LUSD in Laton Implements Modern Surveillance Platform

admincamera, security, Video

LATON, Calif. — Laton Unified School District (LUSD) — a K-12 school district — is composed of four schools that serve about 700 students in total. Its campus encompasses a preschool, an elementary school, a middle school and a high school.

As is the case for many small districts with limited resources, LUSD was struggling to maintain its aging surveillance infrastructure across the breadth of schools in the district.

For example, although video cameras are, of course, vital to keeping students and faculty safe, the cost to maintain these systems can become prohibitive. And with rising cybersecurity threats — for example, ransomware — LUSD was concerned about system vulnerability to tampering or intrusion.

Backups were limited; and, if hardware failed, it was likely that the footage would be lost, too. With tight IT budgets and a limited number of dedicated staff, LUSD required a flexible solution that would take advantage of their existing infrastructure while increasing ease of use and enhancing reliability.

LUSD Chooses Arcules for Video Surveillance Infrastructure

After reviewing a broad swath of technology solutions, LUSD decided Arcules would deliver the simple, easy-to-use, economical surveillance infrastructure required to keep students and faculty safe and secure.

The company’s Arcules Cloud solution enables LUSD to leverage its existing camera and network infrastructure while, at the same time, providing a seamless migration path to allow new equipment to be added over time.

According to Sue Vang, IT director, LUSD, “One of the main reasons we decided to move to Arcules is it’s all cloud based.” She continues, “It’s all on one platform, which is much better than having to manage a server for each site with its own unique cameras.”

To enable the project to take place, LUSD took advantage of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund. ESSER funding gives schools and districts the flexibility they need to address critical needs as they support students, educators and families alike.

Such funding can be used to pay for a broad range of resources: for example, technology. This allowed LUSD to offset the cost of its new security infrastructure.

Arcules’ Cloud-Based Platform Suits LUSD

With Arcules’ unified, cloud-based platform, LUSD doesn’t have to worry about disparate servers for each site. Instead, all cameras and infrastructure are manageable from a single pane. Moreover, LUSD can leverage all its existing cameras and infrastructure with its new Arcules solution.

This, of course, reduces CapEx outflows, as well as management overhead. And Arcules enables LUSD to simplify its surveillance support structure by eliminating licensing complexity.

LUSD’s new video surveillance infrastructure was simple to install, and implementation was easy. Now, LUSD administrators can access video data easily and upload it to Google Drive, thus enabling them to share the data with whomever needs it.

Arcules’ flexible platform makes downloading and rendering video easy, meaning that IT staff aren’t just waiting to retrieve video. Plus, with capabilities to simply share a link to a video now, the need to copy it to a portable flash drive is removed. That eliminates risk of loss or damage.

According to Vang, “It’s very convenient not having to physically download the media.”

Arcules Integrates with LUSD Surveillance Technology

What’s more, Arcules integrates with the school district’s other surveillance technology that lies outside the camera infrastructure. LUSD has a series of vapor detectors in bathrooms whose purpose is to detect smoke from vaping. When the alert is triggered, LUSD’s Arcules system instantly sends a notification so that administrators and security can respond to the alert.

“Every time the system detects something out of the ordinary, we get an email right away,” Vang declares. She adds, “It’s easy to use for people [who] may not have a background in camera technology.”

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