Sport and innovation create a safe, united community
The American School of El Salvador has strengthened the bond between students, teachers, and families through the use of Axis technology. The new security system and a commitment to sports has created a structured and safe environment.
Investing in quality and reducing risk
The American School is an international community dedicated to nurturing the minds, hearts, and spirits of students from Preschool (PK3) through 12th grade. Its mission 'FOR LIFE • CONNECT • CREATE • EXPLORE' is a testament to its purpose and why education at this school is so unique, offering a holistic approach to learning that extends far beyond the classroom.
The school is located in San Salvador and has over 1,230 students within its facilities which covers approximately 12 hectares (17 acres). The American School aims to raise the level and standards of security at the institution, and the initial plan to achieve this involved integrating surveillance equipment at the main entrances.
The community knows they are backed by a reliable security system. This brings clarity and enhances the sense of safety for students and staff. Everyone feels very satisfied and confident with what has been achieved through Axis solutions.
The school is committed to always keeping students safe, so they sought an expert to help them find high-quality products. They found LiteNet, a leading company in security technology solutions with over 15 years of experience in IP solutions. LiteNet joined the project and presented Axis network solutions that could meet the needs of The American School and help them recoup their initial investment.
In the first phase, 30 network cameras were installed. However, after seeing the results and functionalities of the technology, the school gradually increased its use of various solutions. This has resulted in more than 280 dome, bullet, and panoramic cameras, distributed across common areas, hallways, sports areas, and perimeters. They also installed AXIS Camera Station, a video management software, to control their footage.
"We analyzed and sought an alternative that would provide higher quality, and we determined that Axis was the best option. We improved the network, invested in cabling and servers to fully leverage the advantages of Axis technology. As a result, we can now respond to any situation in less than 10 minutes," said Balmore Montano, Director of Technology,The American School of El Salvador.
A strong and secure community
When an educational institution's mission is strong, it even inspires the Technology Department. Montano explains that 'security is a cornerstone for the school’, so it's important to connect everyone with the technology. This means showing staff how they can use the camera resources to address any investigation or emergency. To achieve this, it is also necessary to make the most of what is available to create effective and useful projects that go beyond security.
With AXIS Camera Station software, image search times have been reduced by 50% with the use of Smart Search 1 and 2, and camera visibility has improved. Additionally, beyond relying on images to track movements within the school, it now also features smart alarms that notify of any suspicious or unusual activity.
The cameras were also complemented with audio solutions. The school replaced its analog audio system with Axis network speakers. In this second phase of the project, more than 250 speakers were installed in classrooms, sports areas, the cafetorium (café/auditorium), laboratories, green areas, and parking lots. The new speakers are complete audio systems and are used to send school notifications to students during classes, such as schedule changes, school events, public announcements, or to alert the community in case of an incident. Additionally, AXIS Audio Manager software allows them to schedule and customize announcements for specific areas.
Sammy Hasfura, General Director of LiteNet, commented, “We enhanced security and considered where else we could leverage the technology. That's when we saw the opportunity to integrate it into established processes within the institution, such as drills and other emergency exercises, and included the cameras in them. The system helps guide and alert the school community in case of a contingency.” In this way, through network cameras, the institution was able to improve its structured protocols and provide the Technology Department with information on what is happening during these exercises.
Reinventing innovation
After enhancing security protocols, The American School saw an opportunity to reinvent the use of the newly installed technology. Balmore Montano mentions that for international sports competitions, they sought to expand event accessibility. With several cameras installed in the sports campus, the idea of live-streaming school games emerged. They consulted with LiteNet about the feasibility and, in collaboration, solved this challenge.
"We selected the cameras with the best views to help us with the images and successfully live-streamed the event to several countries. It was unusual, but we had more success than expected. We have always used AXIS Camera Station software for visualizations and camera management. In this case, we achieved live streaming through our YouTube channel on The American School's official website. We received many compliments due to the quality of the video footage." says Balmore Montano.
The constant exploration and reinvention by the Technology Department, with the support of LiteNet, has reinforced a culture of innovation within the American School. As new functionalities in Axis solutions have been discovered, additional changes have been implemented. An example is AXIS Object Analytics. “Visual barriers can be configured to detect if someone has entered a specific area or if they are in a restricted zone. The SOC (Security Operations Center) receives the alert, which is documented and followed up,” says Hasfura.
What’s next?
Montano says that the next step is to incorporate advances in artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize the detection of suspicious activities with intelligent monitoring. With the addition of AI, their system will become more proactive. For example, controlling vehicle access through license plate recognition, allowing pedestrian access via facial recognition, and ensuring traffic in authorized areas.
"We are an educational institution, and there are many areas where we see opportunities to leverage technology that utilizes artificial intelligence. So, we are experimenting with all these resources, analyzing the results that this new technological tool can provide us. We have high expectations for the new trends," concluded Balmore Montano.
Products & solutions
Get in touch
Want to know how you can benefit from Axis solutions? Get in touch and we will help you.
Contact us