Could your campus security use a digital refresh?

Colleges and universities are no strangers to technology, and digital solutions have only become more integrated into campus life. Now campus catering and landscaping services can be easily paid through digital invoices, libraries are stocked with digital media in addition to books, and even college courses can be completed entirely online. One place that technology has made huge gains in universities is through safety and security.

Campus security is nothing new, though the discussion of the best ways to address it has changed drastically over the last few decades. Staff and faculty are constantly facing new threats to their students, but thankfully advances in technology are providing new tools to deal with these challenges. As universities begin to integrate new forms of technology, the new question being asked is: What are the best ways for technology to improve campus safety?

Safety Remains a Priority

Students and faculty alike agree that safety needs to remain a priority for everyone on campus. And with college being many students’ first extended time away from home, parents are often the first ones to voice their concerns. Unfortunately, campus security has to remain a top priority, and for some students is even a deciding factor in which university they choose to attend. The Clery Act, originally passed as the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act in 1990, requires that universities with any federal funding make their crime stats available, and as access to that data expands, more students take it into consideration during college selection. A Student Voice survey from Inside Higher Ed, College Pulse, and Kaplan found that women are more likely to consider campus safety than men.

The disparity in feelings of security on campus doesn’t just vary by gender, however. It also varies by sexual orientation and race and ranges from concerns about campus safety overall as well as feelings about the safety officers present on campus. At the end of the day, students feel generally safe on campus, but making the extra effort to show support for minority or protected groups can put your university above the rest.

The Tech You’ve Considered

It’s very likely that your campus already has some precautionary security measures, which is a great place to start. Consider the tech you already have at your university, and ask yourself if you’re really getting the most out of it. Lighting, for example, is a frequently overlooked part of campus security. If you’re located in North America, and your classes run from September to May, you’re looking at most of your school year spent with shorter days and longer nights. Adding more lampposts and exterior lighting to your campus can not only help improve safety for students walking to evening classes, dining halls, and dorm rooms, but it can also improve the efficacy of your security cameras.

Security cameras are notoriously low resolution, and in an age where everyone is after ultra HD or 4K resolution, you’re likely not going to find it in your security footage. With nine out of ten universities implementing security cameras as a top security feature, you still need to make the most of your footage. One thing that can improve every security camera is making sure there is proper lighting throughout the area being surveilled. Better lighting will make sure that students’ faces can be confirmed, and you’ll have usable surveillance footage in the case of any break-ins. Another way to make your footage more impactful is to be sure you have staff regularly monitoring the footage for any discrepancies, instead of acting reactively after an incident.

If you have lighting, security cameras, and staffing to monitor video surveillance, there’s likely one other key piece of security technology you’ve already considered for your university as well: digital key cards. These are key fobs or cards that work with digital locking mechanisms to restrict access to certain areas on campus. While these systems are often implemented for dorms, they can also be used to limit access to faculty-only areas, including offices, and administrative buildings. One feature to check your system for is a digital log of each entry. This should be stored off-site or in a cloud storage solution with limited access that allows a review of when each area was accessed, and by whom. 

The Tech You Should Investigate

While new digital security solutions are hitting the market every day, there are a few key pieces that should be on the top of your “to review” list. While some are more advanced and require an IT department or contractor to install and configure, others are more straightforward and can be implemented with little to no learning curve. The options that fit your campus best are up to you and the rest of your administrators, but each one deserves some consideration.

Security Personnel Operations Management

If security is a priority to your institution, it’s likely you already have security personnel employed there but are you making the most of their time? Implementing digital solutions for managing the day-to-day operations of your security department can mean officers spend more face time with students, and less time in the back office. Something as simple as a digital forms solution to manage timesheets and schedules can save hours in a single pay period, and that savings only grows as you employ more officers. Just as you can easily streamline your faculty reviews with an employee evaluations form, you can use digital forms to manage background checks, security checklists, and even track visitor sign-in forms. The best digital form solutions will be quick to set up, easy for your team to learn, and allow customizations to fit your university’s exact needs.

Digital Signage and Messaging Solutions

We’ve come a long way since the days of “telephone trees”, and if your university hasn’t already looked into a mass messaging system, the time has arrived. While laptops remain the most commonly used mobile device for schoolwork, a 2015 study found that smartphone usage continued to grow each year, with 86% of students using them regularly. As students continue to expand their use of technology, universities have found digital messaging systems to be a great way to reach their students immediately. In the case of an active threat on campus, these systems can send automated alerts, either customized for smartphones, or as a text message for every mobile device. More advanced systems even allow for all devices connected to the university network to receive an on-screen alert, expanding the reach to desktop computers, laptops, and tablets.

Personal Information Security

The ability to protect personal data is a growing concern among students and administrators, and as technology becomes more prevalent, these risks continue to grow. While there is no single data protection solution available yet, there are a variety of different programs and platforms your university should explore. These can range from using encrypted networks to implementing mandatory password change policies for student accounts. Biometrics or code passwords can be implemented to protect student account cards from unauthorized uses, such as at dining halls or bookstores. If your staff is still using paper storage for applications, financial aid documentation, or even student grades, it’s time to consider a digital solution. If you switch to digital forms and storage, make sure you find a solution that offers HIPAA-secure levels of data protection, data encryption, and integrations with cloud storage solutions you know and trust.

Campus security isn’t a topic that will be ignored in the near future, make sure that your faculty, staff, students, and their parents all understand the importance of working together to create a secure environment. If your administration makes security a priority, your entire university can reap the benefits.

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