VIDEO: Commercial Video Surveillance 2020

As a business owner, I’m concerned about my people, properties and possessions. A commercial video surveillance system might be the right answer.

Project Update: Commercial Turnstile Installation

Kenton Brothers is in the business of protecting people, property and possessions. We’re honored to install many types of commercial security equipment for specific custom applications. When we received a request for a new, large turnstile custom application from a long-time customer, we were excited to tackle the project.

Turnstiles in general can be tricky for several reasons. Some of these include the area of install, requirements of our customer, integration with commercial access control, and the requested timeline. Working with our customers to figure out their specific needs is crucial to an install like this. And the planning always has to have the end goal as the focus.

Turnstile Project Turnstile Project

Some of the specific challenges during this installation included the area the install was to take place. The work had to be done during a plant shutdown or on an approved weekend. The integration of the turnstile with their commercial security system was also important. And the exact placement of the turnstile mattered.

As the installation progressed, our technicians had to use forklifts to move components of the turnstile down a narrow hallway. There was almost no room for error. Once dropped into place, the turnstile had to be anchored correctly, and then the integration of the turnstile began.

The result is that Kenton Brothers was able to provide a custom application to fit their exact needs… on time, and on budget!

In today’s environment, stop bacteria and microbes at the door.

BacteriaBy Gina Stuelke, CEO of Kenton Brothers.

To protect against the spread of bacteria and other dangerous microbes, it’s important to consider the role of high touch door hardware in a publicly-used building. Visitors and occupants continuously handle door levers and exit devices. Bacteria and other microbes can live on these hardware surfaces for hours, transferring from one person to another. Did you know that door hardware can be protected against the growth of many microbes?

How can Kenton Brothers help?

Kenton Brothers offers locks and hardware with antimicrobial technology that has an added layer of protection against the growth of bacteria to protect the hardware. An antimicrobial is a substance that acts to inhibit the growth of microorganisms and suppresses microorganism reproduction. This provides an added level of protection against damaging microbes such as bacteria that can cause stains, odors and product deterioration.

Why do we need antimicrobial hardware? Because it’s 99.9% cleaner than unprotected surfaces.

Bacteria can double every 20 minutes on unprotected surfaces. Antimicrobial protection works to continuously fight off microbes and protect the hardware.

The antimicrobial coating is incorporated into the finish during the manufacturing process and will not wash off or wear away. The coating lasts for the lifetime of the hardware finish.

How does it work?

When microbes come in contact with the product surface, the antimicrobial protection penetrates the cell wall of the microorganism and disrupts the cell, making the microorganism unable to grow and reproduce.

Antimicrobial protection is effective against most common bacteria that cause stains, odors and product degradation. While this technology is 99.9% cleaner than unprotected surfaces, it is not designed to protect users from disease causing microorganisms.

Consumer safety is a fundamental concern for us. Antimicrobial hardware products are approved by the US EPA and have a history of safe use in door hardware.

To learn more about antimicrobial hardware, please give us a call!

Share your commercial video surveillance system feed with your local police department.

By Neal Bellamy, IT Director at Kenton Brothers.

Video cameras are everywhere in the world today. These cameras can help a city gain more situational awareness and help police fight crimes better than ever before.

Wouldn’t it be nice if the police could access any camera… at any time?

Unfortunately, video management systems can be complicated. Most video management systems are not compatible with each other. However, there is hope.

Share your commercial video surveillance feed with your local police departmentIt starts with a standard.
In order for video management systems to communicate, they must first speak the same language. In the security camera space, there is already a common standard called ONVIF (www.onvif.org ). The standard is pretty widespread. If the standard is followed, it allows for video to be streamed between a client (usually a camera) and a server (usually a video management system). The ONVIF standard does not guarantee that all of the camera’s features can be accessed, but it’s a good starting point for basic video streaming. And it works with a bridge.

What if instead of a camera being ONVIF compliant, we made a commercial video management system act like an ONVIF compliant camera or multiple cameras? The video management system is already receiving video streams… Could it send the camera stream it’s receiving somewhere else as well?

That’s exactly what Milestone is doing.

Milestone Systems

Milestone commercial video surveillance LogoMilestone systems (www.milestonesys.com) has released a server component called “ONVIF Bridge”. This allows your Milestone server system to rebroadcast the video that is being sent to another server. As long as the receiving server is ONVIF compliant (most are) it will be able to see, and optionally record, the video.

So how does this solve our problem?

If a company wants to loan some, or all of their cameras out to a police department, they can under the following conditions:

1) The company is using a Milestone system that’s compatible with ONVIF Bridge
2) The Police department can connect to ONVIF Cameras

With those two things in place, the police department could use your cameras to help with situational awareness and help solve crimes.

In our lab at Kenton Brothers, we were able to successfully connect the Milestone ONVIF Bridge to Avigilon and Genetec systems.

If you would like to know more about how to connect your cameras to your local police department, give us a call!

Create Safer Worksites with Automated Patrols

Depending on the industry, some worksites are safer than others. If your worksite is considered high risk for injury, then you probably struggle with finding, much less implementing, tools that provide the level of ongoing visibility that allows for swift and effective action. And, even if you have tools and systems in place, it still can be a struggle to catch every risk, everywhere, every time.

Enter Cobalt Robotics

That is why high-risk injury worksite leaders are embracing Cobalt Robotics to gain full situational awareness of their employees and facilities. Unlike distant cameras and fallible humans, Cobalt’s autonomous robots help ensure compliance in safety equipment and protocols so issues can be handled as they arise. These robots are the tool modern organizations need to enhance their safety operations.

Of course, robots cannot interact and intervene on the human level. So, Cobalt pairs its onsite robots with a remote Specialist Command Center staffed by people who are trained in your operations, safety rules/regulations and mandated protocols. Together, you gain unmatched coverage of your employees and single or multiple facilities to ensure action and accountability in real time. In other words, Cobalt protects your employees and worksites, allowing you to focus on other important matters.

Cobalt Robots in Real-World Situations

The following are just a few safety scenarios in which Cobalt robots create safer worksites.

Spill in Aisle 1

Cobalt RoboticsAs you and your employees know, spills are dangerous and can be difficult to detect on certain surfaces, especially if a liquid is clear. Cobalt’s robots autonomously roam your facility and can detect spills and alert for a cleanup.

And, should an employee slip and fall, the robot informs a specialist from Cobalt’s Command Center. The specialist assesses the employee’s injury and notifies the appropriate person for a report or 911.

Missing Safety Gear

The more safety gear required, the better the chance that a key piece can be missed, putting the employee and company compliance at risk. Cobalt’s robots stream stable, mobile video feeds for visibility of employees.

While a co-worker may not notice or call out missing safety gear or a supervisor is busy with other work, the robot can spot and remind an employee of what’s missing.

Clear a Path

In many work sites, there are designated paths for forklifts, machinery and foot traffic. Imagine a stack of palettes obstructing a forklift path. Or a service worker leaving a ladder where they shouldn’t. For the workers and site managers, going about their day-to-day duties, they might not notice these safety risks. But our robotic patrols are the best for detecting any anomaly and pairing it with human judgement to determine steps for resolution.

The Door is Ajar

Open DoorEntryways and doors to restricted areas can be purposely or accidentally left wide open, causing a number of risks.

A Cobalt robot can alert a Specialist and remain by the door until the issue is resolved to warn employees or restrict them from entering the area.

As an autonomous vehicle, the Cobalt robot patrols worksites along its designated route. If an employee asks for help or if it detects an anomaly, our Specialists can step in, pilot the robot, and interact with people through our video-enabled touchscreen.

Want to know more?

Robots such as Cobalt are already operating in a variety of industries to keep their worksites safer. Discover how Cobalt can reduce risk for your facilities and employees.

It’s easy to get started.

KCTV5 News Spot

Check out this news spot on the KCTV5 YouTube channel!

And here is the Kenton Brothers video about Cobalt Robotics