University of Kentucky Installs New Video Management System

The University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., recently announced a partnership to deploy a new video management system from Salient Systems. A press release notes that the system, CompleteView VMS, ties together more than 3,000 cameras across multiple campuses to improve situational awareness and video monitoring around campus.

“With Salient, we have moved into a more flexible and scalable software-based environment for video storage,” said Nathan Brown, deputy chief of the University of Kentucky Police Department (UKPD). “This more virtualized environment has allowed us to no longer be so physically reliant on hardware, which requires a lot of upkeep. Now, we can pivot by increasing or decreasing storage without manipulating the entire system as a whole.”

The university has more than 30,000 students, 15,000 employees, 18 residence halls, three medical centers and two sports facilities. The centralization simplifies the ability of university police to monitor everything from sporting events to move-in day. The campus’s two large video walls, one at the UKPD Emergency Operations Center and the other at Kroger Field, allow dispatchers to view the feeds of all associated cameras simultaneously. It also offers features like Dynamic Resolution Scaling—which scales video resolution at the server level to match the client, be it a desktop computer, web client or mobile device.

“Large organizations such as the University of Kentucky demand a high degree of scale, flexibility, and power from their video management systems,” said Sanjay Challa, chief product officer of Salient Systems. “CompleteView is engineered from the ground up to meet those fundamental needs, as well as easily adapt to future needs, as the business of the organization continues to evolve.”

The software also helps the university expand its reach of cameras at off-campus and satellite locations with minimal hardware installations or bandwidth issues. The software-focused approach allows for significant cost savings in hardware, system maintenance and upkeep.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning and Campus Security and Life Safety. He can be reached at [email protected]

Featured

  • Image courtesy of Kahler Slater

    UW–Madison Announces Completion of Morgridge Hall

    The University of Wisconsin–Madison recently announced that construction is complete on Morgridge Hall, a new academic building, according to a news release. The facility opened September 3 at the start of the fall semester, consolidating the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences into a single facility for the first time.

  • Geometric abstract school illustration

    How Design Shapes Learning and Success

    Can the color of a wall, the curve of a chair, or the hum of fluorescent lights really affect how a student learns? More schools are beginning to think so.

  • Spaces4Learning Trends & Predictions for Educational Facilities in 2026: Part I

    We asked, you answered, and the results are in! Last year, we put out a call for submissions to collect our readership’s opinion on trends and predictions for K–12 and higher education facilities in 2026.

  • Illinois State University Breaks Ground on College of Fine Arts Transformation

    Illinois State University in Normal, Ill., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts transformation project, according to university news. The series of new constructions and renovations will upgrade spaces in Centennial East, the Center for the Visual Arts, and the Center for the Performing Arts, as well as replace the existing Centennial West facility with a new Commons Building.