Hall & Kay Security Engineering - Experts & Thought Leaders

When Hall & Kay Security was asked by the London Borough of Hackney to provide a state-of-the-art access control system, they turned to Third Millennium for card readers. A networked system covering council offices, care centers, libraries, youth hubs, and the town hall, to name just a few of the 42 council-run facilities, are all fitted with the highly secure RX280 reader, with the Third Millennium Secure Envelope technology. Advanced access and visitor management system With over 640 readers and 10,000 cards, the readers and cards not only control the main points of access but provide ‘follow-me’ printing, barrier control, and swing lane control at the Council headquarters. A recent upgrade to the swing lanes was part of a security upgrade advised by the London Anti-Terror Branch and includes advanced visitor management and an extensive lock-down system. Upgraded technology Their cutting-edge reader technology offers great performance and reliability, and allows for future upgrades" Ian McGarry - Contract Manager for Hall & Kay, said, “Working with Third Millennium, we were able to provide the high level of security required at a very competitive price. Their cutting-edge reader technology offers great performance and reliability, and allows for future upgrades.” “It’s aesthetically pleasing too, which is always a bonus. Our customer is very happy with all aspects of the design and delivery, and we are sure the system will expand as security needs change constantly”. Multi-technology readers Third Millennium’s Business Development Manager, Steve Greenaway, commented, “We were delighted to be asked to work on this prestigious project by Hall & Kay. It’s great to see a project of this size run so smoothly, and it has paved the way with other London Borough Councils to look at the same solution.” “The beauty of our Multi-Technology readers is that we can work in most cases with the existing end-user cards, and provide a secure migration path for the future”.

IDIS's end-to-end video is protecting a new, purpose-built visitor centre at Canterbury Cathedral, part of a $34 million renovation project transforming one of the UK’s most important UNESCO Heritage sites. The seven-year program, preserving and safeguarding the fifteen-centuries-old masterpiece of English Gothic architecture – and the mother church of the worldwide Anglican communion includes the addition of a new, purpose-built welcome center for visitors. The center, housing retail facilities, a viewing gallery, and community studio exhibition space, is protected with a best-in-class video solution that combines discrete monitoring with high-performance image capture. Real-time monitoring Specialist systems integrator Hall & Kay Security Engineering was tasked with delivering a solution that would be affordable, easy-to-use, and allow for comprehensive real-time monitoring while ensuring reliable recording without data loss. And because this was part of a much wider project, the video technology also had to be fast and easy to install – essential for avoiding project overruns in this complex, multidisciplinary construction environment, and preventing any delays to the new Welcome Center’s opening. HD cameras  IDIS gives Canterbury assurance of trusted manufacturing origin and high-level cybersecurity protection Based on previous experience, Hall & Kay had no hesitation recommending IDIS end-to-end tech, incorporating cameras, recorders VMS, and essential peripherals. This IDIS Korean-made tech also gives Canterbury assurance of trusted manufacturing origin and high-level cybersecurity protection, with its inherent, multi-layered encryptions and proprietary protocols to safeguard sensitive video data. To give high-definition video coverage of the Welcome Centre’s entrances, retail area, and exhibition spaces, Hall & Kay installed IDIS Full HD DC-4223WRX IR dome cameras. These vandal-resistant models come equipped with varifocal lenses, true WDR and IR LED to deliver crisp, clear images even in challenging and variable lighting conditions. They connect to three 16-channel DD-1216 NVRs to handle recording and deliver 480ips live view with no visible latency. NVRs, visual awareness with VMS Easy plug-and-play allowed for seamless and rapid connectivity and mutual two-factor authentication of devices' streamlined cybersecurity measures, the cornerstone of IDIS DirectIP® solutions. The license-free IDIS Centre VMS gives the cathedral Constable and his security team complete visual awareness and easy control tools for efficient management, plus the ability to configure specific user permissions to give senior staff and system administrators timely access to video footage. The IDIS cameras, NVRs, and VMS discretely blend with the center’s architecture without detracting from the visitor experience, while providing effective real-time monitoring. Flexible, end-to-end solution The solution is highly flexible and scalable, due to long-term hardware support and compatibility" “The solution is now protecting property, enhancing safety for visitors and staff, and providing a complete record of events at one of the UK’s busiest and most important heritage sites,” says David Stokes, Divisional Director, Hall & Kay Security Engineering. “The IDIS end-to-end solution allowed us to present this important customer with a compelling business case, with no up-front or ongoing licensing fees, extended warranties, and a low total cost of ownership. The solution is also highly flexible and scalable, thanks to long-term hardware support and forward- and backward compatibility, which future-proofs the cathedra’s investment.” Reliability and cybersecurity “The choice of IDIS video for this most sensitive of sites is testament to the reliability, quality, and cybersecurity of our Korean-made tech,” adds Jamie Barnfield, Senior Sales Director, IDIS Europe. “This is just one of many projects we are working on with Hall & Kay in line with the IDIS philosophy of building sustainable strategic partnerships with integrators and end-user customers.”

An upgrade of video technology at a south London residential estate has proved so effective that the system has been immediately scaled-up. The IDIS video solution, implemented by Hall & Kay Security Engineering at the Meridian South Development in Hither Green, is less obtrusive than the system it replaced, yet it immediately delivered better results, with a number of incidents tackled to the surprise of the culprits. IDIS video solution Although the mixed development, comprising 440 owner-occupied and rented properties, is a safe and pleasant neighborhood for most of the time, to maintain this high standard of living managers needed to tackle a growing problem with petty crime and anti-social behavior. Hall & Kay were asked to solve this problem by implementing an advanced, end-to-end video solution from IDIS Issues were being reported with increasing frequency, including rubbish being dumped by short-term tenants vacating their apartments, theft from mailboxes, vandalism, and car crime. Rubbish removal alone was costing the management company more than £12,000 annually. Hall & Kay were asked to solve this problem by implementing an advanced, end-to-end video solution from IDIS, Korea’s largest in-country manufacturer. IDIS cameras deployed The H&K team began by replacing the ten column-mounted PTZ cameras with IDIS cameras. IDIS technicians visited the site with the H&K engineers and conducted a bandwidth test on the existing cabling, demonstrating that, by using the existing coax with IDIS ethernet converters, up to four IDIS fixed bullet cameras could be cost-effectively mounted on each existing column. Additionally, wireless access points were installed where cameras couldn’t be cabled directly to the estate control room. This approach eliminated blind-spots and guaranteed that events would not be missed when the system was unmanned. IDIS Center video management software (VMS) To provide wider coverage, a further six columns were added, and additional IDIS cameras were mounted in the underground car parking areas. The system now delivers full HD images in all lighting conditions, with built-in IR ensuring night-time image capture at distances up to 30m. All footage is stored for 30 days. The security officers and maintenance staff who manage the estate are also taking advantage of the easy-to-use analytics functions that come with the totally cost-free IDIS Center video management software (VMS).  These tools include motion detection which can be utilized out of hours to ensure that scenes are only recorded when movement occurs, thus minimizing bandwidth usage and storage requirements. This feature, along with IDIS MapVue navigation, also makes it easy to quickly review footage to find incidents of interest. IDIS full HD IR cameras Within 24 hours of the cameras being installed, departing tenants were recorded illegally dumping rubbish The 57 IDIS full HD IR cameras, and the three NVRs with 12TB storage each, benefit from true plug-and-play set up with DirectIP. When the South Meridian management team saw the quality of images now being captured, they asked if the system could be extended. With IDIS’s flexible approach this was quick and easy to do. Within 24 hours of the cameras being installed, departing tenants were recorded illegally dumping rubbish. Shortly after this, a contractor working at the site reported that tools had been stolen in both cases, with high definition evidence of the crime being captured and passed to the police. Easy-to-use VMS controls In fact, thanks to the design of the system, and the easy-to-use VMS controls, security staff was able to retrieve footage of the incident itself, along with a full video trail of the thief moving across the estate, before and afterwards. Word has now spread about how effective the new system is, and residents are delighted that there are now no blind spots. “The support we had from IDIS was second to none and the technology works exactly as promised,” said Wayne Wharton, Security Sales Manager, H&K Security, adding “We are now looking at many more IDIS projects with the same customer and others.” “We are delighted that IDIS technology is making such a positive difference to the quality of life of residents at Meridian South,” said James Min, Managing Director at IDIS Europe.