INTELLIGENT ACCESS CONTROL
Universities are large and complex sites often with hundreds of doors and access requirements. But the latest generation of electronic access control products can offer the flexibility and control that this type of installation so often requires, writes Keith Carey
Increased security is now part of everyday life at most universities, and electronic access control is playing an increasingly important role as hundreds, and sometimes thousands of students, staff and their equipment require protection against the threat of theft, vandalism and unauthorised access. To deliver this whilst ensuring a balanced and open learning environment where everyone can continue to move smoothly around campus, a security system must be able to both implement and accommodate the individual requirements of diverse end users in order to provide the most secure surroundings possible.
When it comes to security, access control often as part of an integrated package, is now an essential part of everyone’s life on campus. It provides a means of authenticating identity, securing valuable assets, retaining important and sensitive information and ensuring personnel security. So why do campuses need access control as part of their security?
Traditionally universities are very open places, with students, staff and visitors moving freely around the campus and where liberty in all its aspects, including freedom of movement, is crucial. Access control, therefore, is usually an all- embracing title applied to many integrated and dynamic areas such as personnel identification (students, professors and staff), building and door access, communications, biometric security, IT/computer/laboratory access and security and fire prevention/protection. The trick is to find a balance between preserving the freedom of movement whilst protecting people and goods through the use of a highly flexible locking system.
The main security issue in almost all places of further education is key control. By using ‘old fashioned’ mechanical locks and keys that are cumbersome to control, time consuming and expensive to replace if key security is breached, users can leave themselves open to a range of potential problems. And of these there is one particular problem; mechanical keys are easy to copy with no questions asked.
So what’s the solution? Access control in its traditional (hardwired) form is only a practical answer for a very small number of doors, as the complexity of installation and sheer volume of wiring usually make it a prohibitively expensive option. As an alternative campuses want a solution that can cope with as many doors as possible, ie for student housing, main entranceways, lecture facilities and other parts of the campus etc, but they want it at affordable prices as their number one priority, security issues aside is, and will always be investing in educational resources.
Features and benefits
What are the special features universities should look for in a competent access control system? One of the main objectives of a good access control system should always be to reduce the time needed to manage it, without any loss of functionality, flexibility, control or security.
To achieve this most campuses will need a central access management software system that can control access activities from several different work places, or even different faculties, with all the access doors being either on-line or stand alone. The software should also have a user friendly GUI (Graphical User Interface) enabling it to increase security across campus while at the same time reducing the management time that needs to be dedicated to it. Some campuses will also require integration with other software systems or databases and lately multi-application campus cards have also become increasingly popular.
But stand-alone access control in its simplest form is not sufficient anymore. Most campuses now want a system to also form part of an overall integrated ‘security’ package. This makes sense when you consider the size of some installations.
As well as CCTV and perimeter security, some campuses can have literally thousands of wire-free networked access control doors supporting huge numbers of users. If a campus tried to control so many doors using early versions of the simpler electronic stand-alone locks (or even some of the cheap Chinese models available on the market now) a security manager would still need to physically walk to each of the doors in person to add or delete users. Or each time they needed to change the access profile of a user they would need that individual to report to the security office to re-configure their access card.
Clearly this is inconvenient and unacceptable. That’s why the earlier electronic stand-alone locks struggled to gain acceptance over the mechanical locks they were designed to replace. Yes the new locks were stand-alone, but their programming still had to be done manually so for many users there were not enough advantages to justify a switch from mechanical locking. That has changed with the introduction of new electronic lock and software developments.
Now stand-alone also means networked. Software such as virtual networks from companies such as SALTO Systems use the concept of distributed intelligence, where through use of highly secure read/write cards and on-line ‘hot spots’, the access control system allows users to make all the changes they want while eliminating the need to physically around campus updating locks with a hand held programmer – it can all be done from the comfort of a desk with just a few clicks of a computer mouse.
Such software is also powerful, capable of managing up to 60,000 users and 60,000 doors in a single system and it also eliminates the need to replace locks if key security is breached. Cards can simply be updated, restricted or deleted remotely.
Installation requirements
So given all the above what particular problems, if any, do campuses face when installing an access control system? On the hardware side the most common problem is that every door is different, but what most campuses will want is that the installer makes as little alteration to the physical structure of the door as possible. Therefore it is important to select an access control specialist that has a range of solutions available suitable for a variety of door types – electronic handle sets for most doors and electronic cylinders for others.
On the software side prior to installation decisions will also need to be made about how and where the system is controlled. A popular way to do this is via departmental operators. This allows each faculty on campus to individually manage their own doors and users, while other doors and users can be simultaneously shared with other faculties, for example main entrance doors etc. This provides maximum security for each faculty with the convenience and flexibility of shared control of main access points.
Most installations are typically the result of a decision to upgrade security from a mechanical system to an electronic one, and usually this can be achieved without the need to change locks and with a minimum of installation issues. Keyed systems only grant YES or NO access. Electronic access control let’s you choose YES today, but NO after 6 pm tomorrow and access ONLY between 10 am and 12 pm on Saturdays if that’s what you want.
Future trends
So having made the decision to upgrade from a mechanical key system to electronic access control, most campuses as befits their further education status have learned quickly and are now making increasingly complex demands of their security systems, ensuring manufacturers have to keep innovating to deliver the products and integrated software capabilities required if they are to win business in this market. For it is only by listening that manufacturers can strive to make their systems even better adapted to suit their customer’s needs.
Such developments include totally wireless WIFI systems now being introduced and before long the implementation of NFC (Near Field Communication) technology that will enable the use of mobile phones as interactive access devices removing the need for traditional access cards. These and other developments will have a huge impact for access control ensuring that smart access on campus has an exciting future ahead of it.
 Keith Carey is UK marketing manager for access control specialists Salto Systems. For more information visit: www.saltosystems.com
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