Comprehensive Campus Solution Earns ESS an Integrated Installation of the Year Award

ESS began onsite project management in October 2015, followed by technical manpower beginning the following month. Total cost of installation to the customer was in excess of $1.5 million.

Prior to any onsite work, ESS project management created extensive documentation reflecting all of the system details; labeling, IP addressing, equipment make/model, locations, descriptions, door schedule designations and camera mounting specifics, meticulous site plans, floorplans and detailed shop drawings.

This enabled the integrator to efficiently collaborate with Shelco, project consultants and LPL’s security administrators. ESS technical staff performed various mockups prior to delivering the equipment to the project, a considerable amount of time and frustration savings was realized by preprogramming and labeling many of the field components.

The database server was also preconfigured in the lab and thoroughly tested prior to commissioning onsite. Both buildings were to be equipped with exterior HD cameras, card access-controlled doors and intercoms, while the parking deck was to be outfitted with numerous HD cameras and emergency help point intercoms.

“We evaluated the electronic door hard-ware and helped determine the proper application for conduit and cable pathways,” says Operations Manager Clint Crosston. “Working closely with the electrical, interior door and exterior glass door subcontractors during the final phases proved to be very valuable and helped avoid mistakes, duplications and creep of scope.”

As per specifications, ESS employed AMAG Technology’s Symmetry Enterprise as the head-end for the access control, video and intercom systems.

“As one of the largest and most experienced AMAG dealers in the Carolinas, we felt confident we would achieve success with the project based upon prior experience and the strong team of AMAG certified technicians on staff,” says ESS President Kurt Kottkamp. “Shelco did an excellent job managing the project by keeping all of the subcontractors communicating and collaborating during the entire process, and responding to issues rapidly.”

Kottkamp also credits LPL’s corporate security team for attending the construction meetings and making sure specific needs were addressed while adhering to the timeline for commissioning and training.

Vendor Ties Prove Vital

ESS leveraged its vendor relationships as part of what it calls its Tier One Partners (TOPs) program to bring to bear assurance of consistently high performance at LPL Financial.

As part of that, all ESS’s field technicians maintain current certifications from every manufacturer’s products used at LPL. This level of expertise was paramount in delivering a truly integrated solution.

Highlights of that solution include the AMAG management platform; Arecont Vision and Samsung (now Hanwha) surveillance cameras; Salient recorders; BCD video servers; Stentofon call stations; HID Global access readers; Boon Edam turnstiles; and LifeSafety Power power supplies.

The security management systems at LPL are designed to be monitored locally onsite in the security operations center by a contract guard service that includes individuals who sit at consoles and those who patrol 24/7.

“AMAG has done an excellent job integrating with third-party platforms allowing a very intuitive user interface that creates efficiencies,” says MacQueen. “This means users can research an event and/or respond to an emergency in real-time without having to navigate through multiple applications.”

Among myriad responsibilities associated with the project, ESS was also tasked with continuing to support the AMAG controllers within the three original LPL buildings in Charlotte that were to be decommissioned over a period of three months from completion of the new facility.

“This was challenging as the card-holder database needed to be managed and maintained to assure continued corporate-wide security,” says Crosston.

Meanwhile ESS worked closely with the local AHJ, fire alarm vendor and the Division 8 door vendor to ensure safety and code compliance were achieved at all egress points.

By integrating the fire alarm and emergency command systems, the integrator applied the inherent safety inputs within the Boon Edam revolving doors, allowing safe egress in the event of a fire alarm or any building emergency.

Befriending GC & IT

As discussed, ESS worked very closely with LPL corporate security staff early on and throughout the progress of the project to make sure expectations were met and that the client was aware of additional applicable feature sets.

According to Kottkamp, the most difficult aspects of the job were managing the very tight deadline to commission and train the customer before LPL took occupancy.

“Any accelerated construction schedule on a project of this scope presents a multitude of issues,” he says. “Multiple dependencies with related trades posed the greatest risk. Fortunately, Shelco did an amazing job coordinating and documenting the progress of the project, making sure there was open communication between the subcontractors and the other trades they would be impacting.”

For ESS’s Crosston, it was a foregone conclusion early on that this project would consume 90%-100% of his time if ESS was to deliver on schedule.

“Typically, projects of this size with all of the various integrations and components can easily become a monumental burden for the technicians and PM to deliver on time and 100% complete by the target date,” he says. “The ESS team pushed through when needed by working overtime and on weekends when necessary.”

ESS also had to overcome difficult barriers presented by IT and their concerns with cybersecurity protection, along with helping to establish a standard of “best practices” for installation of all applicable devices, associated software, the security network and ongoing service and maintenance.

“Building IT’s trust across the organization took a great deal of time and handholding from a sales perspective as they had a low expectation of systems integrators from poor prior experiences,” says Kottkamp.

End User Is Ecstatic

LPL stakeholders are elated with the security solution and expressed complete satisfaction by having ESS provide numerous system enhancements since the completion. A great relationship was established with ESS as a trusted advisor and partner.

“We are amazed that there have been so few service calls or problems since the commissioning, almost unheard of for a system as complex as ours,” says LPL V.P., Corporate Security Kevin Cliff. “ESS demonstrated professionalism, competence and caring every step of the way.”

BEST OF THE BEST: Check out the rest of the winners and runners-up here!