For Bay Credit Union, a Panama City, Florida-based credit union with branches in different time zones, being able to monitor and support its video surveillance systems remotely is important.
Bay CU operates five branches that serve about 13,500 members and manages $180 million in assets. Established in 1952, it has grown in recent years due to its acquisition of FLAG Credit Union in Tallahassee.
Bay CU’s primary business is making loans and opening checking accounts. Protection of member information is paramount.
"We don’t sell widgets. We don’t sell paper. We sell trust," said Bay CU President and CEO Michael Akers.
Challenge
Bay CU doesn't have a wall of monitors or just one dedicated staff member to oversee security at its branches. It has several staff members in compliance, security and IT who use OpenEye Web Services (OWS) through a desktop client or their phones to gain the information they need from the system.
Relevant staff members receive email notifications if the surveillance system or a camera goes down and when it's back up. The purpose of a security system for them is to ensure they will have usable video footage or information if and when they need it
"Cameras only matter when you need them," said Akers. "Sometimes it's a set it and forget it situation."
So, a business needs a system that is reliable.
"Sometimes law enforcement accesses an ATM camera and realizes the camera was fuzzy or pointed in the wrong direction," Akers said. "You have to be proactive and know what components you have and what condition they're in. You have to be aware. That’s how you protect your organization."
In 2018, Hurricane Michael slammed into Panama City, damaging Bay CU's headquarters. The business erected a new building, which opened in early 2021, with a new video security system, installed by Panama City-based Sinetech LLC.
Solution
Sinetech does security system design and installs for airports, condominiums, chemical plants, utilities and other businesses within a 200-mile radius of Panama City. It has been working with Bay CU since 2018, including outfitting its temporary headquarters after the hurricane as well as its new building.
“They wanted health alerts. They wanted basically a central login for all their recorders because they have five different locations, one being in Tallahassee, which is about two hours away,” said Joshua Schwinn, Sinetech’s owner.
Because of the locations and acquisition, the credit union was using three different recorder brands, each with their own login.
“It was a real big hassle,” Schwinn said. “A centralized control unit is what they wanted.”
The credit union wanted health alerts if an ATM or camera went down. Instead of needing someone to monitor cameras constantly, the system sends a notification if there’s an issue. User setups are now easier, as branch managers have their own logins.
“My favorite thing about the OpenEye software is the ability to search for events,” Akers said. “I really appreciate the search feature within OWS where you can get down to an event much quicker than traditional software because they require a manual search. With OWS, you can pull up thumbnails and pick a square and drill down so much faster.”
If the credit union received a subpoena for information, it might have taken an entire day to gather it. With the OWS event search, it takes 30 minutes or less.