Ro oms wi t h a Vi ew | CCTVIma g e Portuguese bank gets NICE
A security software package from NICE Systems has enabled the Millennium Bank in Portugal to not only centralise its security monitoring but also standardise security response procedures across a vast estate of bank branches. CCTV Image went to Lisbon to learn more
IN A BASEMENT bunker in Lisbon, the Millennium Bank bcp has constructed a security control room from where the security department can monitor and control CCTV, access control, fire alarms, intruder sensors and other systems in 900 branches throughout Portugal and five other countries. The system brings together legacy equipment from the
bank’s many properties into a command and control interface built around the NICE Systems Situator open situation man- agement system which they said has increased the effective- ness and efficiency of the bank’s physical security monitoring and response. According to the bank, the solution has enabled it to save 30
per cent on overall security costs while also making it easier to harmonise corporate security policies, standards and proce- dures across the property portfolio. Yaron Tchwella, president of the security division of NICE
Systems said that with many branches, the bank was finding it difficult to implement a “holistic security system that would integrate the entire system”. “After we installed Situator, we saw a reduction in false
alarms of 75 per cent and reduced manpower needs by the same amount,” he said. “We are connected to many sensors at all the branches and can use analytics to predict and mitigate incidents that would otherwise generate false alarms, such as human errors at opening and closing times.” Although it was necessary to upgrade some older equipment, NICE
João Amorim and Vitor Monteiro of Millennium Bank The solution was to put the signals on the corporate WAN and replace
developed software interfaces or “gateways” for 200 products from vari- ous manufacturers to ensure the bank could retain as much legacy security equipment as possible. João Amorim, project manager at Millennium Bank, said the project was
initiated to help increase the efficiency of the security systems. Many of the alarm panels were obsolete and the communications system consisted of individual telephone lines into each of the 900 premises. “We didn’t know if alarms were true or false because we didn’t have
remote monitoring capabilities,” he said, with the result that every alarm had to be answered with a visit by a security guard.
analogue alarm panels with IP-enabled systems. The signals are sent back to the control room where Situator applies pre-set rules to determine whether they are false alarms. By examining the sequence of alarm activations in a branch office, for instance, it’s possible to tell that some alarms are being caused by faulty detectors. The result has been a dramatic decrease in the number of security patrols
sent to investigate alarms, from 1559 down to 425 in a year. “Around 98% of the alarms we used to handle in the past were false alarms. The cost of handling the false alarms that we are now able to save has actually paid off this project ,” said Amorim. Vitor Monteiro, head of Physical Security at Millennium Bank, said,
“Security is a fundamental value for the bank. Both personal and property protection are an important factor in preserving the trust and relationship we have with our clients.” He told CCTV Image the security department recorded
6000 incidents in October 2012, with the Situator system clas- sifying each according to urgency. “All conceivable events are planned for in the policies and procedures,” he said. “As a result, we can be more proactive in dealing with branches that have more false alarms than others.” In the event of a robbery, the security staff in the centre have
comprehensive plans to follow. Security operators can call up detailed plans which have been painstakingly created for each site, showing the floorplan and the location of each intruder alarm, CCTV camera and access control panel. While the technology makes it possible, the true value
of Situator is the procedures that are programmed into the system, and the process of doing that has caused the bank to completely rethink its security policies. “As you use it, you find you change and adapt the procedures
The security control room
Wint e r 2013 22
as you optimise the system,” Monteiro said. “With Situator we were able to both become more efficient in monitoring and handling alarms and not least important, using Situator we were able to significantly reduce the operating costs related to monitoring and responding to security incidents.”
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