Kimberlite Ensures Seamless Security System Transition Between Schools
Kimberlite earned a 2020 SSI Installation of the Year runner-up honor for its work transitioning a security system from one school building to a new one.
Kimberlite utilized a “four electronic system approach” to secure the school’s new building.
It was another incredibly impressive showing for SSI’s Integrated Installation and Installer of the Year Awards. Read about the winners and runners-up throughout the month of July by visiting the Best of the Best page.
Kimberlite specializes in school district solutions. However, when the Sonitrol dealer’s Manteca, Calif.-based location won a bid to secure Aspire Public School’s newest building, it had a tall order in front of it. The new building was actually a historic building built in 1920 that was being retrofitted into a school to be known as Aspire Vanguard.
The biggest challenge facing Kimberlite was to ensure a seamless transition from the school’s old location to the new one. This meant collaborating closely with the school’s IT department.
“The system was moved from a previous Aspire Vanguard location to this location. This system had to marry the new equipment with the older equipment which was brought offline in stages to provide a cost-effective solution for the customer,” explains Veronica Ceniceros, Kimberlite operations manager. “As a majority of the video system communicates through Internet connection, we had to work hand-in-hand with the IT department to communicate effectively our needs for ports to be opened or closed to get the best monitoring condition.”
To accomplish this, Kimberlite worked in two designated teams to bring one system online with only minutes between when the other would drop in monitoring.
“Without this care we wouldn’t be holding the same standard of care for each side of this important modernization. While the construction company focused on getting the building up to code we were able to focus on setting it up for future growth and technology innovation,” adds Kimberlite President and CEO Joey Rao-Russell.
When it came to securing the new location, Kimberlite utilized what it refers to as a “four electronic system approach.” A robust fire signaling panel was paired with an Aiphone access control system to remotely open the doors in the case of a fire. Connected to the Aiphone system was a CCTV monitoring system to allow instructors to see who is attempting to gain access and grant only authorized personnel access to the property.
Lastly, a Sonitrol burglary system was installed to provide full audio and intrusion protection. “This combination of audio and instruction detections provides a much reduced false alarm rate allowing the school peace of mind that we are always on the job,” says Kayleia Southard, administrative assistant, Kimberlite.
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About the Author
Steve Karantzoulidis, Web/Senior Editor
Steven A. Karantzoulidis is the Web Editor for Security Sales & Integration. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a degree in Communication and has a background in Film, A/V and Social Media.
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