EMC launched a set of services Thursday it says will enable companies to improve on-site security by combining user authentication, backup and content management capabilities with IP video surveillance.

The new EMC Physical Security Solutions line includes assessment, design and implementation services, EMC said.

EMC is also offering turnkey systems - with products from EMC and third party vendors -- that can help organizations better capture and store physical security data from company-wide video and network devices. The bundle includes EMC Clariion and Centera storage arrays, RSA security tools and Documentum software along with video IP software from EMC partner Verint System, EMC noted

Todd Pavone, vice-president of Global Solutions at EMC, declined to disclose pricing for the new services, which are now available. He noted that the company is targeting the many EMC customers that are abandoning standalone VHS tape or analog video processes in security systems for interconnected digital media technology.

Alicia Dunlap, information systems manager for the Kentucky State Fair Board, said her agency has been working with EMC and Verint since last summer to redesign physical security at two state-managed Kentucky Exposition Center facilities.

Dunlap said the state needed to find a way to link its video security with other network systems to enable quicker access to stored video to better safeguard against any unexpected disaster or security incident which may occur on-site.

"It's not wise to take chances anymore. With Virginia Tech and that kind of thing, you want to make sure you have adequate monitoring of what's going on in your facility," said Dunlap.

The state began the effort at its massive exposition center, where it has installed 20 fixed and pan-zoom cameras from multiple vendors and a 3TB Clariion CX-310C storage array to oversee 1.2 million square feet of floor space encompassing two arenas, horse barns, and a baseball stadium. Work on the system, which is not yet operating, is continuing, Dunlap said.

The board plans to extend the program later this year to its 300,000-square foot convention center in Louisville. That project will include upgrades from of VHS tape-based video security devices to high-definition digital video cameras, noted Dunlap.