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

  • Can AI Help Build Stronger Communities in Student Housing?

    Student housing success is shifting from operational performance to student experience, with belonging now at the center. A recent 2025 report underscores a growing emphasis on student well-being, community, and engagement, signaling that expectations now extend beyond logistics to ensure students feel supported in their living environments. AI is enabling that shift by reducing administrative workload and giving teams more time to focus on meaningful student engagement.

  • Photo credit - Chuck Coates

    Florida District Modernizes Central Energy Plants at Two High Schools

    Flagler Schools, a public school district in Flagler County, Fla., recently partnered with Matern Professional Engineering to modernize the central energy plants at two of its high schools, according to a news release. The project is part of a larger, district-wide effort to reduce energy costs and operational expenses.

  • Dallas ISD Voters Approve $6.2B Bond Package

    Dallas ISD voters have approved a record-setting $6.2-billion bond package that district leaders say will modernize aging campuses, eliminate portable classrooms and reshape learning environments across one of the nation’s largest school systems.

  • Quattrocchi Kwok Architects Opens New Office in Denver

    Education planning and design firm Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) recently announced that it has opened a new office in Denver, Colo., the firm’s third overall. QKA is headquartered in Santa Rosa, Calif., and runs an East Bay Area office in Oakland.