Global quality parameters

By: NVT

Contrary to what one might think, the implementation or modernization of a security system in a bank is not always due to a robbery, assault or some violent incident, but can also respond to a need for updating, according to world standards, and protection, when equipment is applied to protect the entire system from phenomena such as electrical overloads and signal interference.

The previous one is the case of Procredit de México, a financial institution that is part of the global network of the same name and that has branches in 22 countries, in three regions of the world – Latin America, Eastern Europe and Africa. The lender, recognized for the offer of loans to micro, small and medium enterprises, hired the Mexican integrator Integración Digital Miho, from León, Guanajuato, to update its security system in 15 offices scattered in the country's shoal, each of which employs eight to ten people. And in the other countries of Latin America there are 205 branches with the solution.

However, although the company in question did not suffer any incident that affected its resources or those of its users, the implementation of a system that increased the performance of the installed cameras has fallen like a ring to the finger in a market in which in 2009, in the midst of the worst financial crisis in recent years, there were 810 bank robberies of different types, a figure that exceeded by 34.3% the cases registered in 2008. The security cameras of the establishments showed that 734 criminals participated in the events, according to figures from the Association of Banks of Mexico.

Change decisions
According to the comments of engineer Miguel Hidalgo, director of the integrating company, the readaptation project will not only cover Mexico, but will be extended to offices in Central and South American countries. In the case of the Aztec country, the change would replace the old generic security systems that were installed in the branches.

The project, which affects offices in the process of renovation and new openings, has as its slogan the installation of equipment in accordance with world standards in security. "The intention to install this equipment is given for two reasons. On the one hand, it seeks to optimize the benefits of the cameras and on the other hand to guarantee the power of the equipment by preventing damage due to discharges or drastic variations in voltages, leaving the installations with certified data network wiring".

Monitoring and recording with the same solution
With the customer's needs in mind, the integrator thought of a solution that would modernize and meet all the protection requirements of a security installation. The proposal of Digital Integration was to implement a system that would allow the monitoring and recording of images of the events that occurred outside, patios and internal areas of bank branches. By strategy, the entire cabling network was also renewed.

Throughout this process, the company NVT -Network Video Technologies- was a fundamental ally thanks to its video signal transmission and concentration equipment with a lifetime guarantee. These devices offer great quality in the video signal, while protecting against peaks of electric current in distances that can go up to 2.4 kilometers, depending on the solutions implemented.

The deployment of the security solution under this modality made it practically unnecessary to think about IP solutions, because, as Miguel says, "the use of IP was ruled out because the solution is still limited for the various needs that are had and also requires a lot of bandwidth".

"Multiple video receivers powered on your own bus offer excellent image quality without wiring loss; they also perfectly protect equipment against current ups and downs and even installation errors. One of the main functions of the devices is the restoration of video after wiring," said Hidalgo, who also mentioned that in total about 220 multiple concentrators and 2,600 camera transceivers were used.

The cameras, made by Bosch, are located at relatively short distances – about 25 meters on average – from the control centers. The capture units used are for box-type interiors. Outdoors, units with housing and polycarbonate domes were used. The cameras are all fixed and varifocal with lenses ranging from 2.8 to 12 millimeters.

The project also included a notable improvement in storage for which each branch today has averaged capacities of 1.5 Terabytes and two screens to visualize what is captured by the cameras. The control centers, meanwhile, have six screens each and are controlled on average by three operators.

Living with high quality technology
The satisfaction of the integrator and the end customer after working with the NVT teams is total, because in addition to the fact that they have not had any problems with the performance of the product, they have been able to learn important lessons for their professional development; not to mention that they are easy to find solutions in the market and that they have very good availability.

The installation process was easy and without major technical or technological challenges, as Hidalgo says, with the approval of Walter Novales, one of the security executives of the financial institution: "Here we find solutions of excellent quality and performance that are very easy to install; in addition, the representatives of the brand offer very good support and information about the products".

The project yielded significant savings in the maintenance process, something that both the integrator and the client highlight since "it lets them work with peace of mind without having to be aware of the system". And there are many benefits, because according to Hidalgo a great lesson was the fact that with quality equipment you can solve installation problems caused by technical errors of the same integrating staff.

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Installation signature: Digital Integration Miho S. de R.  of C. V.
Contact: Miguel Hidalgo Ornelas
Email: [email protected]
Locations intervened: Several Branches in the country of Procredit de México
Installation date: Started in 2003 with no definite completion date