Door controls may be old as the hills but they’re no longer ugly hills as security executives base today’s buying decisions on looks, expandability, low maintenance, higher technology and return on investment.

Hanover (Pa.) Hospital Director of Safety and Security Joe Bellino was assigned the task of selecting security components that would provide the highest levels of performance without going over budget. For Bob Perkins, director of safety and security at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, he sought a better method of automating and monitoring key control. For Sue Stacy, the City of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, human resources director, she looked for a biometrics system that would work in tandem with time and attendance software.

In addition, numerous access hardware makers also have freshened their lines through unique products, accessories and solutions.

Hanover, for example, is nearing completion of a $32 million expansion project. Involved early, Bellino was part of a construction committee comprised of facility, safety and security, finance and operations personnel. From past experience, he realized one of his bigger challenges would be finding access control products that did not require proprietary software and would easily integrate with the existing Honeywell ProWatch security platform. “We wanted access control locking hardware that was cost effective without sacrificing performance. A security platform was already in place, so we wanted access control products that would run off this existing system,” he explained.

Bellino immediately took an interest in the Sargent Profile Series v.N1 lockset. This integrated Wiegand lockset allowed him to easily expand the system with a simple panel interface board and no additional software. Access control information is transferred between the lock and an interface module using RS485 communications.

Hanover’s systems integrator, Security Services & Technologies, tied the locks into the security platform with little effort. “This allows us to monitor the status of the doors from a centralized computer system in our security office,” Bellino noted.  The Sargent technology can configure the access profiles of the lockset remotely from a PC. “The programming flexibility of the lock,” he stated, “allowed us to incorporate different functions to accommodate the individual security needs of each door.” The hospital has strict access control procedures and requires all employees to carry HID 125kHz prox card ID badges. Bellino explained that the device works with the existing badges and also features a keypad that gives the hospital the option of dual credentialing, which is used on sensitive areas such as the pharmacy.

On top of that, Hanover also selected the optional MicroShield antimicrobial coating.

KEEPING TRACK OF KEYS

If keeping track of your car keys or house keys can sometimes be a challenge, imagine what it must be like to have responsibility for the day to day management of hundreds of keys, all coming and going and being used by a multitude of individuals. But if you ask this question of Bob Perkins at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, he will tell you that it has not been a problem since the school installed a computerized key control and storage system.

“Our campus has over 3,000 doors and when we changed over to a patented smart key system last year, it was imperative that we implement a key control system at the same time because a manual system was just not an option,” said Perkins. “The Morse Watchmans KeyWatcher has provided us with a professional solution that has met our needs and more than lived up to its reputation for quality and ease of use.”

The school installed five units (three with 96 key capacity and two with 8 key capacity) and Perkins is particularly pleased with the online monitoring, updating and reporting capabilities of the system. “At any time, I can view who has keys out or who has had keys out and when,” he said. “We can add or delete names from the system through the network and it’s a very simple process. In fact, almost on a daily basis changes are requested and we can implement them immediately.”

According to Perkins, training was also a very easy process. Many of the housekeeping and grounds staff are non- (or limited) English speaking and the instructions for releasing a key from the KeyWatcher are no more complicated than entering an assigned code.

For the City of Tahlequah, it picked Schlage HandPunch 3000 terminals to track and manage the city’s 129 employees.  Eight of the hand geometry terminals reside on the city’s network while three remote locations use dial-up mode to transfer time and attendance data from the biometrics-based time clocks directly to the HR Department.

“The system calculates everything, including hours, sick leave and vacation.  It provides better management and tracking of our employees.  If a department head can’t find an employee, they simply call me and I let them know which clock the employee most recently used,” said Stacy.

All employees’ three-dimensional hand templates are registered in Stacy’s office where they are associated with each employee’s individual ID number.  To enroll, the employee simply places his or her hand on the platen three times.  From that point on, the resulting template of the hand scans and the associated ID number verify each particular employee every time he or she uses the biometric time clock.

SIDEBAR: Locking in More Protection

There are advances in access controls.

For instance, for hospitals, long-term care facilities and medical clinics that are experiencing problems securing their pharmaceuticals, Videx has CyberLock. It quickly converts mechanical lock hardware to a full-functioning electronic access control system. This is done by replacing the mechanical cylinders inside the existing cabinet locks with electronic cylinders. No structural modifications or wiring are required for installation.

With the solution, healthcare facilities will gain key control and the ability to audit traffic to pharmaceutical cabinets throughout their departments. An administrator can track access to sensitive areas because both the electronic lock and key store a record of openings and denied entries. It is this detailed audit reporting that makes the system very powerful. It eliminates incidents of unauthorized entry and provides reports of openings, and exceptions such as unauthorized attempts to gain access.

From Security Door Controls, SDC, it has a field upgradeable Emlock. Among features:

• Modular upgrade kits
  
  
• Field upgradeable without removing from the frame
  
  
• Uniform design and installation
  
  
• Identical housing, template and accessories
  
  
• Quick mount assembly

From DynaLock, it now has optional engraved signage on its 6451 Series Exit Sensor Bar. As an alternative to vinyl decals, DynaLock provides durable, precision engraved “PUSH TO EXIT” signage, featuring red-filled, 1” high, 1/8” stroke lettering.