Cisco has developed a security system predicated on video surveillance. They install a network of cameras, upwards of one hundred or more units in a given school along with an interface that allows administrators and teachers to access the video to watch in real time or to watch recorded events.
At this point of access, if things are going south, an emergency alert can be placed through the system interface which alerts police, parents, and really whoever the school district decides. Cisco admitted that a weakness in the system is in the administration of it.
They admitted that Principals and other school officials are usually not trained in security, so the system can be limited by the end user, but in the lack of trained security professionals, Cisco claims that the system gains its strength in overlap. With an all hands on deck approach, every teacher’s eyes, while ‘untrained’ serve to assure that if there is a security problem, it will be seen.
A potential problem here is how teachers, who are commonly overworked with packed schedules and high responsibilities, will find the time to monitor scores of security cameras. Cisco’s security system is more about winning the psychological game on would be attackers than being able to truly respond to an event.
More than likely, no one will ever be on-line watching the right camera at the right time, but an attacker doesn’t know which video feed is or isn’t being attended. The appearance of surveillance sometimes goes further than actual surveillance.