Where to start designing video surveillance in an educational institution and what factors should be taken into account?

Question

Computer networks

From you, as from specialists, I ask for help and determining the direction of movement:
Where to start?
What are the main factors/points in system design?
Equipment (equipment characteristics and installation, cloud storage and data processing services)

Answer 1

Good day. As I already wrote in response to another question, the most important question is the budget allocated for this project. From him already and need to dance. While there are no concrete figures, trying to draw up a draft at least in advance is an empty exercise.
But let's say you already have a budget. The next step is writing the TOR. You can write yourself, you can attract potential contractors, here it is, as you prefer.
Then we solve legal issues. Is it necessary to conduct a tender, if so, in what form? If not, then we find a contractor or contractors.
Now about TK. Equipment, its installation points, ways of storing the collected data are determined by the main function of your video surveillance system. The main functions are security and an overview of the territory, monitoring the flow of people at school, detailed video recording of the course of certain events (the Unified State Examination, for example), or simply mastering money for show. The fourth option, by the way, is not so rare and can be either the main one or in a group with other functions.
From my own experience, there were two options: security / development, recording the progress of the exam.
In the first case, cheap black-and-white analog cameras and the same registrar were bought. The outer and inner yards, the porch and the hall at the entrance to the school were monitored, all cameras were at the level of the first floor. The installation was successful, the cameras worked, everyone is happy. But when the emergency happened (the walls of the school were covered with graffiti), all that could be seen on the recording was the glare from passing cars and two shadows that appeared from around the corner. They were considered only the next day. Bottom line: for show, there is security, but only during daylight hours.
The second case was much more interesting. A record of the course of all USE exams held at the school. Equipment: IP cameras with PoE, switches, registrar. Two cameras in each class, corridors, hall, entrances to the toilets were looked through. A recording was made, which was then exported to an external hard drive and sent to the regional center. True, the contractor for some reason installed cameras without microphones, so there was no sound recording. The result: the exam records were solemnly taken away by the members of the commission each time, everyone was happy, there were no disputes. But when, already at school time, the student left the phone on the windowsill and someone took it away, it was not possible to consider the culprit, the camera was too far away and did not have the zoom function.
Conclusions from bitter everyday experience: clearly define the main purpose of the system, in accordance with it, determine the installation points of the cameras and their type (survey of the territory - black and white, but with good optics, monitoring children - dome or controlled with a zoom function). Still, it is better to have a video data storage point at hand, and not in the cloud, at least to minimize the access time to them. Plus, people who will sit at the video surveillance console should be trained to use the registrar's capabilities to the fullest (so as not to wait for the system administrator if you need to watch a piece of the recording).

Answer 2

Start by looking for a company that will make turnkey video surveillance for you.
It's just that your question is formulated at such a bad level that it's better to turn to specialists who will do EVERYTHING themselves.

Answer 3

Based on the experience of working with schools, it is important to take into account all the requirements of the law, because questions about the legality of installing video cameras will be received regularly. For example, how many such questions are asked to Yandex. About the most important points, how to comply with the law, I wrote thesis here .