Smart Surveillance Solutions for a ‘Multi-Use’ Museum

Museums must maintain public access and ensure robust security measures. This is particularly crucial when it's also an active research facility linked to a leading university, a major event venue, and the institution of choice for some of the world’s highest-profile touring archaeological exhibits.

This institution uses Synergy security and surveillance software to ensure the right people can access museum zones and artefacts and protect priceless items 24/7.

A tailored approach to protecting multi-purpose zones

While welcoming tourists to visit permanent and pop-up exhibitions during opening hours, the museum hosts corporate events, gallery tours, and weddings outside the usual 9-5. This means security needs are very changeable, and their system is configured with this in mind.

Integrating an intruder detection system with Synergy ensures the security team is immediately aware of anyone who shouldn’t be on site. Similarly, the security and surveillance solution can grant guests access at an event where authorised hosts and security personnel are confirmed as present. These capabilities, combined with detailed CAD mapping showing exact floor layouts and tailored alarm management, mean surveillance operators always have complete situational awareness.

Synergy also enables alerts to be prioritised based on circumstances. Many museums find this mix of tools helpful in protecting multi-purpose areas. For instance, different rules and associated alerts can be configured and applied to monitor an exhibit space during the day compared to a fundraising event at night.

Streamlining incident response with automation

Using Synergy’s tailorable GUI, the museum surveillance team uses 'shortcut’ macros to speed up key security tasks and automate others.

For example, a macro has been created to automate ‘camera patrols’, taking operators on virtual walks through the museum. This is vital to supporting security guards on the ground, enabling them to focus on other tasks.

With Synergy, busy museum surveillance teams can also use pre-configured rules and workflows to help ensure speed and consistency of response. The rule could be as simple as the operator’s screen changing to a view of the car park entrance when a visitor presses the call button at the barrier, through to a multi-stage workflow of instructions appearing on screen if attempted theft is suspected.

A historical relationship with a future

For over 15 years, Synectics has partnered with this museum, ensuring its surveillance solutions evolve with changing needs. Most recently, a project to upgrade all storage hardware was completed, enhancing capacity and supporting the rollout of new IP cameras across the museum estate.

Brett Longley, the museum’s account manager at Synectics, commented: “When you are advising on solutions for an institution that’s preserving items that are thousands of years old, in a building that is itself over 300 years old, it's critical that the measures we recommend, and implement are suited to the security needs of this historical setting.”