Canada’s security innovator relies on Rogers Business
How Caliber Communications is modernizing video surveillance over the Rogers LTE network
It wasn’t so long ago that video monitoring systems were a complex addition to a company’s security, especially in remote locations. The idea of tying up resources to maintain a security system was often enough for companies to pay for 24/7 security guards simply to avoid the technical headaches of an onsite system.
However, the need to deter theft and oversee worker and equipment safety continues to be a reality for many companies.
In 2014, Alex Vourkoutiotis, a systems engineer and the founder of Caliber Communications, set out to develop a solution. “The technology I was working on was for the transmission of video over cellular that maintained a higher image resolution and a better frame rate while being very conscious of data consumption,” explains Alex. “The goal was to provide a method of transmitting a video feed from remote locations that would not otherwise have a very good infrastructure.”
“Our clients are getting huge savings in their security… and they don’t have to deal with the difficulty of maintaining an onsite system.”
Alex Vourkoutiotis
Chief Systems Engineer & Founder
Caliber Communications
Fast forward to today: Caliber is experiencing exponential growth. They are scaling operations to become a leader in video surveillance services across several industries, including construction and utilities. Only a couple of years out of the gate, Alex’s company had earned a sole source contract with Hydro One and have since added known utilities such as Ontario Power Generation (OPG), Capital Power, Enmax and many others to their growing list of clients.
Simplifying safety and security
What makes their solution unique is how connected technologies enable a live video feed. “We offer a good solution that is easy to work with,” says Alex. “We premanufacture units so installation is fast—we can outfit an entire construction site in a couple of hours.”
The combination of a quick installation time and cost savings checks a lot of boxes for Caliber’s clients. “Our clients are getting huge savings in their security compared to having guards on the premises, and they don’t have to deal with the difficulty of maintaining an onsite system,” says Alex.
Coast-to-coast network coverage
The chief competitive advantage Caliber has over legacy technologies is real-time remote video monitoring capability. “We don’t wait for alarm notifications to be generated and sent to a monitoring system,” explains Alex. Instead, Caliber uses a live feed transmitted over a secure wireless network to one of their operators, allowing for real-time action and preventative measures in the case of intrusion, theft or risk to public safety.
“We don’t have to worry about where we’re putting our units, or where our clients are located: we know we have reliable coverage across the country.”
To ensure uninterrupted connectivity and security for their customers, Caliber leverages wireless LTE networks. Alex and his fellow engineers designed their technology platform to work with any carrier, but after rigorous testing with several network providers, Caliber chose Rogers for a few key reasons.
“First and foremost is the network coverage,” says Alex. “We don’t have to worry about where we’re putting our units, or where our clients are located. We know we have reliable coverage across the country.”
Since adopting Rogers into its system, Caliber’s business hasn’t experienced any network downtime or service outages.
Connecting technology with expertise
Listed as one of Canada’s Top Growing Companies for the past three years, Caliber continues its rapid expansion. “We have clients from British Columbia to Nova Scotia, in the Yukon, and soon we’ll be in the Northwest Territories.” To ensure a consistent quality and service standard, Alex and his team continue to work with the Rogers team to ensure they have the network connectivity they need to keep their cameras recording real-time.
“Rogers helps us offer the most secure and reliable video over cellular service.”
For Alex, his company’s work with Rogers is not just about activating new systems in new markets, but also developing a suite of solutions that meets the needs of his clients. The relationship between Caliber and Rogers personnel was key.
“It was never about activating as many SIMs as possible. They took the time to learn our business, see how we planned to grow, and talk to us about what that could mean.” As a result, Caliber also uses Rogers for cloud-based security solutions, direct fiber into their office and integration with the Rogers multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) Service, which is used to prioritize specific types of data—such as voice and video, which can be crucial when it comes to protecting the integrity of streamed voice and video feeds.
“The MPLS is key, and they made it simple for us,” says Alex. “It was a really easy process because we had the support of the Rogers team. They were so willing to take on our project and help make it a reality—we didn’t get that with any other carrier,” says Alex.
The combination of the right technology and expertise has helped Caliber Communications scale to meet the demands of their rapidly growing customer base. " Rogers helps us offer the most secure and reliable video over cellular service,” says Alex.
Caliber’s rapid ascent within the security sector shows no signs of slowing. Alex and his team are confident that technologies capable of optimizing data throughput speed combined with network reliability will provide a whole new way of looking at video surveillance.
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