Vanderbilt Industries Buys Into Access Control Market

The Schlage Security Management System product line was recently acquired by a new company, Vanderbilt Industries. Vanderbilt Industries purchased the SMS, bright blue, and SEVMS product lines from Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies in August 2012.

The core SMS technology was developed by Geoffrey Industries, which was founded in 1989. In 2003, Geoffrey was purchased by IR. From 2003 up until the announced sale, the SMS customer base and support team were built up through the efforts of the IR sales, engineering and marketing team and an extensive network of independent and Schlage integrators.

This transaction is of great interest to both current SMS dealers and end-users, but also to the others within the security industry.

Locksmith Ledger contacted Mitchell Kane, VP, general manager and one of the original owners of Geoffrey, for an inside update. Following are the Ledger’s questions and Kane’s answers.

Can you tell us a little about Vanderbilt Industries?

Vanderbilt Industries was founded in August 2012 and acquired the complete software, controller and video product portfolio on August 31, 2012. Along with a loyal customer base, Vanderbilt also embraced a team of talented employees, most of whom have been with the product line for 15-plus years. Our focus is on long-term relationships that allow us to deliver the finest in safety and security solutions to our dealers and end users.

Vanderbilt Industries is a global leader in creating state-of-the-art security systems. We innovate access control technology by designing, manufacturing and distributing systems that make environments safe, secure and easy to maintain.

Products range from single-user systems so simple that they can be installed in one day to highly customized applications that fit the unique requirements of leading multi-national corporations. We provide security systems used in dozens of industries, including banking, telecommunications, finance, manufacturing, healthcare, education, legal, accounting, government and more.

Tell us about your product lineup.

Our Security Management System, (SMS), is a powerful, single source solution for integrating a facility’s access-control technologies, digital video, and alarm monitoring systems. While completely scalable, this enterprise system is perfect for large, multi-site or global organizations. It supports an unlimited number of cardholders and readers and provides unparalleled flexibility by supporting both online and offline devices.

For small to mid-sized facilities, our bright blue web-based access control system is a perfect fit. Its embedded intelligence design means it does not require special software installation or a dedicated PC. Any computer running a standard web browser can be used to access, monitor and manage the system. The system’s user friendly design makes access control simple. bright blue supports up to 32 doors and 5000 cardholders.

Vanderbilt Industries also offers video integration to our SMS and bright blue access control systems with our Enterprise Video Management Solutions. Our video systems offer hybrid solutions by supporting both analog and IP cameras, while providing the stability and longevity of a solid state system drive by utilizing a Windows XP Embedded OS. The Vanderbilt EVMS is a scalable video solution which can be integrated into the SMS or bright blue access control systems, or they can be used as a standalone video solution. Vanderbilt Industries provides end-to-end solutions including readers, credentials and power supplies.

What are the single-door options?

Vanderbilt Industries offers a couple different options for adding a door to the access control system.

If it is just a single door being added, the Vanderbilt Industries Smart Reader Controller (VSRC) is one option. The VSRC is an intelligent device with a modular approach that effectively combines the capabilities of a controller and reader interface into a single board. It communicates with the SMS software via TCP/IP protocol and can be connected to a variety of electronic locking devices. The communication architecture is capable of being fully networked, thereby saving the customer wiring and expensive installation labor costs.