Commercial Buildings Cover the Night Shift

A recent trend in the metropolitan marketplace has been to reduce operating costs by installing building-wide access control systems on what Etess refers to as Excel’s “strategic security partner” model.

“It’s an easy way to ensure minimal impact on the building’s long-term bottom line by reducing recurring operating costs,” said Etess. “This model allows a building to eliminate the cost of staffing the lobby with a uniformed security officer overnight and replacing him/her with an effective access control system.”

At the heart of the fully integrated platform sits the Pinnacle access control system from Sielox. This software provides total control of the entire access control network, plus the ability to upgrade or reconfigure controllers, readers, proximity cards and other hardware remotely. It incorporates agile methodology for software development. The company also offers backward-compatible technology to support its legacy products.

The systems incorporating such software technologies are installed at numerous midtown office buildings. After standard business hours, the exterior doors to the facility are locked, with the locking controlled remotely at the command center. Tenants who desire to gain access to the premises after standard business hours (the hours when a security officer is no longer on-site) must be equipped with an access control card and the appropriate access level (as determined by their employer in conjunction with building management). On presenting an access card with the proper authorization or configuration to a proximity reader at the building’s exterior, those authorized are granted entry to the facility.

Building security, however, does not stop there. Once inside the facility, the authorized cardholder enters the elevator. Only upon presenting their card to a proximity reader in the elevator cab itself can the tenant access their authorized floor or floors. If desired, the system can be extended to authorize access to only specified doors within the tenant’s space.

“New York City is a very complex market with regard to its security needs,” explained Etess. “What sets apart from other cities is the fact that most buildings are home to multiple tenants. This plays an integral role in designing an appropriate security system. It is not as simple as adding access to the exterior entry doors to the facility.”