Whether they have toddlers or teens, parents totally understand why a major retailer used, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” song lyrics to describe back-to-school.

For teachers, professors and the IT departments that support them, it’s often a different story. Their answer to the question about being ready for school to begin, is often, “Not yet – Back to School is back too soon!”. I know that’s how I’m feeling!

Regardless of how we may feel, instructors, IT managers, building custodians, parents… just about everyone is gearing up for next week’s unofficial end to summer.

For many, part of that preparation is reviewing and updating plans and protocols. Just as IT managers will be reviewing their Breach Preparedness/Defence Plans, other school managers will be assessing and updating their student security plans. If you would like to review some of the things parents should be told during a crisis, there is a pretty good article from HealthyChildren.org, with some useful information. Even though it is more relevant to the United States, there are some relevant points in it for us to consider.

Two impact the IT department.  Or, looking at it from the other side, there are two areas in which you can  have an positive impact. The importance of having classroom doors that can be locked from the inside – and the ability to remotely lock down portions of the school based on what is occurring.

• Having cameras in place that tie into your security systems, with good video backup.

Research with our clients, other school boards and post-secondary school IT specialists suggests that many of you are looking for a tool that will help you improve security, while reducing the load on IT related to management and compliance. One such tool comes from one of our partners: Verkada. It is called “Command”.

Using the Command platform, which integrates nicely with just about any network, you can see all your cameras, access controls, environmental sensors, alarms, environmental indicators, and guest check-in systems, on a single pane of glass. As you can imagine, pairing sensors with your security cameras gives you a lot more flexibility and control.

You can access the Command system from any device, and be up and running in minutes. You will then be able to…

• Quickly detect and respond to incidents, no matter where you are at the time.

• Receive SMS and email alerts for meaningful events.

• You can even receive alerts when smoking or vaping is detected on the school premises.

• Find, save and share footage in real time.

• For more serious matters, you can share live camera feeds with the local authorities in seconds.

To learn more, please take a look at this two-minute demo, or give us a call so we can give you a more in-depth walk-through, or arrange for a trial.

You might also be interested in reading more about Verkada’s school lockdown security system.

Regardless of what stage you find yourself in your building security planning, I hope that you are ready for next week’s return to classes in campuses!