Mechanical to Electronic Locks

University of the Pacific, located in central California, chose a new electronic lock system because it uses the mechanical lock hardware already present in buildings. Another factor in the University’s decision was the capability of CyberLock from Videx to work hand-in-hand with their existing online and offline card systems.

Robert Miller, card system manager at University of the Pacific, said, “So many of our buildings have historic significance so preserving appearance and structure was very important to us. No structural modifications or wiring were required to install the CyberLock system. To convert our existing mechanical locks to electronic locks, we simply replaced each lock’s core with a CyberLock electronic cylinder.”

With the new electronic lock system in place, each person’s key is programmed with their own individual access privileges and time schedules. If someone loses their electronic key, the key can be quickly deactivated. “Before, we always had to worry about the thousands of mechanical keys out there with 24/7 access to our buildings. We had no clear accountable way to know if these keys were lost or being copied and used by unauthorized people. (The new technology) has eliminated all these concerns and we will never have to go to the time and expense of re-keying our buildings again,” stated Miller.

“The audit trail the system provides is of utmost importance and has certainly raised the bar of security on our campus. It also reduces our exposure to HR incidents. We can tell who and when someone has accessed particular buildings at any given time through the audit reports. The system shifts more responsibility onto people when they know that every time they enter a building, it is being recorded,” affirms Miller.