TECHNOLOGY
@Work
//
Security locks
Kwikset Locks Help War Veteran Make New Memories
When you ask former Navy Hospital Corpsman Second Class Isaac Francois how long he served in the military, he offers an extremely precise answer: nine years, nine months and 28 days.
Francois served his country proudly from the time he enlisted in 2004 until his honorable discharge in 2013. A native of Haiti, he had moved to the United States in 2001 when he was 18 years old. He arrived in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., with the intention of enrolling in college, but several years later, out of a strong sense of duty, he decided to serve the country he now called home.
While deployed in Afghanistan in 2008, he was diagnosed with bilateral compartment syndrome, a condition in which blood flow is unable to reach certain parts of the body, and both of his legs were severely affected. Even after seven operations, he still suffers with it, causing him to walk with a limp. To make matters worse, he had developed PTSD, which is marked by the horrible recall of his combat experience and frequent bouts of forgetfulness.
Things weren’t all bad, however. Francois caught a break when he met someone from an organization called Building Homes for Heroes (BHH). The national nonprofit group, he was told, provided mortgage-free homes to veterans wounded in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Francois applied, and was eventually granted a mortgage-free home in the Maryland suburb of Lusby (about 75 miles from Bethesda). While BHH builds many homes from the ground up, Isaac’s home was built in 2008. The home was donated to BHH, after which the organization performed significant renovations to accommodate Francois’ lifestyle and needs, as well as those of his three children and wife, Wisline.
Security was top-of-mind for Francois and his family when moving into their new home.
IMAGE COURTESY OF KWIKSET
One of those needs included a focus on security.
“Maybe it’s because I’m a veteran and I’ve been in combat, but before I go to bed, I have to make sure every door is locked and all the windows are tightly closed,” Francois said. “Security is a major concern for me.”
Integral to Francois’ sense of security are his two Kwikset SmartCode 909 Electronic Deadbolts — one on the front door, one on the back. The Kwikset SmartCode 909 offers both one-touch locking and keyless entry. For additional security, SmartKey cylinders feature a stainless steel side locking bar, racks and pins for increased strength and security. Patented side locking bar technology offers improved security by protecting against lock bumping, an attack technique used to defeat conventional pin and tumbler locks.
“With so many things always going around in my head, I often get distracted, especially with three kids,” Francois said. “With the one-touch locking feature, I press a single button and the door is locked. I rarely have to worry about whether I locked the door or not.”
Keyless entry has proven to be the benefit for which Francois exhibits the most appreciation. “I can’t tell you how many times I used to leave the house without my keys,” he recalled. “Before we had the Kwikset locks, I would have to spend $165 for a locksmith to come and open the door for me after I slammed it shut. It happened a few times, always on Sundays. We would lock all the doors, and of course, no one is home. It got to be very frustrating — and expensive. With keyless entry, all that’s needed is to punch in a code and it’s open.”
Even if Francois were out with his family and did forget his code, someone could come to the rescue, as his two older children and wife each have their own unique code. That feature provides yet another level of security — and peace of mind. “I love that everyone in my family has their own unique code and can get into the house, with no keys to lose,” he said. “Especially the kids. Knowing that each one can get into the house safely, not having to wait on someone to open the door for them, really puts my mind at ease.” —By Courtney Wolfe, SDM Managing Editor //
Seagate Technology Holdings, a provider of data storage and enterprise storage systems, has deployed Genetec Security Center to secure its global campuses and regional offices. At the heart of this large-scale global deployment is the Genetec unified security platform, which includes Security Center; Genetec Omnicast IP video management system (VMS) to manage more than 1,150 cameras; Genetec Synergis IP access control system (ACS) to manage more than 22,000 card holders; Sipelia to manage communications between intercoms and security operation; and Seagate’s own Exos X 5U84 mass capacity storage system.
The solution enables Seagate to pull in up to 1.3 petabytes of high definition video in a single disk enclosure from hundreds of cameras and other IoT devices without losing a single frame or data packet.
“Video, and especially multi-source, high-definition video, provides a stringent performance test for any storage solution,” said Ken Claffey, senior vice president and general manager of enterprise storage systems at Seagate. “Likewise, the data availability expectation of a robust, unified security platform like Genetec Security Center is formidable. The sheer volume of high definition video streams, frames and metadata, coupled with increasingly long retention periods, represent one of the most challenging IT infrastructures to deploy.”
IMAGE COURTESY OF GENETEC
We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort has selected Hanwha Techwin America cameras for its new state-of-the-art video surveillance system. First established as a bingo hall-style building by the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation in the early 1990s, the facility received approval to be revamped into a fully-fledged gaming facility in 2017. To ensure the safety of staff and visitors, this also included a new video surveillance system.
Today, the new casino has more than 800 Hanwha Techwin cameras. According to Lee Brown, lead surveillance technician for the Fort McDowell Tribal Regulatory Agency, their favorite feature is the quality delivered at low bitrates. “The majority of our cameras face intense and volatile lighting changes against a backdrop of complex scenery with many moving objects,” he says. “Hanwha Techwin cameras and their advanced WDR technology can easily be configured to accommodate these conditions without sacrificing quality or producing obnoxious data streams.”
Moving forward, the casino is excited about future possibilities for their system, including people counting and using their WAVE VMS to make data-driven decisions.
IMAGE COURTESY OF HANWHA
Long John Silver’s has chosen Interface Security Systems to enhance network connectivity across 430 of its restaurants. To build this network of the future, Long John Silver’s implemented Interface’s fully managed, restaurant-in-a-box solution that includes prefabricated network equipment ready for SD-WAN expansion, wireless WAN backup and VoIP connectivity.
When the pandemic hit and Long John Silver’s customers shifted their preferences to online ordering, the revamped network and VoIP solution bundle allowed the seafood chain to pivot to an online order-first model.
“During the pandemic, about 90 percent of the business shifted to online/drive-through,” said Brad Gardone, vice president of information technology services at Long John Silver’s. “While dine-ins will steadily make a comeback in the future, we are proud of what we accomplished with help from Interface. We now have a top-of-the-line network and voice solution that’s robust, scalable and secure, and will become the foundation for everything we plan to build in the coming years.”
