LODI, Calif. - Farmers and Merchants Bank is nearly done rolling out digital video surveillance systems at its 17 branches in central California, a move that allows the financial institution to manage its systems centrally and access them remotely.
The system at each branch comprises IP cameras that monitor teller stations, internal and external automatic teller machines, entry and exit ways, and cash vaults, according to Pete Ducato, who led the project as F&M’s vice president of information technology.
The system also comprises intelligent video software from the Denmark-based Milestone Systems. The software controls the cameras and provides alerts in the event of technical difficulties or alarms, according to Henrik Friborg, vice president of the company.
With its previous system, which comprised analog cameras and VCRs, F&M had to rely on employees at each bank to handle and maintain its surveillance systems, Ducato said.
"If videotapes weren’t changed or cameras weren’t working, we didn’t know about it until we needed it," he said.
Video traffic is carried over local area networks, and employees at F&M’s main office can use a wide area network to view video remotely. They can also investigate fraud and robberies by creating video files via a browser interface, Ducato said.
By Elizabeth Beaulieu, editor, Security Director News: www.securitydirectornews.com.