University IT provides video surveillance support for exterior and interior locations. Services available include planning, installation, and software maintenance for cameras and video recorders. Devices (cameras and servers) are owned by the end user.
Fixed and Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) Axis, and Bosch cameras and Dell servers running Camio software are offered. Cameras have a monthly fee associated with them that covers the software maintenance on both the cameras and servers. There is a separate monthly fee for cloud storage. All camera systems must be reviewed and approved by Public Safety and comply with the Video Surveillance Guidelines.
Video support includes 24x7 system support. Critical outages will be responded to 24x7, non-critical outages will be handled during business hours. Individual camera issues will be responded to during business hours.
Included as part of the service are the initial programming and setup, as well as user training. Clients requesting re-training or training of new users may attend classes offered periodically as needed. Class training is free of charge.
Also included in the service is managing the process of server upgrades.
Projects are managed outside the standard service. If you have a new installation request please submit a Help request or contact Bill Larson in Public Safety.
Description of Services
When new building construction or renovations are planned, Public Safety and University IT should be engaged as early as possible in the project planning cycle to provide input on hardware specification. This contact is generally made from LBRE DPM to Public Safety and/or the University IT Facilities Engineer.
Recommendations provided by Public Safety and Card Services will include hardware components, wiring, and recommendations specific to conformance to the Video Surveillance Guidelines.
Security planning, architectural analysis, and project management that requires facilitation between multiple groups external to University IT, are not part of core video services. If additional planning services are required, the client should work with Public Safety and our video support vendor to obtain a proposal with estimated costs and timelines, as these would be considered project-based services.
In addition to responding to alerts from system monitoring tools, the video support staff will perform an annual review of all supported servers, and make recommendations as needed. These recommendations may include configuration or hardware updates, or capacity recommendations.
Video support staff will work with clients to plan a periodic (generally 5-year) server hardware replacement cycle. Cameras are on an 8-year replacement cycle. Clients are responsible for purchasing cameras. Video services will collaborate with the client as needed when scheduling server, software, and firmware upgrades.
University IT is responsible for:
- Verifying all rack, power, and cabling requests have been completed in a satisfactory manner.
- Installing and configuring operating system software and associated patches or updates.
- Installing and configuring video software.
- Installing and configuring cameras.
- Requesting and ensuring proper system backups and firewall templates have been configured.
- Coordinating system-related activities between University IT groups as appropriate to ensure the successful installation of a device.
- If requested by the client, we will configure and backup video content.*
*additional storage costs apply
University IT will:
- Respond to monitoring alerts and client-reported problems. During non-business hours, support will be provided when either the hardware, operating system, or infrastructure software is unavailable or the ability to use these resources is severely degraded. Please note, should after-hours support be required due to a change that was performed by the client without proper planning or notification, emergency support fees may apply.
- Troubleshoot and resolve system-related problems.
- Monitor vendor resources for any required operating system patches or upgrades.
- Monitor vendor resources for any required hardware upgrades.
- Coordinate hardware upgrades with hardware support vendors as needed.
- Monitor security advisories for operating system and video software, and take appropriate actions to safeguard resources.
- Implement security patches as needed.
- System account management.
- Document and submit change management requests for proper approval as required. Change Management is required for any change that may impact end-users.
- Install security patches, upgrade software packages, and update system configuration to meet Stanford best practices.
- Firmware upgrades as required.
- System-level housekeeping activities to ensure systems are operating at optimal levels.
- Backup management.
- Requesting firewall configuration.
Support requests that fall outside of normal operations will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and may incur additional costs. Only vendor-supported versions of operating system and video software will be maintained.
It is expected that all application and system changes that may impact services will adhere to standard Change Management policies. Clients should submit any non-impacting or non-urgent system requests via a Help request.
Non-urgent and low severity HelpSU tickets will be assigned within 8 business hours. The client can expect an acknowledgement via email that states either:
- The request has been assigned and additional information is required in order to complete the request.
- The request has been assigned and a target timeframe as to when the request might be completed.
- The request has been assigned and completed.
Completed requests will be indicated via a ticket status of “resolved”. Routine support requests are typically resolved within 24 hours of assignment. Clients will receive email notification when a request has been resolved.
Card Services will manage all accounts present on the system. However, any changes to accounts from the client’s organization must be coordinated by the client with the Card Services team.
Card Services uses the University IT Change Management Process for all changes that may affect the service provided to the client or the University community. Work on the system that is controlled under the change management process will generally be performed during maintenance windows. Card Services maintenance windows are Thursday mornings 4 a.m. to 6 a.m., and weekend mornings 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. Any work performed during this time will be coordinated via the change management process.
Tools and configuration used internally by video support staff for administrative or maintenance actions on a system may be installed and updated outside of the change management process provided that those tools are only used interactively by video support staff and not part of any automated or continuous management or monitoring of the system, or are unrelated to any services running on the system and not intended for use by clients, only by video support staff.
Periodically, Card Services will update software on the system, usually as part of a new minor release of the operating system. These changes will be coordinated with the clients via change management.
Security policy is put forth by the university. The Card Services team will adhere to all security policies documented in the Stanford Administrative Guide. Please refer to the following link for any specific security policies related to systems administration:
University IT also performs regular network security system scans. Any high-risk security vulnerability discovered by this (or other) process will be addressed as soon as possible and managed via Urgent or Emergency Change Management Request. Security warnings will also be addressed via Urgent Change Management Requests.
The health of the video system and cameras is monitored by application tools and alerts.
In cases of system level alerts, the video support team will send email notification to the client regarding the alert received and any action taken. It is the responsibility of the client to ensure contact information is kept current for notification purposes. Requests for special processes or procedures in response to alerts will be considered as a modular service.
Monitoring may be temporarily suspended during maintenance activities or to eliminate false positive alerts. Clients must provide notification to University IT of any planned maintenance activity so that monitoring can be temporarily disabled if needed.
Detailed configuration information about individual cameras is available via request.
The Responsibility Matrix indicates whether University IT or the client is ultimately responsible for performing the listed task. In instances where there are check marks (✓) in both columns, both the client and University IT must coordinate their efforts to ensure the successful completion of the task. It is not the intent of any Responsibility Matrix to absolutely define every process, function or task performed as a contracted function.
| Card Services Video Support | CLIENT | University IT |
|---|---|---|
| Keep client contact information current | ✓ | |
| Keep systems administrator contact information current | ✓ | |
| Approve all hardware and software | ✓ | ✓ |
| Resolve or coordinate with vendors to resolve hardware problems | ✓ | |
| Propose hardware and software configuration and installation standards | ✓ |
