24 Aug 2005

Ottawa-based network management specialists and DVR manufacturers Mach Networks have been specified to provide mobile video surveillance systems for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) in California.

March Networks' reseller and channel partner Diversified Security Solutions Inc. secured the contract through its Viscom Division in a deal worth $1.5 million, that includes a three-year maintenance agreement.  The programme will see some 80 light rail vehicles (LRVs) equipped with state-of-the-art March Networks systems over a five-month rollout period.

Viscom Products is one of seven vendors that responded to a Request for Proposal (the US equivalent of an invitation to tender) from VTA and one of three vendors that were selected by VTA to demonstrate their equipment as part of a final three-month demonstration and evaluation exercise.

Robert Gave, Project Manager for Santa Clara VTA, stated, "Our decision to equip our light rail vehicles with video surveillance systems stemmed from the large success of the On-board Surveillance Program on the VTA buses since 2001.  To bring this successful programme to our new low floor light rail vehicles, we required an integrated security vendor that could provide us with the highest levels of technology and technical experience, along with superior customer service."

"After an extensive review, we determined that Viscom Products provided the best value to VTA with respect to qualifications of the firm, project organization, product stability of the digital video recorder and cost.  The Viscom Products system completed the final demonstration without failure, had excellent image quality, and demonstrated better wireless diagnostic and video download capabilities than the other two systems demonstrated."

Viscom will provide Santa Clara VTA with Mobile Digital Video Recorders (MDVRs) and Enterprise Management Suite software from March Networks.  VTA will use an 802.11g network for communications from the on-board MDVRs to its central monitoring station.  Together, Viscom Products and March Networks will provide the transportation authority with high quality and reliable video download capabilities as well as a proactive fleet management system.

James Henry, Chief Executive Officer of Diversified Security Solutions, stated, "We are extremely pleased to have been selected by VTA to provide a new level of protection for VTA light rail vehicles.  We pride ourselves on our technological leadership and longstanding customer base and believe these qualities were recognized by VTA during their selection."

Peter Strom, President and Chief Executive Officer of March Networks, stated, "March Networks has invested extensive resources to ensure that our on-board surveillance systems and software meet the demands of our customers in the transportation market.  We believe that this new contract for Viscom installation and support paired with March Networks mobile DVRs is an indication of the tremendous opportunities ahead of us in the transportation space."

The Santa Clara Valley project follows a similar, highly successful project for the San Francisco Municipal Railway that commenced last year.  This too was collaboration between Viscom Products and March Networks and will strengthen March Networks' strategy to target transportation markets - alongside banking and retail sectors - throughout Europe in the short term.

The European security industry saw a March Networks offering at IFSEC 2005 in May that proposed a re-invigorated momentum to ramp up activity in European and other overseas markets for the DVR heavyweight.