Queensland University of Technology is partnering with Gallagher Security to provide safety and security, as well as facilities management, for 46,000 students and 12,000 employees across its 3 campuses.
QUEENSLAND University of Technology (QUT) is a major Australian university at the forefront of innovation and development in tertiary education. With a strong focus on research, technology, and sustainability, QUT has state-of-the-art facilities and equipment located across three campuses in Brisbane, as well as multiple remote research sites. With highly-valuable assets and facilities, open campuses, and a combined population of approximately 58,000 staff and students, it is imperative for QUT to have a robust yet discreet security and site management system operating 24/7.
In 1995 QUT selected Gallagher as its technology partner to develop and implement a seamless security and site management solution. More than 20 years on, this partnership remains strong as QUT continues to seek new and innovative technology to manage their campuses and simplify operations. Key objectives of the solution are to secure multiple campuses that have open perimeters, protect staff and students and assets, ensure quick identification and response to alarms from multiple systems and to streamline cardholder administration processes.
In a partnership that’s lasted more than 20 years, QUT utilises Gallagher technology including intelligent access control hardware and software to manage cardholder access and facility schedules. By integrating multiple systems – including emergency control points and alarms for temperature change, fire, and flooding – into Gallagher’s Command Centre platform, QUT can ensure staff quickly identify, locate, and respond to any potential risks on campus.
Utilising Gallagher’s systems improves administration time and training for QUT when it comes to managing tens of thousands of cardholders. The capability to secure and manage facility access, and to immediately identify risks ensures staff, students, and visitors are remain safe and protected on campus. Facilities management is another vital aspect of the solution’s capabilities. QUT’s 3 campuses have diverse physical environments which are essentially open to the public. One campus is situated between the Brisbane River and Brisbane Botanical Gardens, another is in the centre of an urban retail village, residential area and high-school.
“Each campus is a large open area, they’re not something you can run a fence around, and that presents challenges from a security perspective” says Adam Wilson, Application Services Manager at QUT. “We rely on the strength of Gallagher’s advanced access control system to manage staff, student, and contractor access in and out of our facilities”.
To do this, QUT has 1500 intelligent access control readers across their sites. With the readers communicating directly with Gallagher’s site management software platform, Command Centre, QUT can manage, monitor, and report on facility access.
“We have buildings that are open until 10pm and others that are accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week” says Wilson. “Gallagher Command Centre is very easy to use software that gives us incredible flexibility in defining building and cardholder access schedules, as well as providing reports on how and when our facilities are being used.”
The safety of students and staff is the number one priority for QUT and the university works hard to ensure they operate safe and secure campuses. Through Gallagher’s site management solution, QUT can integrate multiple systems – including emergency control points and alarms for temperature change, fire, and flooding – and feed the information in to Command Centre. Having one central monitoring platform ensures staff quickly identify, locate, and respond to any potential risks on campus.
“It’s important that each campus security team has a complete view of what’s happening across the site and receives information immediately on any potential risks,” says Wilson.
With tens of thousands of cardholders, all with ever-changing access needs, QUT requires a large number of staff to administer and manage cardholder profiles within Command Centre.
“It’s imperative for us to have a system that is simple for people to learn and use – Command Centre provides that for us – for the level of technicality that it has, it’s surprisingly easy to use,” says Wilson.
In addition to streamlining the administration processes involved in cardholder management, Gallagher’s system also streamlines operations for QUT. More than just a card controlling physical access, QUT’s cards act as staff and student IDs, are used to operate printers and borrow from the library and can be used to monitor time and attendance. Through Command Centre, audit trails are generated for quick and easy reporting on each card function.
As a technology-focused university, QUT continuously reviews and implements new systems and technology as they become available. To keep up with the very latest site management software available from Gallagher, QUT opts for an ongoing software maintenance agreement.
“Gallagher’s product development continues to go from strength to strength,” says Wilson. “We’re always keen to have the latest they have to offer.”
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