Ridley College physical plant personnel approached Bulldog Security to find a video surveillance solution for their boarding school. They wanted an open architecture system that would allow them to utilize their existing analog cameras and also integrate with their existing Keyscan access system.
Ridley College is Ontario's largest co-educational, boarding school. Since 1889, Ridley College has prepared students for university. The school currently has an enrollment of more than 600 students from 35 countries.
Ridley College physical plant personnel approached Bulldog Security to find a video surveillance solution for their boarding school. They wanted an open architecture system that would allow them to utilize their existing analog cameras and also integrate with their existing Keyscan access system. In addition to a high functioning, cost-effective system, Ridley College staff members desired a system that would create a balance between a high level of security and a positive living and educational environment. 
After evaluating the needs and current system, Bulldog Fire and Security recommended they deploy exacqVision hybrid servers, the exacqVision Enterprise video management system (VMS) software and add new Arecont Vision and Axis IP cameras to cover high traffic, critical areas on campus.
Installing 11 exacqVision A-Series hybrid servers gave Ridley College the opportunity to grow and migrate their surveillance system. The exacqVision A-Series hybrid server enabled the college to utilize their present infrastructure and analog cameras while also adding new IP cameras to the system. The hard drive scalability was another benefit. With the exacqVision hybrid server, Bulldog staff members can easily change a hard drive if necessary.
Ridley College has 10 security staff members who use the exacqVision Enterprise VMS software. Each day when their shift begins, the security staff pulls up the exacqVision software to check if all cameras are online and the surveillance system is operating properly. With exacqVision Enterprise, they can quickly glance through the list of cameras from all of their system simultaneously and see which ones are offline. Since Ridley College has more than 140 cameras on their system, they needed an easy way to monitor cameras.
The mapping functionality available in the exacqVision Enterprise software allows security staff to quickly view video from any camera on the system that has motion or a current alarm. The camera icon turns blue for motion and red for alarm on the map. By clicking the camera icon, security staff can instantly see the actions causing motion or the alarm on the video.
Another compelling benefit about implementing the exacqVision system was the integration with Ridley College's current keyscan access control system. Staff monitors every door that has Keyscan access to ensure only the appropriate people are entering the proper buildings. The exacqVision integration with the Keyscan access control system has the ability to show video of the person and access control information within the video.
Additionally, the Technical Administrator and Physical Plant department personnel have access to use the exacqVision client on their computers. Since the exacqVision client operates on Mac as well as Windows, everyone at the college is able to have access to the system at any time. The users all have various technical levels and each user was able to comfortably implement the use of the exacqVision system into their day-to-day operations. “With the wide range of users we have, I was impressed with how easily everyone picked up the system and could capture video clips with ease,” said Julia Bertollo, Director of the Physical Plant at Ridley College.
The house masters rely on the client software as a tool to improve their students' behavior and offer the best education possible. In the event there is an issue of theft, concern or bullying reported on campus, the housemaster is able to access exacqVision video as a tool to further investigate the situation. House masters review the video and utilize the information to provide students with the opportunity to make better choices or in some instances to discipline their students.
In one situation, the house masters used the exacqVision client to review damage to a field and zoom in to determine who was involved. “Since we've installed the exacqVision system, we've been able to recoup minimally the loss of the damage we've incurred,” said Julia Bertollo. “Over many years of broken windows and property damage, the return on investment has been thousands of dollars.” The Ridley Security Vehicle is equipped with an iPad for mobile use of the exacqVision video management system via the free Exacq Mobile app. This provides an easy way for security staff members to monitor the campus while making their rounds.
“The exacqVision system provides a sense of confidence, a sense of security and a sense of protection. We can view the entire campus from anywhere in our security vehicles, which is spectacular. Since we've installed the exacqVision system, we've been able to recoup minimally the loss of the damage we've incurred.” Julia Bertollo Director of the Physical Plant Ridley College