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Diamond Systems recently attained Gold Partner status with global industry leader in video management software, Milestone. Managing Director of Diamond Systems, Steve Snoddon commented, “We are delighted to be Northern Ireland’s sole Milestone Gold Partner. The Milestone solution is a powerful, user friendly Video Management Software, or VMS. It caters for the full range of system types, from very basic CCTV systems with a handful of cameras, through to advanced surveillance systems with hundreds, if not thousands, of CCTV cameras.”

In the several weeks since the Gold Partnership was awarded, Diamond Systems have already installed numerous Milestone systems to sites across Northern Ireland, ranging from small commercial premises with a small number of CCTV cameras to large networked infrastructures with upwards of 200 CCTV cameras

Milestone explained the significance of the Gold Partnership status: “A Milestone Gold partner is fully certified to sell all of Milestone’s XProtect video management software. Their product training combined with a consistent record of customer satisfaction, are testimony that they are fully equipped to handle all projects. They are able to utilize all of the benefits of the Milestone Channel Partner Program.”

Steve Snoddon commented, “The attraction for Diamond Systems was that the Milestone VMS is an open platform and this is crucial for us, as our customers have a broad range of CCTV brands installed. The Milestone solution enables us to integrate a robust VMS system, without the need to replace existing CCTV camera hardware”.

The Milestone VMS is suitable for use with analog or IP CCTV cameras, or uniquely, even with a combination of both. These features facilitate a rapid, cost-effective, roll out for customers with multiple sites, as even the most complex and varied CCTV network can be centralised onto a single platform.

Diamond Systems are currently installing the Milestone VMS as part of an upgrade to Belfast’s Odyssey Complex CCTV infrastructure. The Northern Ireland landmark is an extensive site incorporating the SSE Arena, W5 Science Centre and the Odyssey Pavilion, with a Cinema and Bowling Alley. Covering some 24 acres, the Complex houses three separate but connected Security Control Rooms. Brian Hughes, Head of Facilities at the Odyssey Complex commented, “The solution currently being installed by Diamond Systems provides a unified, user-friendly platform for our Control Room staff to monitor the safety and security of our staff and visitors here at Odyssey.”

Diamond Systems have also recently installed the Milestone VMS system within several Council sites across Northern Ireland, as a cost-effective solution. A wide number of CCTV camera brands are installed across the various Council sites, all of which can be incorporated into the centralised Milestone VMS being installed by Diamond Systems, including a combination of both analog and IP CCTV cameras.

Diamond Systems are Northern Ireland’s sole Milestone Gold Partner. To arrange a free demonstration of the Milestone VMS, contact info@www.diamondsystems.co.uk or call our Sales Team on 02890 207 207.

Cerberus Pro by Siemens was recommended by Diamond Systems as the most appropriate system to solve the problem of false fire alarms at a local leisure centre where steam and aerosol emissions in changing rooms were causing unnecessary evacuations of the busy centre.  Traditional smoke detectors often trigger false fire alarms in the presence of deceptive phenomena such as steam, and this can lead to repeated fire alarm activations.

The Siemens ASA neural fire detectors are specifically designed to eliminate false fire alarms in environments with highly deceptive phenomena, such as CO, steam, aerosols, or dust. The technology distinguishes genuine smoke from this other phenomena and is therefore the most innovative and robust form of fire alarm detection currently available in the market.

The upgrade of the legacy fire alarm system at the Leisure Centre to the Siemens Cerberus Pro fire alarm system will utilise the existing cabling in the building, reducing the overall project cost and minimising disruption within the busy Centre.

The upgrade will involve a phased approach by Diamond Systems in order to maintain full functionality of the fire alarm system for the duration of the project, as the Centre will be occupied throughout.

Diamond Systems are the sole Siemens Cerberus Pro Solution Partner in Northern Ireland. Contact us at info@www.diamondsystems.co.uk to arrange your free demonstration of this innovative technology and let’s eliminate false fire alarms for good with ASA technology!

Does your fire alarm cry wolf »

Learn more about Cerberus Pro by Siemens »

 

 

False alarms are an unwelcome occurrence, causing disruption to businesses, a drain on government resources and ultimately a tangible cost to everyone involved.

Last year (2013/2014) the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service recorded 7835 false alarms due to fire alarm equipment. Given that 98% of those calls were mobilized and the estimated cost of a mobilization is £3000, there was in excess of £20 million spent by the Northern Ireland economy that year, and that doesn’t even factor in the costs incurred due to business downtime.

So why do we still have so many false alarms?

False alarms can be triggered due to a number of reasons including:

• Exposure to highly deceptive phenomena such as dust, steam, aerosols, insects or even burnt toast
• Failure to update older systems
• Inappropriate design specification
• Change of building use
• Lack of regular maintenance

But what if there was a solution to eliminating false alarms altogether….

Can we ever really eliminate false alarms?

Simply the answer is yes! In fact we’re so confident in the solution that we provide that we are offering a No False Alarm Guarantee to our customers with the Cerberus PRO fire protection system from Siemens.

In the coming months, we will be sharing with you a number of stories, case studies and interesting discussions/blogs around the issue of false alarms and how they can be prevented. We will be looking at current regulations/legislation, your responsibilities, common solutions, and the dangers associated with false alarms.

We will also be providing you with a better understanding of what you can be doing differently and how recent technological updates have enhanced our abilities to detect fires more accurately to ensure the optimum safety of people and property.

#NoFalseAlarms

The ultimate goal of our No False Alarm Campaign is to help eliminate false alarms entirely. Therefore throughout Sept, Oct and Nov we will be using #NoFalseAlarmsGuaranteed across LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to help you follow along with all our updates.

We invite you to get involved in our discussions and please tweet us @Diamond_Systems with any questions or thoughts!

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No False Alarm Guarantee

Diamond Systems are so confident in the Cerberus PRO fire protection system that we offer all our customers a straight forward genuine No False Alarm Guarantee. In the event that one of the system’s automatic detectors does respond to anything other than real fire phenomena or a fire condition and results in the attendance of the Fire & Rescue Services, Diamond Systems are willing to pay up to £500 to cover the cost of the disruption including downtime and emergency services call out charges.

Learn more about our No False Alarm Guarantee including full terms and conditions here.

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More about Cerberus PRO

Cerberus PRO is the most advanced fire protection system on the market featuring:

• ASAtechnology – fast, reliable fire detection
• BACnet True Open protocol – easy integration with BMS, security, plant & lighting control systems
• Degrade Mode – ensure optimum protection & alarm functionality even in the event of a panel or software failure
• Full Compliancy with all relevant standards and codes of practice

To learn more on Cerberus PRO click here.

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On July 29th, over 200 people passed through the course at Dunmurry Golf club as part of the Annual Open Week ( 26th July – 2nd Aug), which is in part sponsored by Diamond Systems.

Each year the Diamond Systems team attends along with a number of guests to try their luck on the 18-hole course followed by a celebration and prize-giving in the clubhouse. Despite a bit of wet and windy weather in the lead up to the event, we were lucky enough to have the sun shining down on the day as we were joined by over 15 guests, who tackled the course (and occasionally the trees).

We would like to say a big thank you once again to all who attended from The Odyssey Trust, Harvey Group,  JBE Mechanical and Electrical and Dowds Group! Hope to see you all again next year.

 

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We’re excited to share the finished product of the recent refurbishment to the downstairs offices at Diamond HQ. Working alongside Whitespace Design Consultancy, the space was re-designed to optimise functionality, while giving the area a fresh, modern look which unified it with the rest of the building.

Strategic placement of a new workstation along with fabric desk screens has enabled the creation of  three additional work spaces while maintaining the open-plan office layout. Everything in the refurbishment was chosen to unify the Diamond brand with the wallpaper and fabric chosen to match our company colours.

We are very pleased with the final outcome, which in addition to these aforementioned benefits also helps the space reflect our core values including quality, professionalism and innovation, throughout our interior office space. Thanks again to the whole team at Whitespace NI!

Click here to see more photos and read more about the refurbishment on the Whitespace website.

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Tall ship festival

At Diamond we are very lucky to have an extremely talented team of engineers but it is rare that we have the opportunity to say that one of them is crossing the North Sea in a spectacular tall ship as part of Europe’s largest free family festival.

The Lord Nelson ship is almost 55 metres long and will carry approx. 50 passengers at any one time (8 permanent crew and around 40 “voyage crew”). Diamond System engineer, Gary, will be accompanying his wife as part of the “voyage crew” for the first 10 days of the race, leaving from Belfast on 5^th July until they reach Alesund, Norway on 15^th July.

We caught up with him before he sailed off to find out a bit more about the experience.

Q. Is this your first time sailing a tall ship?
Although an avid sailor, yes this is my first time sailing a tall ship, although it will be my wife’s third time sailing one.

Q. What are you most excited about?
The challenge of sailing a tall ship and being part of a crew of people from different backgrounds and abilities.

Q.What will a typical day on board the ship look like?
Everyone joins in and gets involved with crewing the ship – setting sails, stowing sails, keeping watch and even steering the ship, with the support of the permanent crew, even down to happy hour (aka cleaning the ship) and taking turns in the galley to help feed fellow crew members. The voyage crew is also split into four teams called watches who take it in turns for responsibility of the ship even during the night.

Q. Was it difficult to arrange a spot on board?
Everyone thinks the application will be quite comprehensive but you can contact companies that operate tall ships and book onto them just like a holiday. However, the tall ships races are very popular and the places on board can sell very quickly.

However, there is one very notable feature about the Lord Nelson which differentiates it from many others as it was the first ship in the world to be designed and built to enable people of all physical abilities to sail side by side on equal terms featuring wide decks, which are fully wheelchair accessible; signs in braille; lifts for between decks; an induction loop; and even a speaking compass to enable blind or visually impaired members of the voyage crew to steer the ship.

Today, the Lord Nelson and sister ship, Tenacious are the only two tall ships in the world that have been purpose built to enable people of all physical and sensory abilities to take an active role in sailing. Both are owned by the Jubilee Sailing Trust (JST). Since the JST was established in 1978 over 40,000 people have sailed with us. Of these approximately 15,000 people were disabled and 5,000 wheelchair users.

We wish Gary and his wife a most enjoyable trip!

As our favourite home-town hockey team gets ready for the 2015/2016 Season, Diamond Systems are delighted to announce we will once again be sponsoring The Stena Line Belfast Giants for the third consecutive year.

However, this year we have some additional exciting news to share as Diamond Systems will be the title sponsors for the Belfast Giant’s brand new cheerleading team – the Diamond Systems Cheerleaders.

There will be three squads in total: the adults as well as the Junior Elite (11-16yrs) and the Mini Elite (6-11yrs).

“We’re happy to be back on board with the Giants for the third year running and are excited for all that this season will hold with the launch of the Diamond Systems Cheerleaders,” says Angela (Financial Director). 

2014/2015 was a very busy season for the Giants who made it all the way to the Elite League Semi-Finals and 2015/2016 is looking good following a number of recent new player signings to the team.

Keep a close watch to our Twitter and Facebook feeds throughout this season for some fun contests and GIANT prizes! Until then we wish our ‘Men in Teal’  and the all-new Cheerleading squads the best of luck as they begin their summer training sessions.

 

 

Diamond Systems are very excited to be sponsors of the brand new football kit for The Preparatory Department of The Wallace High School, Lisburn.

New kits were also issued for the netball, rugby, hockey and cross-country teams with a number of other local sponsors involved. Diamond Systems have close ties to Wallace High School as Financial Director, Angela and Engineering Manager, Ian are both past pupils. Last week we had the opportunity to visit the school for a sneak preview of the kits and they look wonderful. The kits will be officially launched in Sept 2015 and we wish all teams the best of luck in the future!

 

Each year, IFSEC & FIREX bring together crowds of fire and security experts from across the globe. These established trade shows have gained reputation as two of the most prestigious of the industry in the world seeing an increasing number of exhibitors and visitors each year.

The 3-day event was held in London at ExCeL London Exhibition and Convention Centre from June 16-18. Each year the event attracts a range of local and international visitors with an interest in fire and security technologies and education, from installers and integrators to consultants and facilities managers.

Diamond Sales Manager, Philip, attended the event and was very pleased to see the whole range of new technologies including those from a number of Diamond’s global partners including Siemens, Axis Communications, Milestone, UTC and Commend.

 

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