Located in the west of India, Pune has long been a cultural and financial heart of Maharashtra. The Cosmos Co-operative Bank is the second oldest and second largest bank in India. Established in 1906, the bank recently celebrated 109 years of service and attained multi-state status in 1997. Cosmos operates a huge network of 140 branches in India spread across seven states and in 39 major cities. Considering the scale of the city of Pune, and the location of the Cosmos Bank in the heart of the city, any security system needed to be both up-to-date and ahead of the field.
Pune’s Cosmos Co-operative Bank: Serving as the Financial Heart for the “Oxford of India.”
Located in the west of India, Pune has long been a cultural and financial heart of Maharashtra. The Cosmos Co-operative Bank is the second oldest and second largest bank in India. Established in 1906, the bank recently celebrated 109 years of service and attained multi-state status in 1997. Cosmos Bank operates a huge network of 140 branches in India spread across seven states and in 39 major cities. Considering the scale of the city of Pune, and the location of the Cosmos Bank in the heart of the city, any security system needed to be both up-to-date and ahead of the field.
The Challenge: Protecting the Heart of Pune is No Easy Task
Cosmos Bank is headquartered in a building with a built-in datacenter and high-security safe in the center of Pune. Given that Pune is a dense and complex city, there are many exterior factors that have to be considered when setting up a security system for the bank. Thus, a high level of risk and threat assessment was required before designing the risk mitigation strategy for Cosmos. Three key risk areas were identified: threats to people, to property, and to the image of the bank.
In order to come up with a complete security system to minimize the risk impact, Cosmos Bank engaged Bajaj Electricals for the design, engineering, and solution implementation. Bajaj Electricals first went through the study of the plans, in order to distinguish the key threat areas. The flow of vehicles and pedestrians was studied and reviewed, thus a surveillance system that not only ensures the easy flow of pedestrians and vehicles but also guaranteed the comfort of employees and customers could be proposed.
A third-party audit team was also brought on to ensure that the requirements were met and gaps in the security were mitigated by appropriate measures. In the end, VIVOTEK was chosen.
The Solution: VIVOTEK Brings Total Security to Cosmos Bank
A total of 132 VIVOTEK network cameras were installed across the headquarters of the bank. For interior spaces, including the main floor area, the lifts, and the lobby, 103 FD8136 ultra-mini fixed-dome network cameras were employed. The FD8136 features a megapixel sensor enabling viewing resolution of 1280 x 800 at 30 frames per second (fps), while its tiny size of only 90 mm in diameter and an inbuilt microphone and speaker further enhances the camera.
For the basement parking area, 29 IP8335H bullet-network cameras were deployed. This camera features an HD WDR CMOS sensor for use in challenging lighting conditions. The day/night functionality and IP67-rated weatherproof housing of the IP8335H allowed Cosmos Bank to build a cost-effective IP surveillance system without additional accessories. Incorporating an IR-cut filter that can be removed automatically at night and built-in IR illuminators with coverage for up to 20 meters helped to secure Cosmos Bank’s parking area all day, every day. Finally, 4 SD8326 speed-dome network cameras secured the periphery of Cosmos Bank’s headquarters in central Pune. This camera’s verifocal lens, IR, and 36x zoom, empowered Cosmos Bank’s security team to identify and recognize objects and number plates, even in the dark of night, while its rugged housing ensured that bad weather would never mean a lapse safety.