Australian shopping mall operator locks down back-of-house operations with high tech

Editor / Provider: Morse Watchmans | Updated: 4/29/2013 | Article type: Commercial Markets

At Westfield Shopping Centers throughout Australia, the organization has implemented a key control and management solution with fingerprint biometrics that allows pre-approved personnel streamlined access to and from authorized center locations with comprehensive monitoring and report functionality. The solution is based on Morse Watchmans' key control and management system integrated with the National Work Authorization and Induction Training (NoWAIT) fingerprint recognition system, and was rolled out in shopping centers throughout Australia since late 2012.

Developed for Westfield by Blue Glue, an Australian system integrator, and their technology partner Morse Australia, the biometric security system known as contractor and visitor validation system seamlessly integrates with existing key control and management system for secure issuance of keys to pre-authorized individuals while touchscreen video technology provides for safety messaging to staff.
 
"Key control and management is an essential element in administering the security aspects of a large retail property,” said Alan Jones, Director, Blue Glue. The integrated solution at Westfield puts together Morse's key control with biometric technology and real time, centralized remote monitoring for an optimized system to enhance the security of back-of-house and operational areas.
 
With the new system, contractors, consultants and others will no longer have to sign in and wait for a key to be issued. Emergencies that occur during off hours can be more readily acted upon because contractors can access keys without having to wait for property management to arrive on scene. Enrollment in the system is through fingerprint identification and a one-time registration allows access at any site in the program. The system additionally issues a durable identification wristband with the name, date and time stamp and all access activity is recorded for auditing purposes.
 
According to Jones, a range of Westfield properties had been using Morse key control cabinets for the past 10 years to store, release and track keys used throughout a property. With the Morse's key control and management system, each key is locked into place inside the key cabinet using a locking device which has an integrated chip, so a user can only remove a key which he or she has permission to use. The other keys stored in the cabinet remain locked in place when the user enters his or her access code or scans their card or fingerprint. In doing so, the Morse system automatically controls who is able to use which keys.
 
Because the key control and management system was designed for interoperability with other systems, Blue Glue was able to seamlessly integrate the NoWAIT biometric system and have control through their Blue Glue net enterprise. “Key control and management system is a quality product with an RS-232 communications port and the assistance provided by Morse Australia for the protocols made the integration process very easy,” Jones added.
 
Proof of concept trials were performed at four shopping centers in the Sydney area and, based on their success, the program was rolled out on a national basis in late 2012.

Manhattan luxury condo tackles unmanned access and key control

Editor / Provider: Morse Watchmans | Updated: 3/6/2013 | Article type: Residential & Consumer

Keeping residents and the facility safe and secure is a serious undertaking at the Promenade Condominium. For the past 17 years, management has relied on Morse Watchmans' key control and management systems to help achieve this goal.

Located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, The Promenade Condominium is a residential high-rise luxury condominium with 191 units on 38 floors. It is distinguished by spectacular views and full amenities including a health club and pool. The building offers an outdoor jogging track and a fitness center, wrap-around roof terrace, conference room, party room, children's playroom, billiard room, bicycle and storage room and a garage – all with controlled access. Building management holds keys for these areas as well as keys for each unit and uses the Morse key control and management system to secure, control and track keys.

"Holding the keys in the KeyWatcher eliminates any issues of unmanaged access," said Dominick Camilleri, Resident Manager at The Promenade Condominium. "The system works very well and over the years we have never had a problem." The Promenade's original key system was recently updated with the newer Morse Electronic Key Cabinet system, along with the complementary key control software to enable improved tracking of key usage.

Similar in appearance to the original, the new Morse system offers several convenient features that make controlling keys for a large residential property easier and improve accounting and tracking. Built into a rugged steel cabinet with highly illuminated key slots, the improved design makes it easier to locate keys and maximize wall space. The illuminated two line by 16 character screen clearly displays messages and user prompts for a variety of different functions, including removal and replacement of keys. The cabinet is wired with a tamper-proof mechanism and alarms can be sent automatically via email to designated managers.

The Key-Pro software enables Camilleri to monitor activity from any desktop connected to the network. He can also trace key movements by time, date and user code. The automated record keeping software can also help to reduce the number of man hours spent searching for keys or following up on incidents.

Marriott Hotel in the U.K. enhances customer service and staff efficiency with key control

Editor / Provider: Morse Watchmans | Updated: 2/1/2013 | Article type: Residential & Consumer

Luxurious amenities, ideal location, responsive service and fine dining are just some of the features of a first class hotel. First impressions can change quickly, however, if guests must wait in long lines when reception staff is slowed by additional chores such as dispensing and recording building keys used by maintenance or housekeeping.

At the four-star Birmingham Marriott Hotel in Birmingham, England, hotel management has moved to ensure an exceptional first impression by removing this task from reception staff. Now, authorized maintenance and housekeeping staff access keys from a Morse Watchmans KeyWatcher key control system, located away from the public eye. The system automatically documents all activity so management has an accurate record of who accessed keys and when.

"A lot of paper work and time was needed with the manual system of signing keys in and out," said Steve Hargreaves, Assistant Director of Finance at Birmingham Marriott Hotel. "By installing the KeyWatcher system, reception no longer has to manage this process and they have more time to better serve our guests."

The KeyWatcher cabinet installed at the hotel is designed with a biometric (fingerprint) access interface. Once the biometric information has been verified, the cabinet unlocks and keys can be removed or returned. Each individual key is secured to a SmartKey locking mechanism which readily accommodates both hard keys and plastic key cards. The mechanism features a built-in memory chip; data from the chip is stored every time a key is inserted into a key slot, providing a remotely accessible data trail for every key in the system.

Hargreaves comments that reports generated by the KeyWatcher system are very useful for tracking key usage and in improving overall operational and security procedures. He said, "We utilize various reports to trace missing keys, keep better control of assets and help ensure timely follow-up action if there is an incident."

The automated KeyWatcher management system cannot be manipulated or easily tampered with and provides the hotel with a safe secure method of storing and tracking keys. For example, personnel cannot exchange keys during or at the end of a shift because the key management system will notate that a key was not returned or that it was returned by another user.

"The system not only keeps the keys much safer than our previous manual system, but it also makes staff more responsible for their department keys," adds Hargreaves.

While other key management systems available on the market were reviewed, Hargreaves selected the Morse Watchmans solution based on a variety of considerations including price, performance and ease of use. He notes that the company's reputation for quality and service also was a leading factor.

Medical Facility in Columbia Installs Morse Watchmans Access Control Solution

Editor / Provider: Morse Watchmans | Updated: 3/15/2012 | Article type: Commercial Markets

Palmetto Health Richland medical facility in Columbia, South Carolina is known for high quality medical care and an expert clinical staff. The facility's intelligent design and practices include a sophisticated access control system using the Morse Watchmans key control and management solution.

The many buildings located on the campus are each equipped with a card-based access control system to control entry and exit activity; employees enter buildings and/or areas using their pre-authorized access cards. Security management has specially programmed master access control card keys that allow entry to all areas secured by the card access system. To safely secure these master access control keys when not in use and to automate the transaction management, the hospital uses the Morse Watchmans system.

The keys are held in a Morse Watchmans cabinet that can only be opened by individuals who have been pre-programmed into the system. To open the cabinet and access a key, the individual enters their authorized code and then presents their card access identification badge to the built-in proximity reader. If the criteria entered matches the information stored in the system database, the key cabinet will unlock and the necessary key can be removed or returned. The computerized system automatically records the access activity of each transaction, including user, date and time of checkout/return.

“The previous manual system was simply too ineffective and labor intensive. Both security and engineering kept and managed keys but neither had full ownership of the entire process,” said Henry Simons, Director of Security and Volunteer Services for Palmetto Health. “The Morse Watchmans system resolved the problem. Each department installed a Morse Watchmans cabinet with automated tracking that allows us to control the keys assigned to our individual departments. We can now hold individuals accountable for a key and thereby lessen the risk of our master system being compromised.”

The hospital custom designed the system to include the two-step entry process as well as allow integration of the Morse Watchmans system with its card access system. Any time the Morse Watchmans cabinet is accessed, the activity pops up on the access control system screen and anything out of the ordinary is immediately identified.

2008 Product Focus: Access Control

Editor / Provider: a&s International | Updated: 10/16/2008 | Article type: Hot Topics

The 2008 Product Focus feature spotlights the most representative technology available. For 2008, instead of selecting a single product to cover, we invited security providers to submit their most innovative products, along with their best-selling ones.


Access Control
Key Watcher from Morse Watchmans, a key management system, received the most points for an integrated access control solution. The emergence of convergence was clear from the judges' votes, as the unit can be integrated with several access devices, ranging from keypads to fingerprint readers.


Tallo of ADI gave full grades to four of the 13 access control products. The HID Global SmartID ISO14443 (13.56MHz) MIFARE/DESFire Reader or Reader/Writer can read all formats of MIFARE and DESFire contactless credentials, making it compatible with third-party products.


Another top pick of Tallo's was the Galaxy Dimension Integrated Intrusion and Access Control Solution from Honeywell Security and Communications. Galaxy Dimension includes TouchCenter, a graphical keypad featuring an intuitive menu and a color touch screen, designed for easy interface with other building systems.


Tallo also picked Nedap's TRANSIT Entry, a reader capable of reading long-range RFID tags up to 4 meters (12 feet) away, making it ideal for high security areas or parking applications.


Pelco, a newcomer to the access control scene, received high marks from Tallo for the Intelli-M PoE-Enabled Door Controller System. It was previously offered through Integral, another Schneider Electric subsidiary. The system provides access control and alarm services, saving wiring costs for each door by using Cat 5E or 6 cables for communication and power.


                                                            Biometrics
Asia managed to nab top scores, with Korea's IDTECK LX007 being one of the judges' favorites. The fingerprint reader stores up to 4,000 users and comes with time and attendance software.


John gave his highest score to the Sign Assured SignHear, which verifies users by the sounds produced by their signatures.


Thompson ranked the Privaris plusID 75 highest for the biometric products. The fingerprint token includes a built-in reader and contactless smart card technology, allowing it to be recognized either as a smart card or with encrypted Bluetooth technology.


Software
Out of the 11 entries, no clear victor emerged from the scores. Genetec and Milestone were tied neck and neck, earning highest judge scores though not necessarily full marks from John, Thompson and Freschi. The AutoVu Mobile solution identifies vehicles, with license plate recognition, at speeds of up to 225 kilometers per hour (140 miles per hour).


The XProtect Corporate video management system scales for unlimited clients and cameras, along with supporting third-party systems and analytics.


Thompson recognized the IndigoVision Control Center V3.10 - IP Video and Alarm Management Software, capable of integrating signals from systems including intrusion, access control, fire, building management, HVAC and process control. The solution was "technology-packed with both IP video management and command and control features built into a single application."


John's top marks went to the Aimetis Symphony, an intelligent surveillance platform with video analytics and smart search functions.


Another solution winning John's top scores was the CNL IPSecurityCenter, enabling physical and logical security integration. IPSecurityCenter can control surveillance equipment, intrusion alarms, fire alarms, access control, personal alarms, building management systems, digital recording and business systems.