“By having this collaborative effort, we’re able to bring a better experience to the customer base.” – Rob Vail, Genea VP of Sales
Genea’s July webinar, Integrating Access Control and Video Management, was guest hosted by integrator partner Cisco Meraki. The webinar commenced with a discussion about the initial problem Genea hoped to address when creating Access Control. In the past, businesses were required to house their servers on-site. This caused several problems. For example, on-premise systems posed significant scaling issues. When a business would expand operations to a new location, a second standalone system would be installed. As a result, the process posed a challenge in unifying multiple systems. Additionally, if staff needed to access multiple offices, they would need multiple access tokens (e.g., key cards). Multiple tokens meant a higher risk of loss and greater threat to security.
Genea Security: Non-Proprietary, Cloud-Based Flexibility
As the webinar continued, Vail discussed other drawbacks of on-premise access control. These included:
- Admins having to be present on-site to make system changes or generate reports
- No process for removing credentials when upon a termination
- The complicated process for deploying mobile credentials
- Cumbersome integrations, including video or directory management
With growing consumer demand to address these problems, Genea stepped in.
“As we move into a hybrid work environment, this is probably not going to go away. You need the ability to manage things remotely,” Vail said.
Further, Genea gives customers remote access control, video integration, visitor management, and 24/7/365 customer support.
“What I think is a major game-changer is the direct support for our end-users,” Moreno said. “That’s almost unheard of in the world of physical security in general- let alone access control.”
In addition, one of the biggest advantages to Genea Security is the ability to integrate with security ecosystems, including video management systems like Cisco Meraki.
Cisco Meraki MV: Behind the Lens
As the webinar continued, Moreno took the lead. He recalled that, historically, video surveillance systems had been expensive to deploy. But technology changed this. Cisco Meraki took cutting-edge imagining sensors, storage, processing and artificial intelligence, and placed them into their cameras.
The result? Users could view their camera through a software dashboard with little more than an internet connection and computer. Their technology has made recording security footage with VCRs and DVRs obsolete.
To make a meaningful impact, Moreno said Meraki had to own the whole manufacturing process- from dashboard to the lens. With a hands-on approach to manufacturing, Cisco Meraki strengthens security while controlling every component within the MV system.
“We’re basically building little servers or cellphones at the edge, on the networks, “Moreno said. “To act like a server, you have to be able to add applications and choose the right processor.”
Cisco Meraki chose the Qualcomm Snapdragon IV for its flexibility and robustness. Consequently, this processor allowed them to add audio analytics and situational awareness apps. Other features of Cisco Meraki MV, include:
- Hardware and software security, bulit-in
- Automatic firmware upgrades
- Automatic video encryption
- Role-based access and audit logs
Powerful Integrations, Demonstrated
Cisco Meraki and Genea gave in-depth demos of how their products functioned. Genea showcased its Access Control dashboard equipped with powerful, real-time analytics. These tools featured:
- Current attendance
- Access Audit Logs
- Visitor Management and Safe Workplace integrations
- Emergency Lockdowns
- And more…
Additionally, with a single API token (one number), Cisco Meraki’s cameras easily integrate into the Genea Security dashboard. Therefore, administrators are given the power of both systems.
As the webinar wound down, Moreno demonstrated the precision of the Meraki system. Initially, Meraki wanted to enable users to easily search camera feeds, find an incident, filter the incident and share it a moment’s notice. Further, with Meraki’s dashboard, administrators can view cameras from a satellite map, topology, or list.
With Cisco Meraki MV, users can skim through recorded footage. Moreno subsequently showed the software detecting logging motion. To begin, admins can search by date or custom tag. Then, they can select an area of a given frame. The software finds all motion events that occurred within this specific area of the frame.
Another added benefit is that video clips that meet the search criteria appear in stitched-together thumbnails. Therefore, users don’t have to use unnecessary bandwidth streaming previews. After finding the incident, the video can be shared.
Learn more about the powerful features of integrating Genea Security with Cisco Meraki cameras. Also, don’t forget to register for our next webinar, “Q3 Product Updates.”
