Q-Park Minimises Downtime and Ensures Data Integrity Across UK with Synology Surveillance Solutions

Q Park

Overall, it is an excellent platform to make the CCTV aspect of the business a far more effective and useful tool from security to general use and gives our customers the peace of mind that their vehicles are safe with us.

Darren Maskrey, Head of Operations (Great Britain), Q-Park

In search for a newer, manageable, future-proof solution

Q-Park noticed their older security devices had reached its end of life, and often resulted in downtime when installing firmware updates due to its custom hardware. Support for their previous system ended with Windows 7, meaning it was susceptible to security vulnerabilities and could no longer reach Q-park's security standards. Furthermore, it lacked disk and power redundancy, which could respectively result in data loss or power outages in the case of an emergency. Looking for a new, future-proof and easy to manage security solution, they found Synology.

Ensuring uninterrupted operations and reliable data storage with Synology Surveillance Station and central RackStation units

After assessing Synology's Surveillance Station, Q-Park found it would fit their surveillance needs and alleviate the problems caused by their prior setup. Using a central RackStation unit as their host server at their UK headquarters in Leeds, they initially deployed further RackStation servers equipped with Surveillance Station to some of their parking facilities, as well as a total of 2000 cameras across the various sites.

One of the most immediate advantages the Synology system had over Q-Park's previous solution was the use of dual power supplies. This feature guaranteed uninterrupted operation, safeguarding against disruptions caused by power supply unit (PSU) failures or accidental unplugging.

The RAID configuration used in their Synology device offers disk redundancy, meaning data is stored over multiple disks so a backup is always available on-site. This way, if a disk malfunctions and the data stored on it is lost, the same data can still be retrieved from another disk.

The addition of HAT3000 Plus Series HDDs further fortifies the infrastructure. These drives not only make data storage more reliable, but also streamline the support process. In the event of any disk failure, Synology's tech support can rapidly troubleshoot and authorize immediate replacements, significantly reducing downtime and minimizing the risk of data loss.

Topology

Enhancing security and flexibility with Centralized Management System

The Centralized Management System (CMS) enables surveillance teams to monitor different individual servers from the host server. This allows Q-Park to not only view live feeds and recorded footage from each of their sites in Monitor Center, but also to remotely install firmware updates to improve the security of their security solution. The mobile apps on iOS and Android devices are helpful for granting remote workers access to view live feeds with custom layouts when they are away from their PCs, in addition to email notifications.

Seamless integration of Synology’s AI powered cameras

Moreover, the integration of Synology BC500 model cameras into Q-Park's existing system was seamless, adding advanced AI-powered features without any additional license fees. These cameras complemented the third-party compatibility of the Synology platform, offering People and Vehicle Detection, Instant Search, and other smart capabilities for efficient surveillance and quick recording access.

Uninterrupted surveillance and data integrity with High Availability (HA) cluster for CMS host servers

Q-Park also integrated a High Availability (HA) cluster for its CMS host servers, ensuring maximum system availability and continuous surveillance. If the active server fails, the passive server immediately takes over its duties, guaranteeing uninterrupted recording and data integrity across all parking facilities. This highlights Q-Park's dedication to unyielding security.

The Customer

Q-Park is one of the largest parking service providers in Europe. Since being founded in the Netherlands in 1998, they now operate over 200 parking facilities across 70 cities in 7 countries, with over 70 sites in the UK. What differentiates Q-Park from other parking providers is focusing on making a positive contribution to urban life, utilizing modern technology at their strategic locations to deliver a pleasant parking experience.

Other than parking, they also provide services including EV charging stations, online reservations, and umbrella and buggy hire within their facilities, making them a popular and trustworthy choice among drivers as evident from their high customer satisfaction rate.

Transportation
1000-9999
United Kingdom

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