6 KiB
Verkada Proof of Concept Criteria
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The mission of the City of El Paso is to deliver exceptional services to support a high quality of life and place for our community.
Table of Contents
1. POC Goals and Overview 2. POC Site Design 3. Scope 4. Success Criteria 5. Stakeholders 6. POC Schedule 7. Next Steps
1. POC Goals and Overview
Document Purpose
The document will serve as the agreement between Verkada and City of El Paso as to the scope and measures of success for a proof of concept engagement to demonstrate and document the proposed physical security solution.
Challenges Facing the City
The City of El Paso is currently facing maintenance and efficiency challenges with their existing access control system. The primary difficulty is the time required to manage access permissions, schedules, and exceptions in bulk. This inefficiency results in significant time expenditure for the support services team, specifically Gilbert Alvarez, who must often drive to various city locations to manually configure devices that cannot be managed remotely.
Objective
Verkada will be working with the City of El Paso in conducting a Proof-of-Concept (POC) to demonstrate the capabilities of the Verkada Physical Security platform.
The objectives of this POC are to:
- Demonstrate the feasibility of implementing a modern, secure, and scalable access control solution
- Validate the ease of managing access credentials and schedules in bulk
- Test and confirm compatibility with the City's existing access badges
- Demonstrate the efficiencies of having a natively integrated camera and access control platform
2. POC Site Design
Description
The design focuses on two interior doors equipped with a Verkada Access Controller and Reader. Each is paired with a context camera to provide visual verification of access events.
The testing will utilize an existing IDF door, which provides a representative environment for typical city-wide access points.
Identity Synchronization
The POC will validate synchronization of users and groups from Azure Active Directory (Microsoft Entra ID) into the Verkada platform. This integration will automate access permissions based on group membership in AD and ensure that the badges of former employees are automatically deactivated. Single-sign-on through Microsoft Azure will also be configured for a complete integration test. (setup completed on 01/30/26)
Existing Card Usage
The existing City of El Paso access cards will be used for all existing users with access to the tst doors.
3. Scope
The scope of this POC includes the following:
Verkada will provide the following:
- Access Control:
- (2) Verkada single door access control panels
- (2) Verkada Access Control Badge Readers
- Video Security:
- (2) Context Cameras for visual verification of access events.
City of El Paso will provide the following:
- Badges for Testing: Sample badges mailed to the Verkada Austin office for compatibility testing. Existing badges are compatible with Verkada controllers and readers. Badge data is stored in H10301 format.
- Infrastructure: Power and internet connectivity for the POC devices.
Discussion Items:
- Command Connector: Evaluation of the Command Connector for potential integration of existing third-party cameras
4. Success Criteria
The success criteria for this POC are as follows:
Simplified Bulk Management
- The system must demonstrate that access permissions, user schedules, and door exceptions can be easily managed in bulk, resolving the primary pain point of the existing system.
- Configuration changes should be instant and remotely manageable, eliminating the need for site visits to configure devices.
Identity Management Integration
- The system must successfully integrate with Azure Active Directory (Microsoft Entra ID).
- Demonstrate Single Sign-On (SSO) and automatic user synchronization to manage permissions at scale.
Hardware Compatibility
- Badge Compatibility: The Verkada readers must successfully read the City's existing access badges (successfully verified by Connor Rhodes in Austin).
5. Stakeholders
The stakeholders for this proof of concept are as follows:
| Name | Title/Role | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| Gilbert Alvarez | Engineer Support Services | City of El Paso |
| Fred Saucedo | Deputy Chief Information Officer (CIO) | City of El Paso |
| Brian Munoz | Business Application Manager | City of El Paso |
| Benny Jimenez | Deputy Chief IT Infra. Officer | City of El Paso |
6. POC Schedule
| Activity | Start Date | Required Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery Meeting | 2026-01-22 | Verkada & City of El Paso |
| Badge Compatibility Testing | 2026-02-02 | Connor Rhodes (Verkada) |
| Site Walk | 2026-02-04 | Verkada & Gilbert Alvarez |
| POC Installation | 2026-02-04 | Verkada |
| POC Configuration | 2026-02-04 | Verkada |
| Admin Scenarios Review 1 | [TBD] | Connor Rhodes & Gilbert Alvarez |
| Admin Scenarios Review 2 | [TBD] | Connor Rhodes & Gilbert Alvarez |
| Success Criteria Review | [TBD] | Verkada & Stakeholders |
| Executive Review | [TBD] | Fred Saucedo & Leadership |
7. Next Steps
The next steps for this proof of concept are as follows:
- Complete badge compatibility testing in Austin (Completed)
- Perform the POC installation with Gilbert Alvarez.
- Test common administration scenarios with Verkada deployment
- Collect POC feedback from El Paso IT
- Present the POC results to IT leadership for approval
- Discuss the timeline for a potential purchase and full deployment