Armed with what Genetec calls a powerful and flexible video surveillance solution, Omnicast, museum staff is able to key in to specific high-risk pieces and ensure they remain secure.

Genetec, Montreal, announced that the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in Phoenix, Ariz., installed Omnicast, Genetec’s IP video surveillance system, for the protection and monitoring of its prized collection. The Omnicast system is currently managing more than 200 Axis Communications and Interlogix™ IP cameras, plus a few analog PTZ cameras connected via encoders.

MIM is the world’s first global musical instrument museum and has a collection of more than 10,000 musical instruments and artifacts housed in an award-winning building greater than 190,000 square feet.

All main security operations are centralized in MIM’s Security Command Center, a station manned 24-hours a day. However, the Omnicast system also allows for remote monitoring by senior staff and configuration of internal access user privileges by administrators, which provide an extra layer of security.

Omnicast’s intuitive user interface, which required little training despite a staff unaccustomed to security system usage, was a key feature, the company said. Jeff Worcester, project manager at Climatec, the integrator involved in the project said, “Omnicast’s ease of use is a key advantage to the system in any environment. It enables a security team comprised of individuals with any level of experience — from none to a lifetime on legacy systems — to quickly and easily learn to navigate the software.”

Currently, Omnicast monitors everything from the 190,000 square foot interior to the exterior of the building and parking lot for complete facility coverage.

Justin Karim, the head of security at MIM, noted, “We have been quite pleased with Genetec’s Omnicast Enterprise system. Its flexible nature is particularly well-suited to a museum environment, where exhibits move and the security needs are amorphous, changing regularly. The Omnicast system has met our demands, and we are even looking at possibly using the system to inform business decisions — for example by expanding our system to include Genetec’s AutoVu LPR (license plate recognition) software for counting license plates in the parking lot to keep track of patron numbers. I would definitely recommend this system to fellow museums, as well as other professionals seeking a robust security system that delivers on the reputation of a leading company like Genetec.”While MIM has only been open since April 2010, staff was able to use the surveillance system to track a potential thief off the grounds and onto a bus. Later, MIM staff was able to direct law enforcement to the suspect using the bus identification number. In another instance, security staff was able to promptly identify paparazzi outside the building attempting to photograph a visiting celebrity and attend to the situation immediately — all without visitor disruption.