Implementation of Id-Guard in the Data Center, Egypt

16 November 2022 | Projects

Industry:

Information technology

Location:

Cairo, Egypt

Key goal:

Increasing the level of security in the data centre of the company Telecom Egypt by enriching the client's video surveillance system with biometric facial identification of employees and visitors to the facility. Creating a well-functioning system for rapid response to security incidents and increasing the effectiveness of investigation of incidents.

Tasks:

Implementation of the ready-made Id-Guard biometric solution into the operation of the Pelco VideoExpert VMS installed at the customer’s facility
Increasing the effectiveness of the security service through the use of biometric identification based on a highly precise facial recognition algorithm
Creating a database of digital biometric profiles of data centre employees and visitors
Ensuring control of compliance with the “mask regime” at the facility
Simplify and improve the effectiveness of security incident investigations with new capabilities for quick and long-term searches in the archive indicating the time and place of identification
Systematise information and generate reports on detected security violations of employees and visitors of the data centre with reference to specific people

Business benefits:

The biometric solution is functionally designed and ready to use. The product does not require any further development or integration with the client’s infrastructure
Installation of ready-made box solutions takes only 20 minutes. The installation and configuration process is intuitive and does not require any deep specialist knowledge or skills
Availability of ready-made modules for seamless integration with VMS from leading global and Russian manufacturers: Pelco VideoXpert, Milestone XProtect, Bosch Security Systems BVMS
Extensive possibilities for scaling the system. Including for distributing video surveillance systems: with single or different archives of biometric profiles according to the client’s needs
The availability of ready-made VxFaces plug-in with Pelco VideoXpert VMS, allowing the operator to work in a familiar interface
Regular product updates with bug repairs and the addition of new features
Consulting support by the vendor at all stages of the project. Technical support as part of product upgrades
A convenient system for distance learning for operators of video surveillance systems, security officers and company IT departments. Free training sessions developed by the vendor’s team

More information on our website www.recfaces.com
Or you can write us an email sales@recfaces.com

Ready-made biometric solution Id-Guard

Id-Guard is a ready-made software product developed specifically for video surveillance systems. The boxed solution extends the functionality of a classic VMS by introducing face identification in the video stream.

The product is based on a precise, modern facial recognition algorithm. When an unauthorised person or a person from the stop list appears in the surveillance zone, the system automatically notifies security personnel. Notifications are sent via SMS, messengers, e-mail or a special Android-based mobile app.

Id-Guard is conveniently used for a quick search using a biometric archive with a link to a video archive and indication of the time and place of identification. This significantly simplifies the work of the security service and speeds up the response to and investigation of incidents. The search can be based not only on an image, but also on a verbal description of the person of interest. This may include details of the person’s appearance (beard, hair color) or clothing (hat, glasses, scarf, etc.). In addition to directly detecting the right person in the archive, the system allows you to build a trajectory of their movement through the object.

Id-Guard also provides for long-term storage of biometric data. This function is convenient to use when the incident is notified after some time has passed. The biometric archive eliminates a need of watching hours of video: the only thing to do is to upload an image of the person of interest into the system. It takes only 10 seconds to find out when the person was in the area and in which areas of the facility appeared. In comparison to classic video archives, biometric video archive doesn’t need the large storage space. Only 1 Tb of memory is required to store 50 million identities.

The key business advantage of the biometric solution is the simplicity and ease of installation. Id-Guard installation takes less than 20 minutes and does not require any specialized knowledge or skills. The process is described step by step in the administration manual. The software solution is seamlessly integrated with the majority of popular video systems. This means that the client does not need to replace the infrastructure at the facility, and the security staff can work with the new biometric functionality in a familiar interface.

Project development and solution

The project was implemented for Telecom Egypt. The company is a leading provider of telecommunications services in Egypt and is currently developing a network of state data centres. As important elements of the information infrastructure, data centres require a high level of security. Even a small incident or unauthorised entry can have serious consequences and disrupt the operation of information systems. This includes the national level.

Today, biometrics has become the “gold standard” for security in data centres. Facial recognition technologies are used to protect the perimeter of a facility, control access and detect possible violations by the staff. Previously, Telecom Egypt had never used facial biometric identification at its facilities. This possibility the company decided to look into on upcoming opening of a new data centre in Cairo. Among other developers of biometric solutions, the company RecFaces was chosen. One of the important factors was the training system developed by the vendor for current and potential partners and clients. With the help of online courses and individual consultations with RecFaces specialists, the company’s representatives learned the basics of biometrics and studied the details of working with the vendor’s products. As a result, it was decided to implement Id-Guard biometric solution into the video surveillance system of the new data centre.

Key benefits

In addition to the preliminary training, the RecFaces team provided the client with the necessary consulting support at all stages of project preparation and implementation. This included the selection of equipment, the design of the video surveillance system and the additional configuration of the cameras. The high level of knowledge of the product allowed the client to install and configure Id-Guard by themselves. The installation process required minimal assistance from the vendor and the integrator company.

A Pelco VideoExpert video surveillance system is installed at the facility, and Id-Guard has a ready integration with it. All biometric functionality is natively integrated into the VMS of the client, so that surveillance operators and security officers can continue to work in the familiar interface. There is no need to change to a new program or retrain.

Id-Guard analyses the video stream from surveillance cameras installed at key locations in the data centre. The system automatically identifies employees and visitors at the facility. If a person from the stop-list or an unauthorised person is detected, the security service is instantly notified and can react to the incident immediately. The software solution also allows controlling the compliance with the “mask mode” on the premises. For this purpose, Id-Guard has the function of setting an automatic notification policy for the presence or absence of face masks.

One of the client’s key requirements was to control possible violations by the data centre staff. For the security of the facility, it is important that only authorised persons enter the facility at the right time and move in the areas to which they have been allowed access. All identification data is stored in a biometric archive and can be searched quickly. To systematise the information, the system provides a person-based report of any detected irregularities.

Results

Id-Guard was installed at the facility in February 2022. In just a few months, the software solution has become an effective and convenient tool for improving security. The facial recognition algorithm integrated into the software has also demonstrated excellent performance. The false alarm rate is less than 0.0001%. That’s just one episode for every million facial identifications.

A company regularly shares its impressions of working with Id-Guard with the vendor. The client highly appreciates the advantages of applying biometric identification in video surveillance systems. Telecom Egypt does not rule out that in the future, biometrics can also be implemented at other company facilities.

Review

Telecom Egypt integrated the state-of-art facial recognition solution Id-Guard to boost the security level of Egypt’s Data Center. Thanks to seamless integration with the Pelco video surveillance system, our employees work in their habitual interface, but with a modern and convenient face recognition module. The project was completed in record time - this is, of course, the merit of the well-coordinated work of the RecFaces team. Audio Technology S.A.E. recommends RecFaces as a reliable supplier and looks forward to further cooperation!

Audio Technology S.A.E.