Photos: Fulham FC upgrades security system to add iPad support

Private cloud plus wireless CCTV enabling remote crowd monitoring...

Fulham Football Club has rolled out a new private cloud-based security system that enables its staff to remotely monitor crowd activity using devices such as Apple's iPad tablet, allowing it to cut its server footprint down from 36 to six.

The new private cloud technology infrastructure links Fulham's Craven Cottage stadium and its Motspur Park training ground.

Previously the club used a network of six VHS recorders and 27 cameras to keep an eye on fans but this stand-alone storage infrastructure system was costly and difficult to manage and maintain, according to Nicolas Pendlebury, Fulham's head of IT, as tapes needed to be manually scanned and cameras checked before each match.

The new wireless IP security system is built on EMC storage with VMware virtualisation.

The system's wireless IP CCTV can be accessible on mobile devices, such as the smartphone pictured above, using an app created by video management software provider Genetec. Being able to use mobile devices for remote monitoring enables the club to more effectively monitor crowd safety and improves stadium security, the club said.

"It has enabled us to increase the agility, speed and functionality with which the security team can monitor our sites remotely and safely, and new cameras can be connected to the network at any time," said Pendlebury in a statement.

The new security system consists of 63 high-definition cameras operating over wi-fi which record at a low-definition level until motion-detectors activate HD recording. The HD recording has a resolution high enough to capture a car license plate at 200 feet, according to the club.

"The cloud environment is key to the success of the new system, which we estimate will pay for itself in two years," Pendlebury added.

The new system's virtualised environment also means that should one of the servers fail, the service is automatically transferred to available capacity elsewhere.

The new system has been up and running since the start of the 2011/2012 season and was rolled out within "weeks", according to the club.