Milford School District

Dr. Robert Smith: The Milford School District encompasses basically three small communities, with about 4,000 students in our school system. We have five schools, soon to be seven schools. Anything we can do to improve the safety of our children at school and our staff is that something we need to consider and find ways to do that.

Heinz Retzlaff: Advantech had the best game plan and truthfully had the best equipment. We were extremely pleased with what was available, and the kinds of approaches we could utilize in the different buildings, because each building had its own, unique challenge.

Lee Thompson: Some of the chief security concerns the school district had were physical access to the building, watching the people inside the building when they came in, and obviously alerting the local police department if there was an incident.

Timothy Atwood: It became really apparent that keys were very lacking in security, because once you give somebody a key they have access 24/7.

Lee Thompson: On the Honeywell Pro Watch System, you have a card reader with locking hardware throughout the building, and that's your physical access control system, throughout the whole building and parameter control.

Timothy Atwood: Using access control cards allows us to be able to determine who accesses, when they access, and whether or not they are still current to access those core assets. It has been very beneficial to allow vendors to access with an access card that ties back to an identity on the system and logs the entry, as well as allows us to revoke those privileges after the tenure of that

Lee Thompson: If anybody does try to access the building, the intrusion detection system will be armed or will alarm, because they didn't use their card. If someone did try to get into the building and swipe their card, and they weren't allowed to get in, the access control software will then show that the transaction that occurred, at what time, what user it was, and their name. On top of that, you have Honeywell Fusion CCTV solution.

Timothy Atwood: A surveillance camera of different types from pan-tilt-zoom, to static, to some that are tied to some kind of a motion detector device that determines, whether or not something is actually going on, and having it all tie back to a central system of electronic files. It uses existing infrastructure within the building, so you don't have to run all new infrastructure, because it all runs on an IP connection. I was quite comfortable when Advantech chose Honeywell, because I know Honeywell from the '70's and beyond, as a major technology provider in all industries.

Dr. Robert Smith: We've had no really downtime on any of our installation, any major problems with it, or any of the equipment, everything is worked as it was supposed to work.

Lee Thompson: Honeywell is a proven manufacturer in the industry, and the product once it's installed, is very user friendly. It's very easy for us to come in and train a staff of people that have never seen this product before, never have had to use this product before.

Nicole Durkin: In a matter of minutes all of the administrators picked up the system very quickly. It's very easy to maneuver, to find particular cameras.

Lee Thompson: They can have these remote software's loaded on their personal computer and then when in their office, be within a few mouse clicks to be able to pull up any video, or any transaction of any card read, throughout the school district.

Dr. Robert Smith: Our disciplinarians use it as a bonus to security and investigating different things that may have happened in the school, because it's a digital format they don't have to spend hours going through taped footage, as they have had to do in the past. They're able to go right to the time frame, and look at that, and then ascertain what happened, and who was involved, and that has just been a great boon for them.

Nicole Durkin: A lot of the feedback from parents and community has been very positive in that they are very pleased to know that their children are safe during the day and secure and that we don't have visitors, or there's not the opportunity for visitors or outside individuals to enter our building, from anywhere other than the main entrance.

Dwayne Hendricks: I do have children that come here to Milford School District and me knowing that their school is safe, that anyone just can't come in, and walk into the building, and have free course, makes me be at ease.

Heinz Retzlaff: In every case of dealing with Advantech, the Honeywell product and the Advantech install and service has been outstanding.

Dr. Smith: I would say to anyone, you can't afford not to do it. It's something you really have to take seriously, and do it because even something as simple as vandalism, that would have been so easy to stop with our motion sensors, now in this school and it was not that expensive.

Lee Thompson: If you factor in the loss of one act of vandalism, it will pay for the system in itself.

Heinz Retzlaff: Advantech has demonstrated over the last several years working with me that they've been creative, proactive, very receptive, and responsive to our needs.