Security Provider Selected For Vatican Video Surveillance

Systems from ioimage, a provider of intelligent video appliances designed for simplicity, was recently selected to protect the Vatican. The company’s intelligent video appliances, monitored by an ioiware Command Center, are being used to detect intruders at the Vatican.

ioimage, based in Israel with U.S. headquarters in Denton, TX, was selected from several other video analytics suppliers for this major contract. The first unit was installed in 2005 following a year of testing. Since then, it has proven itself as an effective deterrent against intruders.

Additional ioimage units are currently being installed. The units—composed of ioimage’s IP camera with built-in, self sustained video analytics, the ioicam wdc100dn, and ioibox video encoders using autonomous PTZ (Pan Tilt Zoom) tracking—will be centrally monitored and managed from a central control room.

“As one of the world’s most important sites, the Vatican presented unique challenges,” said Boaz Harpaz, CEO of Picksec International Group, the system integrator. “The security system had to be extremely reliable 24/7 in very crowded, surroundings and under varying weather conditions. It also had to be capable of automatically adjusting to frequent changes in public access schedules while ensuring a low incidence of false alarms. Last but not least, it needed to be easy to install and maintain. After extensive testing of a number of different video analytics products, we found that ioimage offered the optimal solution for this critical site.”

“This project represents a milestone for ioimage and underscores our position as the pioneer and leader in the field of intelligent video,” said Zeev Farkash, VP sales and customer support. “Our solution was rigorously tested by the Corpo della Gendarmeria’s technical personnel before being selected over those of several competitors to monitor this world famous site.”