Lincoln County Schools modernizes district-wide security with Genetec solutions

Genetec, the global leader in enterprise physical security software, today announced that Lincoln County Schools (LCS) in North Carolina has modernized its district-wide security infrastructure using Genetec Security Center, unifying video surveillance, access control, and intrusion systems across its schools and support facilities.
 
Lincoln County Schools serves over 11,000 students across 23 schools, including 13 elementary schools, four middle schools, four high schools, a technology school, and an alternative school. Four additional buildings support district-wide services such as school nutrition, transportation, and maintenance. As its existing security technology began showing its age, the district set out to modernize its systems.
 
“Genetec Security Center offered us a great option,” said Steven Hoyle, Chief Technology Officer for Lincoln County Schools. “We have the features we need in one solution that’s easy to use and fits our budget.”
 
At the top of LCS’s requirements was an open, unified security platform. The district wanted the flexibility to reuse existing video and access control hardware while upgrading devices as needed. It also sought to manage video, access control, and intrusion systems within a single solution and to connect other school systems, including the human resources database, to improve process automation.
 
LCS began upgrading its high schools’   video surveillance and access control systems, now unified as one in Genetec Security Center. They also added Radionix intrusion detection. When complete, hundreds of cameras, doors, and intrusion sensors across district buildings will be connected to the Genetec open architecture platform.  This has also allowed the district to retain much of its existing hardware and to migrate to newer devices at its own pace.
 
“Genetec Security Center supports a wide range of third-party technologies, and that’s been a huge bonus for us,” explained Hoyle. “We have the freedom to keep some existing hardware, upgrade to newer devices, and integrate other business systems. This helps us find the right balance between enhancing security and managing costs. And we can do it at our own pace, taking our time to re-evaluate needs and make decisions from there.”
 
LCS has also digitized processes by connecting Microsoft Active Directory and its Radionix intrusion detection system within Security Center. With Active Directory integration, cardholder privileges are automatically assigned based on job role and location. When employees join or leave the district, door and system access is activated or deactivated automatically.
 
Synchronizing cardholders with the intrusion detection system has reduced false alarms. “In the past, intrusion alarms would sometimes be activated when someone was still in the building, resulting in many false alarms,” said Hoyle. “Now, staff can badge in during set hours, and the intrusion system is automatically armed or disarmed. We’re seeing far fewer false alarms and fewer calls to law enforcement and our administrators.”
 
As upgrades continue, Lincoln County Schools is working with Genetec to expand capabilities and connect additional systems to support faster, more coordinated communication across the district.