Security Sales & Integration July 2023 - 37

the complicated and ever-changing world of
security technology. Moreover, we make it our
mission to empower our customers with that
technology. "
Each of the charter schools was saddled with
disparate systems. Th ere were NVR issues, and
the legacy access control system was a dinosaur.
Also, the customer wanted to unify access control,
video management, intrusion detection,
perimeter protection and vape detection.
Pref-Tech stepped in and stepped up to deliver
a groundbreaking, unifi ed access control
and video management system model. Th e
fi rm integrated the intrusion detection system
to give IL Texas a complete system under
a " single pane of glass. " Th e solution was designed
in a fashion that allows for it to be replicated
across multiple charter school locations
throughout the state.
Th e project was so impactful and successful
that it allowed Preferred Technologies (for more
on the business, see sidebar) to win an SSI 2023
Integrated Installation of the Year Award.
Embracing the Challenge
With fi ve additional schools at various stages
of construction and many already completed,
the customer needed a plan to retrofi t the existing
systems to bring them up to the blueprint
standards that Pref-Tech and the customer
collaboratively designed.
" We partnered with our regular GC, who
was able to work directly with Pref-Tech, " adds
Klein. " We were able to integrate them with the
overall construction plan, including the electrician
and IT personnel. Everyone had to contend
with a compressed project timeline along
with this coordination among multiple trades.
Building out infrastructure of the fi rst school
was particularly noteworthy since it was the fi rst
of many to form our new security network. "
Ultimately, the systems and data they generated
needed to converge into a single application
that provided the safety and security teams
with actionable information in real-time. All
these systems and data would need to be on
a single-screen view for the safety and security
teams. Th is challenge was welcomed by the
integrator.
" Th is organization's challenges fi t the mold
of our ideal customer and the niche in which
we like to operate, " adds Reeves. " Our target
customers are those that allow us to be their
trusted advisor, are earlier adopters of technolsecuritysales.com
ogy,
and have sophisticated IT groups. We
focus on complex, diffi cult projects in the
enterprise space. Th is challenge, therefore,
is one that we are proud to have
been a part of solving. "
After learning of the opportunity
in December 2021, Pref-Tech broke
ground on the project in April 2022,
with the bulk of its contract fulfi lled
by Aug. 31 of last year. Adhering to
the necessary parameters set forth, that
represented about half the time that would
typically be allotted for such a job. Teamwork
loomed large in achieving a smooth and effi -
cient process, even when things did not go entirely
as envisioned.
" TAG Electrical proved to be a friend onsite, "
explains Reeves. " Being forward-thinking
but without any available guidance, they had
already installed penetrations necessary to get
the cabling down the halls from the classrooms
to the MDF/IDFs; however, it wasn't enough
by about half. With a quick evaluation by our
team, Lead Technician Ruben Cuevas worked
with TAG's lead and by the end of the second
week on the job we had everything we needed
to be successful at running all the data,
VMS, access control and intrusion cabling. "
The system's benefi ts included
reducing physical cameras
while increasing interior and
exterior camera coverage.
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