SALTOs Access Control Lesson

ACCESS control on school grounds can be a challenging business. You want full functionality but campuses are vast, buildings are isolated in clusters of development separated by large open spaces, and door security levels vary considerably. These were some of the challenges faced by St. Bernard’s College which is set in extensive grounds in West Essendon in Melbourne. The college is a single-gender Catholic Secondary School offering a wide range of quality education to approximately 1300 young male students from Year 7 through to Year 12.“Safety and security is something we take very seriously so management of students, staff and visitors is crucial for the college,” says Jason Blakey, St Bernard’s College IT manager. “Our existing mechanical keyed system was proving ever more costly to maintain so we looked at replacing it by trialling an American security product. This did not perform to expectations as we needed a solution that could not only handle our present access control requirements but also take care of additional functions such as integration with photocopiers and library systems as required. “We needed a future proof access control system that had a proven track record in the education marketplace that could deliver 24/7 critical security protection,” Blakey says.The SALTO solutionTo meet the needs of St. Bernards, XS4 smart locks, wall readers and control units from SALTO Systems have now been installed, controlling access on 50 doors around the college in the main reception, office and administration areas, classrooms and IT centres. The external doors to the college are all controlled using the SALTO WRM 9001 wall readers which act as hotspot access points granting or denying access and updating ID key cards.Distributed intelligence in both the lock and the key to communicate wirelessly with PC based SALTO programming software that makes lock re-programming or re-keying a thing of the past. Both key cards and locks can be programmed to allow or restrict access to different parts of the building. Meanwhile, information stored in the key card can be transferred to a computer to provide precise audit trail information about where and when each lock has been used including the date, time and whether access was allowed or denied. In the field XS4 locks are specially designed to fit on most doors, and work with the majority of ANSI mortise locks and some tubular latches.The SALTO XS4 Access Control solution particularly appealed to St Bernard’s College as the number of card holders and readers the system can manage is unlimited. “With low cost user ID cards, automatic opening and closing, easy online integration into the existing IT network and future RFID Mifare multi application benefits, this scalable solution was exactly what the college needed,” explains Jason Knowles from local SALTO dealer, JAB Solutions.The solution uses distributed intelligence in the locks and cards to manage their access control requirements in a secure and comfortable way whilst simultaneously eliminating any potential problems with key control. The smart ID cards build up on-card audit trails through normal use giving complete control over access and enabling them to track the movement of staff and visitors through both the off-line and on-line parts of the system if required. This enables a complete access profile of each individual to be established and updated as necessary at the hotspot wall readers.It can also programme keys to allow access to specific rooms or areas within the college for selected periods only, with the doors auto locking at pre-specified times as required. And if key security is breached due to the loss of a key card, it can be instantly deleted from the system without the need or cost of rekeying or changing locks – saving the college time and money.””We are very excited to be awarded this exciting opportunity to secure St Bernard’s College,” says Scott Fraser, SALTO Area Development Manager, Australia, says. “The XS4 system together with its SALTO Virtual Network (SVN) technology provides 90 per cent of the functionality of a fully wired online system but at a fraction of the cost.”And Blakey is pleased with the new system, too. “Controlling access is one of the most important security issues the college faces, and effectively securing multiple rooms and building access has been an extremely challenging task,” he explains. “Our new fully integrated SALTO solution gives us the ability to auto lock and unlock rooms, set user time zones and manage and update access rights at will with none of the costs or problems associated with our previous mechanical key arrangements.”Fact file:SALTO Features and benefits:* Simple off-line installation is possible on any type of door, including those with narrow frames.* Virtual network capable through SALTO Virtual Network Technology.* User on card audit trailing capability for audit trailing via the SALTO Virtual Network (SVN).* Contactless versions compatible with ISO 14443A, ISO 14443B and ISO 15693 (Vicinity) and covering a wide range of mainstream RFID brands. * All communications between the carrier and the electronic lock are encrypted and secure.* The lock can always be opened from the inside (a single action panic feature works in conjunction with the relevant mortise lock).* High security protection via high resistance, hardened anti-drill plates to protect wiring and reader area. Additional protection provided by hardened axes and floating steel balls in the handle area.* Low battery power indication monitored through the SALTO Virtual Network (SVN)* Emergency opening via portable programming device (PPD).* Non volatile memory.

“Our new fully integrated SALTO solution gives us the ability to auto lock and unlock rooms, set user time zones and manage and update access rights at will with none of the costs or problems associated with our previous mechanical key arrangements”Jason Blakey, IT manager, St Bernard’s College