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Tackling Tampa airport

Tackling Tampa airport New firm, Qualified, leverages relationship, Tyco products

TAMPA, Fla.--As far back as 2001, Tampa International Airport knew it wanted to integrate its access control and CCTV systems to cut down on tailgating, making sure there would be just one access granted for one individual badgeholder. Brian Rumble, deputy director of operations/security administration, said he was bound by the bid process in selecting equipment and an integrator, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t steer things a bit. “You can write the specs to cover the features of the product you want,” he said. After asking others in the airport industry about their security systems, “we were really surprised with the Software House product. There was no shortage of people who were willing to open their doors and brag about the product.” So Rumble ended up going with the Software House C•Cure 9000 access control system and its Tyco sister company’s American Dynamics Intellex digital video management system, mostly because of the ease of integrating the two. “The integration was extremely simple,” said Dave Torgerson, the lead project manager for the installation, which was done by a company then known as ISR Solutions, subsequently bought by Stanley Works. “It was plug and play. There was no configuration.” Now, Rumble and the Tampa airport are eyeing $1.25 million in CCTV upgrades with Torgerson’s new firm, Qualified Systems Contracting, a 12-person company serving most of Florida that Torgerson heads as president. “We were ecstatic when Dave formed his own company and became a Software House dealer,” said Rumble. “We had no hesitation going with him. He’s now back in the role he was before.” Rumble said deciding to go with Qualified for long-term service was no knock on Stanley, rather that the airport’s relationship with Torgerson was considered vital. “We were looking for that comfortable feeling ... We’re obviously a demanding client.” Going forward, the airport will now look to leverage the IT infrastructure that ISR installed as the backbone of the system and start looking at IP cameras and video analytics. “At the time we did the design and started the project,” said Rumble, “I think IP wasn’t quite ready for us.” Now, “we see the advantages of IP video, from installation to quality of video, and we will go there. For many years, we’ll have a hybrid system-we’ll still have analog cameras and migrate.”

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