Diebold Makes Big Splash in Miami Beach
One of the nation’s most fashionable new condominium and hotel complexes – South Florida’s St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort – was outfitted with a stylish solution from one of the industry’s elite security designers. Diebold’s seamless project stitched together IP video, access and elevator control, intrusion detection, and more to bag the Integrated Installation of the Year Award.
All photos courtesy Diebold Inc. by Mike Butler Photography
One of life’s most vital creature comforts is feeling safe and secure. It follows that those focused on establishing luxurious environs where patrons and guests can indulge in choice amenities would predicate it upon building such a foundation. For security that used to be where the story would stop, but today’s nimble systems integrators and sophisticated solutions can also enhance conveniences and help clients better manage their entire operations.
That’s the backdrop for Miami’s new nine-acre St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort, which features three 27-story towers, housing 243 guest accommodations and 307 residences. The exclusive resort was recognized by Forbes as “the most anticipated hotel opening of 2012” and is the only AAA Five Diamond property in Miami Beach. To help ensure its clientele would be unencumbered and able to fully enjoy the finer things of life throughout the facilities and grounds, property owner Starwood Hotels and Resorts enlisted one of the finest security solution providers — Diebold.
“Our residents are not only interested in a luxury residential experience, but also a luxury lifestyle. We wanted to ensure privacy and protection for our residents, their guests and our hotel guests,” says Thomas Garces, director of safety and security, St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort. “The nature of the facility presents unique security and privacy challenges. That’s where Diebold’s holistic, integrated security solution provided the most benefit.”
From installing a resort-wide access and alarm monitoring system to integrating it with the site’s video surveillance system, Diebold streamlined security responses across the expansive resort. By integrating the hotel’s reservation, in-house key card and elevator systems, the company enabled immediate, automatic viewing and retrieval of video. This improved visibility and monitoring of the resort, and established one-click access to security response protocols. Diebold also identified installation efficiencies to help maximize St. Regis’ security investment.
The immense scope, quality of system design, skillful integration, meticulous project management and final results enabled Diebold to capture SSI’s 2013 Integrated Installation of the Year Award. Established in 2002, this award program evaluates entries based on innovation; systems design; integration of at least three electronic systems; seamlessness of installation; uniqueness of application; and end-user satisfaction.
Three other outstanding finalists were also in the running this year: Conzer Security of Carmel, Ind., The Protection Bureau of Exton, Pa., and Vector Security of Warrendale, Pa. Just ahead are details of how Diebold landed the job, met its demands, developed a superior solution and solved unique challenges to pull off a project that exceeded expectations.
Diebold Prepares to Dig In
Founded by Charles Diebold near its present Canton, Ohio, headquarters more than 150 years ago, Diebold has established itself as one of security’s best-known brand names and grown into a $3 billion, publicly traded global operation. The company is leveraging the infrastructure, logistics and service competencies that have made it the market leader in ATMs and other financial/currency products to grow its electronic security systems and monitoring business.
“Diebold remains deeply rooted in security. Whether it’s fundamental access control solutions or a comprehensive security system, innovative building security or complex data protection, we take a security management approach to every project,” says Tony Byerly, one of the industry’s highest profile leaders who was appointed executive vice president, electronic security, for Diebold in June 2012.
Today, Diebold has more than 200,000 installed accounts and monitors 55,000 customer locations from its CSAA Five Diamond Certified monitoring centers. One of the firm’s core competencies is handling large-scale commercial security integration projects, including the United Nations and the World Trade Center. In the case of St. Regis, Diebold was especially well positioned to win the job after having cultivated a relationship with the project consultant and performed previous work for Starwood Hotels and Resorts. The first discussions took place some two years before the site’s groundbreaking as the RFP process was just being initiated.
“Facing a long-term construction project to complete more than 1.2 million square feet of space, the property owner wanted an established, prominent security partner that would be readily available for the duration of the project,” says Nelson Barreto, enterprise sales director, Diebold Electronic Security. “The complexity required a provider that could manage the intricacies of integrating numerous disparate systems. This limited the bidding to a handful of candidates.”
Barreto credits winning the bid to its proven track record, relationships with the stakeholders and the value Diebold could deliver. Those deliverables included: system design and engineering; production of installation plans and details utilizing AutoCAD software; product submittals and shop drawings; prefabrication, programming and testing of major system components; project management, administration and tracking; installation services; IT systems programming, testing and commissioning; system training; system as-built drawings and manuals; parts and labor warranty.
“Diebold’s proposal was well planned and documented, demonstrating a comprehensive knowledge of security implementation needs for a property of our size and complexity,” says Garces. “The solutions Diebold proposed went above and beyond our basic security needs to offer enhanced protection for our property.”
Integrator Not Fazed by Phases
Diebold’s involvement in the $1.6 million project would span 18 months, from August 2011 to January 2013. Throughout that time, the integrator was intimately involved in frequent design, planning, coordination and development activities. Onsite installation and integration work was limited to defined periods so as to work around the fluid construction process.
“We coordinated with various vendors throughout the project, including reviewing fire code requirements for the alarm systems and elevators,” says Miguel Casanova, senior project manager, Diebold Electronic Security. “We worked very closely with the property owner to review operational needs as the functional feel for the facility evolved. Working as a true security partner, we were able to help the project evolve.”
In the project’s first phase, Diebold focused on the property’s south condominium tower. Each system is integrated to enable streamlined security responses, using the following highlighted equipment and software:
Security com
mand center — Workstations, computers, monitors, video wall, RGB video processor
Security server room — Servers, UPS and IP NVRs
Security closets — Equipment rack with 48-port patch panel, cable tray, switches, UPS and intercom central exchange
Alarm monitoring system — Hardware control panels and several hundred security field devices (e.g. alarms, duress buttons, door position switches)
Video surveillance — Hundreds of interior and exterior cameras (fixed and p/t/z)
Digital recording system — Numerous DVRs
Video management software — VMS to manage storage/retrieval
Guard tour — Hardware and software for 120+ guard tour stations
Elevator destination dispatch system — Integrated with hotel’s property management software and access control system, including card readers for elevator cabs and call-up areas
Access control system — Upwards of 100 interior/exterior card readers
Intercom system — Integrated with access control system
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About the Author
Scott Goldfine
Scott Goldfine is the marketing director for Elite Interactive Solutions. He is the former editor-in-chief and associate publisher of Security Sales & Integration. He can be reached at [email protected].
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