Case Study: LenelS2 achieves a breakthrough, scalable, low‑footprint embedded security appliance with MySQL

S2 Security Corporation Develops Breakthrough Security Appliance with Embedded MySQL

S2 Security Corporation, a Wellesley, MA–based developer of networked physical security solutions, created the S2 NetBox — a browser-managed, plug-and-play “security management system in a box” for access control, alarms, video and intercom. The company needed an embedded database that met three strict requirements: low cost, a tiny memory-only footprint (no moving storage), and full SQL/ODBC functionality and scalability — constraints that ruled out proprietary databases and had to be met on a compressed 15‑month development schedule.

S2 ported MySQL to an embedded Linux (Lineo) environment on an ARM processor, using the MyISAM engine, the MySQL C API and the ODBC driver to enable powerful predefined and ad-hoc reporting, third‑party integration, and secure browser access. The result was a cost-effective, zero‑client-footprint appliance delivered in 15 months that provides full relational functionality, scalable multi‑unit deployment, automated reporting and platform freedom — all at a price and footprint that proprietary solutions couldn’t match.

LenelS2

John L. Moss

President and CEO