connected campus. Part of the analysis includes a look at what’s currently
on campus as far as security and how the existing infrastructure can be leveraged,
utilized and operated effectively without major overhauls. Does access control

integrate with video surveillance and feed to local campus public safety, as well as
police and fire authorities?
What’s the status of emergency communications and lock down and mass
notification? Is there a solid plan in place? These are just some of the initial questions
that need to be asked.
PUBLIC SAFETY POINT OF SYSTEMS CONTROL
The stakeholders themselves are changing in the deployment of security at colleges
and universities. In many of the successful efforts of educational campuses across the
country, the task of system management is moving to the Campus Safety Department
as the owner of the systems, rather than spreading control among departments, which
can be unwieldy in an emergency and even sabotage standardization of technologies.
In the past, each department would dictate and specify its own security technologies
and then ask campus safety to support the specification. Now, the departments are
referring to campus safety – initially — for their recommendations and these
departments are standardizing on physical security solutions and communications as
set forth in their plan – which, ultimately, assists in the connected campus and
effective emergency response.
Part of the campus safety and security plan requires establishing procedures and
processes. The campus safety plan becomes the university’s living document that can
be changed, but only through team consensus. For example, it sets procedures for
locking entry and exit doors at certain times or schedules. It also can get as specific
as what kinds of devices are to be used on doors, down to the manufacturer and part
number, ensuring compatible technologies. Once this baseline document and plan is
established, public safety and security initiatives run smoother.
Emergency lockdown has become another critical solution on campus and also needs
planning as far as how it will operate. While the actual implementation of the solution
may be simple, it can be complicated to manage and maintain. For example, will it
lock down all buildings or certain buildings and what’s the criterion for that to happen?
Who can initiate a lockdown? What does a lockdown entail for a specific campus?
There are many potential scenarios, but each should be unique and genuine to the
school in the way it is used.
One central point of command and control is an impetus in unifying campus
communications. The most effective response comes from a single, trained command
center. Communications are coming into one point and in larger and remote
campuses; subcommand centers may be in place. Security management systems,
mobile applications and web accessibility are helping off campus officers and security
guards have ready access to central command from remote locations, as well.

CUSTOM CONNECTIVITY SOLUTIONS
Connectivity and collaboration is also bringing creative security and safety solutions to
the campus environment. At Edinboro University in Edinboro, Pa., a custom system
was developed and deployed in an ADA application for a student who required
assistance opening and closing doors.
Without the solution, the student would need to leave the door open at all times, an
unsafe situation, at best. Working together, the integrator and the university team
devised a solution to allow the student to control her door via a custom application
accessible on her smartphone and laptop. Once activated, the app initiates an electric
strike that engages the accessible door operator so it opens automatically.
FUTURE DIRECTION
The proliferation of mobile technology, web and cloudhosted platforms and open
communications is driving the future direction of the connected campus. Near field
communication and the ability to use the smartphone as an access control device is
already proliferating many institutions. Bluetooth is further extending connectivity to
areas without a network connection or poor signals, keeping students always
connected.
Working in collaboration with all stakeholders to address technology and developing
plans and standards sets the stage for the success of physical security and the
connected campus among educational campuses.
About the Author
Kyle Gordon is the higher education market leader for Stanley Security.

Planning A Connected Campus -- Security Today

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