Background
Saudi Arabia’s rising demand
for university education
Majmaah University is based in Al Majmaah, a city of 130,000 people located approximately 180km north of Riyadh. The university was founded in 2009 as part of a state-sponsored Ministry of Education initiative to expand university education and the number of graduates in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, particularly outside the biggest cities. Key aims of the university include more provision for higher education, high quality scientific research and development, support for the regional economy and meeting the needs of local communities. The university serves a wide area including Majmaah city, Zulfi, Remah, Ghat and Hawtat Sudair. The main campus is situated in the southern part of Majmaah city, with teaching and research delivered through 13 academic schools. The university has around 20 buildings across its multiple sites which provide accommodation for the colleges, administration, deanships and medical services.
Challenges
Maximising student safety
across multiple sites
Today’s higher education sector is major business and maximising student safety is central to any university’s duty of care and reputation. With this in mind, the security team at Majmaah University wanted to upgrade protection for students, staff and visitors. To achieve this, they needed to identify a cost-effective HD surveillance system combining robust performance with state-of-the-art functionality. The team needed a solution to provide centralised control, reliable remote monitoring and full redundancy for key university facilities at multiple campus sites located almost 50km apart. Additional requirements included innovative features guaranteed to deliver excellent image quality, rapid video retrieval and optimised use of network bandwidth. Other key priorities included compatibility of all surveillance systems; simple plug-and-play deployment; video management software; ease of use; live and simultaneous video playback; simultaneous map monitoring; minimal maintenance; plus user-friendly diagnostic, administration and reporting capabilities.
Solutions
Cost-effective IP-enabled
HD surveillance
Assisted by expert regional security systems integrator Digital Media, Majmaah University chose a complete, integrated IDIS DirectIP™ solution that offered superior performance, dynamic multi-stream control and multiview functionality to minimise bandwidth usage-all at a low total cost of ownership. Digital Media installed a comprehensive mix of networked systems at campus sites in Majmaah, Hawtat Sudair and Alghat. Equipment included: 336 pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ), box, dome and infra-red bullet cameras; 18 network video recorders (NVRs); a suite of ISS Expert servers and clients; and 16 DAS systems. The new command centre at Majmaah was fully equipped with control systems including an IDIS Software Solution (ISS) Video Wall and 512CH Federation server to provide centralised monitoring across multiple campus sites.
Results and Benefits
Enhanced protection
for students and staff
Following a smooth, swift installation by Digital Media, IDIS DirectIPTM is providing cost-effective surveillance to improve campus safety and protection.
GM of Digital Media said:
Major advantages included the reliable redundancy capabilities to minimise network congestion, failover features to prevent service disruption and one-touch focus rapid response cameras. Also, user-friendly software enables the university’s in-house team to easily manage monitoring, playback and reporting from any network device.
Security Manager of Majmaah University added:
Thanks to Digital Media’s expert implementation of the IDIS solution, we can more easily maintain high quality security and provide peace of mind for our students, faculty members, staff and visitors, therefore enhancing the educational environment and supporting our strategic aims.
