Surveillance

Toshiba Intros Surveillance Education Program

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 01/19/16

Toshiba's security division has introduced a new bundle of services for schools that use its surveillance equipment. The program, which is intended for both K-12 and higher education, includes education discounts, alerts and post-warranty support, among other features, on its IP-based security gear.

The Toshiba Surveillance Education Program offers:

• An on-site inspection and best-practices consulting by a Toshiba-trained technician;
• A camera and recorder check;
• Tuning of the video management system;
• Connection and configuration of mobile applications;
• Training for users on "live" view, search, playback and video exporting;
• Set up of MySurveillix, a cloud-based service intended to manage the "health" of the surveillance system; and
• Set up of mapping, which designates the locations on one or multiple school sites to enable users to drill down on a location for viewing.

MySurveillix runs an alerting feature that delivers alerts by text or email when it finds something amiss, such as a camera dropping off the system or no longer recording correctly. The second component of MySurveillix is automated reporting, which provides customers with a daily, weekly or monthly report that has snapshots of all of the cameras on their systems to allow the security administrator to make sure the system is up and running, all cameras are connected and all cameras are in focus and providing a good image day and night.

While the warranty period runs for a year and includes engineer support, the education package provides software updates and upgrades of MySurveillix and other software for the life of the recorder.

Education discounts run between 10 and 15 percent, according to Greg Hartzell, director of Toshiba Surveillance & IP Video Products. He added that the actual discount would depend on the size of the project and the pricing provided by Toshiba's resellers.

"The threat of violence, vandalism and burglary are a reality in today's schools, as are reduced budgets for security," noted Hartzell. The new program "is crafted to overcome budget constraints. It offers institutions far more than just special pricing on Toshiba cameras, accessories, software and recorders; it is a complete solution including long-term benefits aimed at providing committed support and controlling total cost of ownership."