We had a wonderful 2017 serving our clients all over Northern California. Before we move ahead, here's a few noteable items from last year that are worth mentioning.
2017 Year in Review
GTS installed over 100 new systems in 2017. This includes phone systems, CCTV camera systems, access control systems, and school mass notification systems.
GTS became an authorized distributor for Avigilon. Avigilon brings cutting edge video analytics to the CCTV market and offers integrated access control. They have over 700 patents, with 100 patents in Self Learning Video Analytics alone. All of the major CCTV manufacturers participate in their patent licensing program, so we decided to go right to the top! These high-end systems are getting scary close to the fictional technology we see in movies.
NEC's award winning (2015 Internet Telephone Product of the Year) SV9100 phone system continues to be a favorite among many of our customers with enhanced mobility features allowing integration to your mobile device. Specifically, mobile extension gives you access to all of the features of your desktop phone from nearly any external communications device. It enables you to use a mobile phone, home phone, or other external device to simulate an extension of your office phone. And customers never know you're not at the office! One number access lets them reach you wherever you are.
Mobility was a very popular app in 2017, and will continue trending into 2018. Contact us if you'd like to know how Mobility can help increase your customer service, staff productivity, and response times.
Pelco's Video Xpert Video Management System (VMS) was embraced by our clients for its ease of use in managing camera systems. It was created to integrate with ONVIF technology, allowing integration with hundreds of manufacturer cameras and providing investment protection. Gaynor can reuse your existing cameras when adding this spectacular head-end management tool. We expect to deploy many of these systems in 2018.
ShoreTel was acquired by Mitel in 2017, and our ShoreTel end users can expect their VoIP Connect Screens to change from orange to Mitel blue in 2018. We also expect new handset models as Mitel slims down the extensive telephone models resulting from this acquisition. Gaynor successfully migrated the majority of our Shoretel clients to the new Desktop Connect Software in 2017, with a few schools holding off until 1Q18.
AppHighlight: School Safety
Gaynor Telesystems is at the forefront in designing reliable school safety systems throughout Northern California. With 40 years working in the education field we understand not every campus is the same and budgets can be a challenge, therefore we have many systems available that can be designed to address security. We can include security features in our proposal if your school budget has approval for a new clock/bell system, a new phone system, a new paging system, and of course a new CCTV camera system.
If your district or campus site has been approved for a new clock/bell system we recommend VALCOM. As the NorCal Authorized Engineering Partner, GTS will meet with all stakeholders to design a VALCOM system that includes mass notification and lockdown features. That means pre-recorded lockdown announcements and actions with a push of a single button. During a crisis your staff needs a one-step process, not a code dialed into a phone system or old paging system.
If your district campus is approved for a new telphone system, our ShoreTel VoIP telephone system has a very attractive and affordable K12 Security Bundle that provides great security features.
School Security Camera and Video Surveillance Systems
Safeguarding the well-being of all students and staff is a primary concern for our schools today. A properly installed school security camera system is an important tool for enduring safety on school grounds. Gaynor Telesytems is well known for our campus CCTV camera systems. From K12 to higher education, we have designed camera security systems to meet security goals and budgets. We don't just look at the physical campus for video coverage. We provide complete design solutions that include strobes, alarm triggers, and motion lighting to enhance the ability to capture the details needed for law enforcement. We have all seen the videos of the culprit in a hoodie with their head down and know law enforcement is going to have a tough time identifying and prosecuting from this captured image. By the addition of simple and affordable motion lights and alarms to get them to look up, our designs are effective in both deterrence of vandalism, but also prosecution of criminal acts on campus. Further, our systems are designed to minimize bandwidth on your network which makes us popular with your IT Department.
As a certified small business, Gaynor Telesystems can help your district purchase these systems via our CMAS contracts, PEPPM, and CUPPCCAA. We are very well versed in the bidding process and purchasing mechanisms for California school districts.
Team Member Highlight
As for ever crucial staff changes, 2017 saw the retirement from Telecom for our Operations Manager Jennifer Griggs. After 20 years with GTS, we wish Jennifer well on her new career. We also experienced the loss of James Warren, our Humboldt Coast Sr. Engineer for 20 years. James lost his battle with cancer in November. We continue to hold James' family in our hearts.
Richard Brush joined GTS in March of 1982, back when gas was $1.20/gallon. We celebrated Richard's 35th anniversary with Gaynor Telesystems last year! Richard started out with pulling cabling and learning the trade. Today, he is our Sr. Sales Engineer, designing the vast majority of the systems we deploy. He is factor certified on all our products and holds numerous industry certifications. An experienced Project Manager, Richard is not a fan of "winging it" and spend many hours annually on continued education to stay on top of technology. We enjoy working with Richard due to his wonderful sense of humor, commitment to complete customer satisfaction and his creativity to solving customer business issues with technology. Richard resdies in Corning with his extremely patient wife, Cora, and slightly challenging teenagers, Zack and Kalista. Thanks for everything, Richard!