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Shopping for Building Access Security?
JoeCommodore asks: "At work we are planning a new facility, which will combine a lot of departments into one bigger building. We think it may be time to forgo analog key access and go with access cards (or something like it) for physical security. I could see the benefits (we don't have to collect keys and re-do locks on staff turnover, selective room access, access logs, and so forth). Beyond this, we are pretty clueless on the ins and outs of such systems, so I am asking those of you who have had to shop, install, administer, or even just regularly use such systems, what are your thoughts, recommendations, or opinions? This is pre-building so we can do just about anything within reason."
General access at our work use have contact-less (?) cards that every single employee has. I really like the system since the card is the size of the standard credit card (not fatter) and works over the distance of about 10-15 cm, and not being blocked too much by the surroundings (e.g. deep inside the wallet) so i can keep it in there all the time.
The card is assigned a unique number (which can probably be linked to username in Active Directory or the likes), and all cards are administered in groups by a central database, so granting/deniyng access is a matter of minutes. The card reader is a small box (about 10cm in height and 5 cm in width) and can be installed on doors and turnstiles likewise. All data is transfered to the database on-line, so the guard-lady/guy actually sees who you are and and all the other necessary info on the screen in front of them (I finally don't have to sign in every time i go to work at night or on weekends)
For more restricted access we have finger-print readers (retina scanners were too expensive at the time of installation), but that is not for general access.
P.S.: From personal experience i think it is important for the card to work through clutter and not to have it take out from the wallet (purse, bag etc). At least that's the difference for me between the cards i like and the cards i don't like.
P.S.: also i had cards on several ocasions that were not working in close proximity to each other (overlapping frequencies?)
there is no issue with my network
I'm a security manager at a University in the states. We're moving more and more toward electronic access control for many of the reasons you state. As always, they wanted us to do it on a budget, but I feel we've managed to install a respectable system.
We use a product of a GE child company called IdentiCard. It's a low proximity system that will do just about anything you would like it to do. To activate a reader, you must hold a card within a few inches of the reader. The typical cards store only a uniqe number that is associated with a user account in the backend. There are also smart-card variations available that work with the system (there are several smartcard programming features in the control software). Making the cards is as simple as printing the card design, assigning the card to a user, then running it through a laminator (takes a long time if you've got to make several hundred or even thousand).
The backend of the system consists of an SQL database of users, cards, access groups, reader groups, etc. The physical system consists basically of readers, the data cables, per-building (or per-area) controllers which connect to the readers, then the cabling back to the primary server in our IT department. The cable they ran seems to be some proprietary bundle of wires, but they claim they can even do things like video integration and whatnot with it.
The only thing I have not liked about the system is that each user may be assigned only 3 access groups. While an efficient and well-managed access control policy deals with this just fine, it requires you to think ahead on what access groups you want. But then, you can also define as many groups as you want, you just can't assign more than three to any single user.
Identicard Home Page: http://www.identicard.com/
I would recommend a "dual mode" system for doors - one that relies on a card reader (something physical that the person would need to carry with him or her) along with a biometric scanner - fingerprint for example. The chances of someone other than the person you wish to grant access to having both of these is slim. Of course you need to weigh the actual security provided by these means against what precisely you need to protect. Compared to what you have now, what I describe is far more secure.
I was faced with a similar tast about a year and a half ago. I called several local security vendors and eventually choose one that provided a DMP Panel.
0 010:10053&IID=XR2500F-R
http://buy.dmp.com/dmp/Shop?DSP=30100&PCR=1:100:1
Now a new facility you want Access control, but A fire alarm system is also required, and hey what's a building without a security system ? this device was a combination of all three in one.
The panel is located in the server room, has battery backup and is attached to a generator circuit.
Alarm access can be through a keypad or tied to your proximity token.
Door access was setup with prox card readers
Central station hookup is via the Internet with a phone line backup, other options are available as well. Let me tell you with that Internet hookup for monitoring it's amazing how fast the central station gets the data..
I also purchased the management software so I can manage the users myself, set change access times, enroll new prox cards, de-activate users that left, can pull system and access logs at any time.
It didn't make sense to me to install 3 seperate systems and have to manage them when I could o it all in one place..
ymmv
Best of luck
far...out