Year: 2023

Genetec Inc., a leading technology provider of unified security, public safety, operations, and business intelligence solutions, announced that the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District (CFBISD) in Texas has implemented a unified school security solution with Genetec™ Security Center for video surveillance and access control and Bosch Security Systems for intrusion detection. CFBISD provides schooling for 25,000 pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade in the Dallas suburbs. The district comprises 24 elementary schools, six middle schools, five high schools, and three specialty program centers. The overhaul was the result of a three-year bond project to refurbish older buildings and update all security systems with the goal of increasing video coverage and door monitoring while implementing a standardized modern intrusion system. “There was very little standardization across our schools and facilities,” said Daniel Robertson, Senior Security Systems Engineer at CFBISD, “We needed a more streamlined approach to security. The upgrade wasn’t only about investing in a new unified security solution. It was a complete change of mindset in how we secured our district.” Today, the Genetec-Bosch solution has been deployed across 42 CFBISD sites, including most schools, administrative buildings, sports stadiums, transportation depots, service centers, and other facilities. At all locations, the team is using Security Center to manage nearly 2000 cameras, 50 door readers, and 600 Bosch intrusion sensors with Bosch G series intrusion panels. They also have video intercom setup at main entrances and are using Security Center to manage more than 7,000 cardholders, streamlining activation/deactivation. CFBISD has even given authorized School Resources Officers and district Police Chief administrative accounts, to help facilitate responses and keep all parties on the same page in the event of an emergency. “Security Center allows us to quickly investigate any situation across our facilities. All our doors and intrusion points are linked to video, so we can easily retrieve everything from one platform. And if there’s an alarm triggered, we can click on that event and immediately know what’s going on. All this can be done quickly, so we see what’s happening and address it right away,” said Robertson.  

New tech integration from smart spaces will enable Apple users to gain seamless access to their office at London’s 22 Bishopsgate Smart Spaces, a leading global provider of smart building technology, has teamed with HID to introduce an employee badge in Apple Wallet, offering a secure and even more seamless building entry for employees at 22 Bishopsgate in the City of London. By adding their employee badge to Apple Wallet, employees and staff in the building can now safely and easily gain access to offices with just a simple tap of their iPhone or Apple Watch. Following the initial partnership between Smart Spaces and 22 Bishopsgate utilising HID Mobile Access in 2020, all occupiers and guests at the landmark office tower have had access to a frictionless arrival-experience. Multi-platform QR access will remain available to those that require it. Smart Spaces provides a suite of cutting-edge smart technologies for workspaces. By utilising HID Mobile Access and building management systems, Smart Spaces constantly adapts to deliver best-in-class experiences to make daily work life more efficient for occupiers, employees, property owners and managers alike, while optimising sustainability and wellness. The introduction of employee badge in Wallet, which is one of the first to debut in the UK at 22 Bishopsgate, is the next step in transforming the user experience in a modern workplace. Unlike physical cards, there is no waiting time for obtaining building credentials, making building access for new employees quick and efficient. Once an employee badge has been added and activated within Apple Wallet, users can hold their device near a door’s NFC-enabled reader to immediately access secured areas. With Express Mode enabled, employees do not need to unlock or even wake up their device to use their employee badge – they can simply tap their device. If an iPhone or Apple Watch needs to be charged, employees can still use their device to access their office or amenity areas for up to five hours with Power Reserve. Employee badges in Apple Wallet take full advantage of the privacy and security built into iPhone and Apple Watch. When or where a 22 Bishopsgate employee uses their employee badge in Apple Wallet is never shared with Apple or stored on Apple servers. If their iPhone or Apple Watch is misplaced, the owner of the device can promptly use the Find My app to lock the device and help locate it. Gerald Grattoni, VP and Head of Physical Access Control Systems for Mature Markets at HID said, “We are happy to continue to bring yet another deployment of employee badge in Apple Wallet. The broad reach and daily touchpoints of digital wallets will truly impact the way we interact with the world, particularly in terms of convenience and security.” Dan Drogman, CEO at Smart Spaces said, “We’re excited to bring this new service to occupiers at 22 Bishopsgate and to be using Apple Wallet to deliver cutting edge and truly innovative solutions for our clients. Evolving workplace trends mean that we need to think creatively about occupier needs and what draws them to the office. Having seamless access to a building through a commonly held Apple device is a game changer and we’re delighted to be one of the first to bring this technology to London offices.”  

Safety has become a top priority for most organizations today, along with the importance of having an effective strategy in place to combat and manage emergencies and risks. With this in mind, modern solutions have been developed to ensure organizations are fully equipped to meet their legal and safety obligations concerning their onsite employees, visitors, and contractors. Why is Muster Reporting Needed? Increased on-site accountability is essential for a workplace with a high number of employees, and regular visitors and contractors entering their organization. In the event of a fire or emergency, having increased on-site accountability allows emergency response services to easily and quickly identify all persons in a building, whether they are staff or a visitor. This ensures that the rescue planning and management of the emergency is optimized at a high level, further ensuring the safety of all persons. Explaining the intricacies of the feature, Business Development Manager for Acre, Michael Byrden explained, “Once a roll call report has been generated, a list of all the users present in the area group selected will be displayed in the lower window of the roll call screen.” “Initially, all of these users will be given a status of ‘Missing.’ If muster readers are defined, the users will change status to ‘Safe’ as they present their user tokens to the reader to confirm that they are now in a defined muster area of the site,” he concluded. How Reports are Displayed? As personnel swipes safe at designated muster points, a missing list report is then made available on intelligent mobile devices which automatically update, offering a unique insight into the various stages of evacuation. The extensive reporting suite assists emergency services to pinpoint the last known location of missing persons or unaccounted individuals. This dramatically improves the outcome of rescue operations. “Determining where employees are located can be critical for knowing whether they are in danger,” said Michael, “That’s why a key security emergency is using access control systems for reporting employees’ locations, also used mustering.” What are the Key Benefits of Muster Reporting? Real-time on-site accountability. Optimized rescue planning. Real-time visibility for Emergency Response Teams. Regulatory compliance. Optimum on-site security. Robust reporting functionality. Availability of ‘last-known-location.’ Reaffirms your organization’s commitment to Health & Safety standards. Critically, it is essential to note that muster reports can only be successfully used if all users follow the system’s conventions. That is, all users must swipe in and out of all controlled areas. Moreover, if any person is still missing following the conduction of a muster report, cameras integrated into the access control system can be used to scan the building’s interior and exterior while simultaneously calling the missing person’s listed contact number by clicking on this information on the dashboard of the muster report. The Implementation Process Following discussions with OLS’s Founder and CEO Ollie Law, the common requirements for OLS’ clients when implementing muster reporting solutions are ‘health and safety compliance, process management, ease of access to a report, self-accounting for users for a swifter process and reduced mustering time after an evacuation.’ The time it takes to implement this solution is all dependent upon a site survey, but depending on the client’s requirements, it can take as little as a day. The beginning steps to implementing this solution with OLS involve working with end-users to define the risk assessment to ensure current measures are in place to determine the requirements of the new system. With regard to training and support options that are available upon implementation, the OLS team promises to provide training and support for the end-user during the implementation of the system with a dedicated project manager assigned to the client.  

The factories and manufacturing facilities are the hub of core economic and industrial activity helping to create a positive impact on the local economy, employment and manufacturing ecosystem. The security and efficiency are the key concerns for the stakeholders. There are efficient way to manage Factories by implementing security solutions. Solution Overview The factory is a synthesis of personnel, assets, equipment, and machinery. Therefore, complicated challenges arise frequently in a factory, such as personnel mobility and fire hazards. Hikvision’s Solution by Scenario for Factories provides more cost-effective ways to guarantee efficient and safe production, and property protection. Secured by our professionally selected products and subsystems, the whole solution can bring more momentum and productivity to factory operation. Vehicle Management The biggest challenge faced in factories and manufacturing facilities is the entry logs of authorized Vehicle entrance and exit. The Vehicle Management data continues to be the perpetual challenge for the Factory Management and Security Personnel. Challenges Manual identity check for drivers and vehicles can be inconvenient and time-consuming, as well as difficult to trace back when looking for specific vehicle records. In manual identity check there is always a chance for human error. Solution To replace manual identity check with Hikvision Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) Cameras can enhance the security by automation of the Vehicle authorization process. Thus, adding efficiency and security for Vehicle Management via hands-free, drive-through ANPR authentication and easy-to-retrieve records. Advantages Secure and efficient vehicle egress Hands-free, non-stop, authenticated drive through. Support for block-list alarm/ VIP notification. Operational efficiency boost Easy-to-retrieve records via ‘fuzzy’ license plate match. Automated alarm push for block-list vehicle and full parking area. Simple, adaptable deployment Card and video intercom in one unit. Adaptable in scenarios with or without attendant booth. Features Authenticated vehicle access using ANPR or ID card. Support for granting access remotely via video intercom. Vehicle records and parking statistics reports. LED display of available spaces and other parking info.