The Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB) in Mumbai, India, is one of the largest and most sophisticated diamond centers in the world. Over 3.500 cameras have been installed in recent years to monitor the trade, the building and the surrounding area. Milestone XProtect Corporate is used to manage the system.
The BDB is housed in a sprawling 20-acre complex with a built-up area of two million square feet. The complex includes two basements of more than one million square feet for parking and utilities and has a 24×7 state-of-the-art security and surveillance system used by a dedicated, well-equipped and rapid response team to address incidents.
70,000 visitors a day
Such a multifunctional and vital property requires a state-of-the-art security and surveillance infrastructure. The exchange has daily visits from more than 70,000 people who come from all over the world for the diamond trade and vital manufacturing processes that are located there. In order to efficiently run these activities around the clock, it was critical to strive for the strictest possible security and safety for people and property.
Highest standards
“We were looking for something more than security cameras and analog monitoring. The diamond industry requires the highest standards of security and safety, and with a more advanced and open VMS monitoring system, we are raising the bar for security standards. Milestone XProtect Corporate was what we were looking for to help manage the security of the entire property,” says Samir Jha, Head of Security & Fire Safety at the BDB. “The platform proved to be very user-friendly, not only in terms of installation and configuration, but also in terms of operation. It is open and scalable and meets every compliance requirement.”
Mobile use
Jha: “The best thing about Milestone was the openness and scalability with which one can connect any camera model or any other system to Milestone. It meets all our requirements, both locally and onsite, with high availability in terms of video data.”
The BDB also found it a great advantage that the footage can be viewed on smartphones and tablets. “The XProtect Mobile app provides direct access to the surveillance system. Through the app, our security team, which patrols every day, can now view, play and export videos, listen to audio clips and speak through the camera and respond to access requests. They can also receive push notifications about events that can be triggered when alarms are sent directly to a mobile device. Certain other features such as MAPs, Smart Wall, Carousel View and Matrix etc. are also very useful in proactive monitoring,” says Walter Crasto, head of IT at BDB.
Doubling up and integration
With a huge area to cover, it took the BDB about two years to get the 3.500 cameras installed. They are looking to double this installation in the coming period and integrate it with the access system and video analytics platform. Already, the system is resulting in significantly less loss.
Largely thanks to Milestone’s video technology, 100 percent of missing diamonds have been recovered in the past year. “There will always be people who want to steal our diamonds. But now with Milestone System’s open VMS, they will find it a lot more challenging. Even our lost diamonds will eventually be returned,” said Jha. The BDB is also contributing to the community by helping the Mumbai police monitor the road safety of surrounding areas using Milestone’s open VMS platforms. The project came about in collaboration with CSA Partners and Siemens.
