These days video technology does more than improving security, like enhancing operations and minimizing losses in commercial areas such as bookstores, cafeterias and vending machine halls.

Partnering with systems integrator Stone Security, Utah State University (USU) and Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) decided on an open platform, IP-based solution built with Milestone Xprotect VMS and network cameras from Axis Communications. USU has 435 cameras deployed at all of its locations and SLCC has 235 cameras.  Previously both colleges had analogue systems with just a few cameras, which no longer met their modern requirements.

USU is the land grant school for Utah and has campuses in every county in the state. By the end of 2015, USU had nine locations managed with Milestone Xprotect Corporate software with the Milestone Federated Architecture feeding video data back to the main campus in Logan.

SLCC more recently standardised with Axis cameras, while USU has purchased Axis cameras almost exclusively for the past several years. In addition, they use Axis encoders to integrate older analog cameras into the Milestone IP video platform. SLCC currently has 180 cameras deployed through Axis encoders for incorporating their older, analogue cameras.

With the adoption of the Milestone platform, each campus has been able to centralise their video monitoring and greatly improve coordination with on-campus police. This coordination has led to a reduction in incident response time and mitigated the theft of student valuables and items in the campus bookstores. The easy-to-install Axis cameras give each campus high-resolution images that provide comprehensive coverage through seamless integration with Milestone VMS.

USU has also leveraged Axis and Milestone beyond traditional campus security. The college has a farm where animal science professors and their students conduct research on cows and goats. David Tidwell, IT Manager at USU, said that in the past when a cow was far along in her pregnancy researchers slept at the farm to ensure they did not miss the birth.

“We now have Axis cameras monitoring the pens,” said Tidwell. “The researchers can watch the cows from the comfort of their homes using Milestone software. If they see an animal start to go into labour, they can make sure someone gets there. Milestone and Axis have changed everything.”