Simplifying Security: Why Hirsch Chose Scale Computing To Transform Access Control and Video Management

Hirsch is a leading global provider of physical security, secure identification, and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions. The company's product portfolio spans a wide range of digital security technologies, including RFID (radio-frequency identification), NFC (near-field communication), cybersecurity, and physical access control systems. Identiv is known for securing the physical world by delivering end-to-end solutions that enable customers to protect their environments, assets, and people.

With a strong focus on innovation, Hirsch offers feature-rich, scalable systems for industries like healthcare, government, retail, and education, helping organizations enhance their security infrastructure through solutions that integrate access control, video management, and credentialing systems. Hirsch's physical access control systems, such as Hirsch Velocity, and video intelligence solutions, like Velocity Vision, are designed to provide seamless, frictionless management and monitoring capabilities from anywhere.

Business Challenges

Hirsch, a global leader in digital security and identification, faced several challenges within the rapidly evolving physical security landscape. Their customers, spanning industries such as healthcare, government, and enterprise, required advanced access control and video management systems to safeguard facilities, people, and assets. However, traditional systems were fragmented, requiring multiple point solutions to manage hardware, video surveillance, access control, and disaster recovery separately. This approach increased complexity and operational costs while limiting scalability and flexibility.

Some specific challenges included:

• Complex and fragmented IT environments: Customers had to manage multiple standalone systems for access control, video surveillance, and storage, leading to inefficiencies and operational strain.
• Limited scalability: Traditional solutions were often rigid, preventing customers from easily scaling their systems as their needs grew.
• High management overhead: With disjointed hardware and software systems, IT and security teams spent valuable time troubleshooting, managing hardware, and ensuring system uptime, which limited their ability to focus on more strategic tasks.
• Downtime risks: Customers faced concerns about system reliability and continuous application availability, especially for mission-critical security applications.

Solution

To address these challenges, Hirsch partnered with Scale Computing to introduce the Hirsch Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI) Powered by Scale Computing. This turnkey solution consolidates Hirsch's advanced access control and video management software into a single hyperconverged infrastructure platform. By integrating virtualization, storage, backup, and disaster recovery into one system, the solution significantly simplifies deployment and management for customers, delivering the following key benefits:

• Single Platform for Access and Video Management: IHirsch HCI enables customers to run their access control system (Hirsch Velocity) and video management system (Velocity Vision) on a unified platform. This eliminates the need for separate hardware solutions and ensures a seamless, integrated experience across all security applications.
• Automated Infrastructure Management: The platform leverages Scale Computing’s HyperCore™ technology, which automates the identification, mitigation, and correction of infrastructure issues in real time. This self-healing capability enhances system reliability and application uptime without requiring constant IT oversight.
• Simplified Scalability: Hirsch HCI is built to scale, allowing customers to easily expand their security systems as their organizational needs grow. This flexibility reduces the costs and complexities of scaling and future-proofs customer investments.
• Reduced Complexity and Lower TCO: By consolidating multiple systems into a single platform, Hirsch HCI simplifies security infrastructure management and lowers the total cost of ownership (TCO). Customers no longer need to manage or purchase separate servers, storage, or disaster recovery systems, reducing hardware footprints and costs.
• Centralized Management: With a single, user-friendly interface, the solution allows customers to manage access control and video management systems from one centralized platform. This streamlines operations and enhances visibility across all security systems, improving situational awareness.