Access Control Trends
Most people are returning to the office, and a shift toward smartphone-based access control is taking place. These are among the findings from Nexkey's second annual Access Control Trends Review.
Nexkey surveyed more than 1,700 people, 300 who manage office access, to understand the state of access control. Interesting highlights from the survey include:
- 91% of remote workers plan to return to the office.
- 85% of people returning to the office plan to return by September 2021.
- 68% who have returned to the office are happy to be back.
- 68.7% of office workers still use unsecure keycards, fobs and keys.
- Smartphones are the No. 1 choice among users as the way to access their workplace, yet only 9.1% have that option.
- 85% of offiace managers want more doors to have access control.
- The No. 1 reason holding people back from getting more access control is cost.
The report shows that the pandemic has accelerated a move towards the mobile credential. People are unhappy with the security flaws of legacy systems and want more out of access control. They not only want to keep bad people out of their spaces but want to support the return of good people to the office.
Download at https://www.nexkey.com/2021-access-control-trends-review
American Key Supply Releases App
American Key Supply released a new app aimed at assisting with purchases. In the past few months, AKS has been working to improve its products and services to help locksmiths and security pros even more.
The app, for Apple and Google mobile devices, was designed to assist security pros in making purchases from the AKS e-commerce website. The app also contains a wealth of tools and resources that will benefit the locksmiths AKS serves. Make informed purchases, register for a class or easily view the latest promotions and unbeatable deals, all from the comfort of your mobile device.
More info: www.americankeysupply.com
ONVIF Releases Profile D for Access Control Peripherals
ONVIF, the leading global standardization initiative for IP-based physical security products, has released Profile D, a profile that addresses interfaces for access control peripheral devices. This provides the market with an additional tool for building modern and secure IP-based integrated video and access control systems using ONVIF.
Profile D is designed to provide ONVIF interoperability for peripheral devices, such as locks, credential or biometric readers, PIN pads, license-plate recognition cameras, door phones, sensors and displays. These types of peripherals commonly require specific integrations between products from different vendors to incorporate them into an access control management platform.
“Users are increasingly looking to incorporate additional technologies into their access control systems for use in innovative ways, such as bar-code reading cameras for visitor management or video door stations for intercom applications,” says Patrik Björling, chair of the ONVIF Profile D Working Group. “Profile D provides a standardized way to satisfy this demand for interoperability, which can in turn drive additional opportunities for more use cases for peripheral devices.”
Further information, including member companies and their products that conform with ONVIF, is available at www.onvif.org.
Medical Center installs Aiphone’s IX Series
Aiphone has installed its IX Series intercom system, complete with a custom door station, at MarinHealth Medical Center, a state-of-the-art medical facility in Northern California.
The 327-bed, independent medical facility that serves the North Bay community, opened Oak Pavilion, a 260,000-square-foot, four-story, cutting-edge facility focused on patient-centric care and sustainable building design.
“We ended up choosing Aiphone’s IX Series, as we felt it was the best option to meet our needs,” says Nick Tournis, who was IT operations consultant at MarinHealth Medical Center during this installation. “It’s future-focused, networked and features an IP-based system, all of which are ideal for a state-of-the-art medical facility.”
Tournis says Aiphone worked to identify the best solution for meeting the hospital’s demands, and the IX Series encompasses all the facility’s different communication requirements and provides flexibility for expansion.
Aiphone’s system solves a number of major problems for the hospital, particularly in improving visitor and patient experience. In addition, each of the units in the new pavilion, including the emergency department, intensive care unit, maternity ward, surgical center and neonatal intensive care units, required a system that allowed doctors, nurses and other staff to travel freely between patient areas and waiting areas.
The intercom stations in these areas also provide video, which allows for additional monitoring in case of suspicious activity, and the ability to make duress calls in the event of an emergency.
For more information, visit www.aiphone.com.
Casino Resort Selects Hanwha Techwin
First established as a bingo-hall style building by the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation in the early 1990s, We-Ko-Pa Casino received approval to be revamped into a full-fledged gaming facility in 2017. To ensure the safety of staff and visitors, this also included a new video surveillance system.
“We were looking for a manufacturer that had a variety of camera offerings to give us what we wanted and that also had a good reputation for quality,” explains Lee Brown, lead surveillance technician for the Fort McDowell Tribal Regulatory Agency. The casino found what it was looking for with Hanwha Techwin.
The number of cameras available from Hanwha Techwin was a key differentiator for the We-Ko-Pa Resort, because it enabled technicians to choose the right camera for every situation. The range of options was particularly important when it came time to design camera coverage for the slot floor in the new facility. This area proved to be challenging in part because it was designed to be flexible and modular. The new design allows the casino to be dynamic in terms of where machines are placed. The challenge was how to ensure coverage of every machine even as they move around daily.
Technicians initially considered attaching cameras to the “cloud” ceiling, so they could be moved as the configuration changed. But, because it floats below a concrete ceiling, this wasn’t possible. The casino decided instead to use the higher resolution P series 4K cameras and place them strategically throughout the space.
Today, the new casino has more than 800 Hanwha Techwin cameras, including the XNV-8080R, PNV-9080R and PNF-9010R models. Brown likes the quality they deliver at low bit rates.
“The majority of our cameras face intense and volatile lighting changes against a backdrop of complex scenery with many moving objects,” he says. “Hanwha Techwin cameras and their advanced WDR [Wide Dynamic Range] technology can easily be configured to accommodate these conditions without sacrificing quality or producing obnoxious data stream.”
WAVE also helps operators with live monitoring. As part of their daily routines, casino operators actively watch a variety of events and occurrences, including deliveries and vendors on site.
“The layout system in WAVE makes it easy for us to organize our cameras into groups,” Brown says. “So, when an operator follows someone through the casino, rather than thinking in terms of which camera covers which machine or specific area, they think more in terms of the geography of the location.”
ADI Releases Mobile App
ADI Global Distribution has released a mobile app to provide security pros with a fast and easy way to shop at ADI from their mobile device. ADI customers can use the app to search for products, check pricing and availability, place orders and manage their ADI account.
The ADI app presents a modern design and has advanced features to make it easy to access the industry’s largest selection of security, AV and other low-voltage products. By using facial and fingerprint recognition, users can log into the app in seconds and expect faster loading times, improved navigation with clear messaging and product organization, and an updated navigation bar that has visible links to products and services.
Using bar-code scanning functionality, customers can scan items to find detailed product information and instantly check pricing and inventory levels. The simple checkout process allows users to choose local branch pickup or select the shipping option that fits their project timeline and budgets. The app makes it easy for customers to manage their ADI account and take advantage of time-saving features to check order status, easily reorder past shipments and make product lists by project or customer.
“The release of our new app is the next step in our strategy to transform the customer's digital experience at ADI,” says Laura Phelan, global vice president of digital experience and digital branch at ADI. “To help us get it right, we incorporated feedback from customers across the entire design and testing process to improve the connected customer journey. The ADI App gives our customers a fast and convenient way to access the products, support and services they rely on from ADI."
The new app is available for U.S. customers and can be searched as ADI US Mobile in the App Store and Google Play Store.
For more information, visit adiglobaldistribution.us/adi-app.
*****People in the News****
SALTO Systems North America announced the appointment of Preston Grutzmacher to vertical business leader - residential and Rob Wengrzyn as business leader for distribution.
Before taking this new role, Grutzmacher served as SALTO’s distribution lead and as a regional sales manager. He previously served as a branch manager for security sales for Anixter and has an extensive background in access control, CCTV system design and infrastructure design.
“During my time with SALTO, I’ve helped reseller partners grow, technicians commission systems and end users specify various SALTO solutions. I’m passionate about helping customers deploy access control while solving the problem of mechanical key management,” Grutzmacher says. “I’m thrilled to apply my experience and enthusiasm to the new residential vertical position.”
Wengrzyn joins SALTO from WESCO Distribution, where he served as general manager. He also has been director of learning and development for Mobile Mini and area sales manager for Datacom Products. He has held positions as director of sales, operations and training for Audio Video Resources and as director of sales and employee development of Electric Supply.
For the past 11 years, Wengrzyn has served as an adjunct instructor for Grand Canyon University, Northern Arizona University and Southern New Hampshire University, teaching leadership, marketing and business courses. Wengrzyn is a doctoral candidate in organizational leadership with Grand Canyon University, has an MBA from Western International University and has a bachelor’s in marketing from the University of Phoenix.
“The focus that SALTO has on continuously improving and advancing access systems is unmatched,” Wengrzyn says. “SALTO leadership allows their employees to own their role and results, and that is so refreshing in the modern business world. SALTO is positioned to grow this year and beyond, and I look forward to my new role and spreading the word and technology of SALTO.”
Grutzmacher can be reached at [email protected] or 470-559-8840. Wengrzyn can be reached at [email protected] or 470-393-0780.
Continental Access, a division of NAPCO Security Technologies, has introduced Michael Venoit as the new vice president of sales.
Venoit comes to Continental with a successful track record of strategically driving sales and increasing revenue in security and access control, having worked for several well-known industry manufacturers. Reporting to Stephen Spinelli, senior vice president of sales for all NAPCO divisions, Venoit will be responsible for managing the Continental Access regional sales managers and accounts, as well those of Scott Schramme, Continental’s vice president of business development.
“We are happy to welcome Michael aboard,” Spinelli says. “He has great energy and experience in the field and should be an ideal fit for managing the entire Continental sales team and developing that business.”
Contact Venoit by email at [email protected] or cell at 631-275-2784.
