Featured white papers
Access Control System Planning Phase 1
DownloadHow To Lower Labor Costs When Installing Video Surveillance
DownloadTotal Cost of Ownership for Video Surveillance
DownloadThe Truth Behind 9 Mobile Access Myths
Download5 Surprising Findings From OT Vulnerability Assessments
DownloadMulti-Residential Access Management And Security
DownloadGuide For HAAS: New Choice Of SMB Security System
DownloadPrecision And Intelligence: LiDAR's Role In Modern Security Ecosystems
DownloadAre You Ready For An On-Site Emergency?
DownloadIntegrating IT & Physical Security Teams
DownloadUnderstanding All-In-One Solutions
DownloadTop 7 Trends To Watch In The Physical Security Industry
DownloadVerkada Workplace Safety Survey
DownloadHow Video Technology Is Transforming Loss Prevention, Operations, And Customer Experience In The Retail Sector
DownloadTroubleshooting IP Video Systems
DownloadMobile access articles
Zenitel, a provider of intelligent communication solutions, announced the launch of two new door entry intercoms: the Turbine Extended Intercoms TEIV1+ and the TEIV4+. The new pro...
Physical security is essential for a modern production facility, users don’t want just anyone entering the building or accessing secure areas. But what about production mach...
HID, a worldwide pioneer in trusted identity and physical access control solutions, announces the 2024 State of Physical Access Control Report, identifying five key trends that are...
Centrios, a new brand created within ASSA ABLOY to serve the small business market, announces their first shipment of hardware products to SECLOCK. Centrios is a cloud-based acces...
Healthcare security articles
Milestone Systems, a global pioneer in video technology, is at the forefront of the video security industry, emphasizing responsible technology innovation across its operations. Th...
Just like fighting against the spread of disease in a clinical environment, healthcare providers must mobilize, coordinate with interconnected partners, and apply sufficient budget...
MOBOTIX ONE is an extremely robust and maintenance-free video system 'Made in Germany' that impresses with both its application-oriented design and its high-quality components: fib...
ZeroEyes, the creators of the only AI-based gun detection video analytics platform that holds the U.S. Department of Homeland Security SAFETY Act Designation, announced a new partn...
Search for products
Search from our vast range of products (40,081)Featured products
Editor’s picks
These days, business is more collaborative, adaptable, and connected than ever before. In addition to offering new identities and access privileges, new applications and data also increase the attack...
Educational institutions worldwide increasingly rely on robust wireless networks to enhance academic pursuits, safety measures, and operational efficiency. The campus environment, a complex network of interconnected buildings, and the humans navigating them require innovative technologies to meet these diverse needs. The solution lies in a new wireless protocol that provides an ideal fit for the long-range, low-power connectivity requirements of educational campuses: Wi-Fi-certified HaLow. Wi...
In the complex world of physical security systems, standards can enable disparate systems to be combined to function together as a cohesive whole. Standards help to ensure that all the “pieces” fit together to create a clear, unified picture. More broadly speaking, standards also play a role in ensuring best practices are deployed in a range of security-related situations. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: Which standards have had the greatest positive impact...
In the competitive world of physical access control, Big Tech companies are seeking to play a larger role. Physical access competition Apple Wallet continues to stake its claim on mobile credentialing. Amazon One Enterprise is pushing a palm-based identity service. Google/Nest offers smart locks for home access control, with identity and access management provided in the Google Cloud. The entry of these big companies in the historically fragmented physical access control market is causing di...
Editor
Round table discussions
{##Poll1719556378 - Which is the most challenging obstacle to entering the government market?##} Factors such as stable demand and large contracts make the government market particularly enticing for security companies and professionals. However, entering and...
Suddenly, artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere. The smart technology brings a range of benefits to our lives, from streamlining everyday tasks to making scientific breakthroughs. The advantages of AI and machine learning (ML) also include automating repe...
The design of buildings encompasses many elements, from the practical to the aesthetic. Well-designed buildings should be functional, and they can also be beautiful and inspiring. But can security systems and building design coexist and complement each other?...
Latest videos
-
HID Powers Secure Mobile Banking For Santander International With HID Approve
-
Top-Of-The-Line Intercom Systems By DNAKE
-
Enhancing Government Security With Proactive Threat Detection From Wavestore
-
ABLOY UK : ABLOY Critical Infrastructure
-
Siemens Sony Partnership Accelerates Digital Transformation Through Immersive Engineering
-
IDIS Launches Efficient AI-Powered Security Camera Range
-
Honeywell: The Future is What We Make It
-
Hikvision Introduces DS-K1T342-E1 Series PoE Power Supply
-
ASI3A Series Video Intercom Function Call Room
Case studies
In 1899, the Texas Legislature authorized the formation of the Southwest Texas State Normal School, which opened in San Marcos four years later. At the time, the school’s mission was to prepare Texas public school teachers, but over the years, it has undergone several expansions and name changes to reflect its evolution into the major multi-purpose university Texas State has become. From its humble beginnings located in a single building, Texas State’s original San Marcos campus has grown to cover a 485-acre campus that is home to 267 buildings, as well as an additional 5,038 acres of recreational, instructional, farm and ranch land. The university added a second campus in Round Rock, which has grown from 15 temporary buildings to a 101-acre campus with state-of-the-art facilities. Electronic key control systems Texas State’s student population has kept pace with its physical expansion, growing from 303 in 1903 to more than 35,546 in 2013 – marking the 16th consecutive year of enrollment growth for the university. Texas State reviewed its security policies and chose the need to execute electronic key Anticipating major physical and population growth to continue into the future, Texas State reviewed its security policies and determined the necessity of implementing electronic key control systems in sensitive areas. Based on its size, the understanding was that as many as 85 of these systems could potentially be needed as part of this initiative. Aggressive construction campaign Texas State was faced with a particularly challenging growth-related issue in September 2013, as its freshman enrollment surged to more than 5,000. Like many universities, Texas State requires its freshmen to live on campus, which it sees as a tool for retention. That policy seems to be working, with approximately 80 percent of freshmen living on campus technically returning for the following semester. To accommodate the growing ranks of on-campus residents, the university has pursued an aggressive construction campaign, building a new residence hall complex every two years to house approximately 600 additional students with plans to break ground this fall on a third new housing complex. In all, Texas State spent more than $190 million on new or renovated buildings, with more construction planned into the foreseeable future. Update key management policies Maintenance staff members would often reach for the key to a particular building they needed to access With a large number of individuals requiring access to so many facilities, the university recognized that key management had the potential to become a high-risk issue and determined to become proactive in reducing that risk. Maintenance staff members would often reach for the key to a particular building they needed to access, only to find it was already checked out. They would then be forced to go through the time-consuming – and frustrating – process of determining who had the key last and tracking that person down to retrieve it. The decision was made to update key management policies and practices to make them more efficient and effective. “We’ve been especially happy with the KeyWatcher’s access and reporting capabilities, and the system’s reporting tools make reviewing events and issues incredibly simple,” Kyle Estes Associate Director of Housing for Facilities Services Texas State. Options for key management systems To combat these problems and increase the security and effectiveness of its key management, Texas State charged its University Police Department and other stakeholders with undertaking an extensive review of the available options for key management systems on the market. This exhaustive process involved gathering research from printed materials and online research, having discussions with current customers of the various vendors, and listening to on-site presentations from the companies under consideration. At the conclusion of its review of key control cabinets and systems, Texas State chose KeyWatcher Touch from Morse Watchmans. This exhaustive process involved gathering research from printed materials and online research The main factors that led Texas State to choose KeyWatcher Touch systems were its robust feature set and competitive pricing. The school was also impressed by Morse Watchmans’ receptiveness to its specific needs – a six-digit user ID, for example – and ability to implement changes quickly. Access to support was also a main consideration, so Texas State appreciated that the system was produced domestically by a company with a 130-year history. Enterprise management capability Of the KeyWatcher systems to be implemented, the largest number were to be deployed for Texas State’s Department of Housing and Residential Life, which provides housing and services to approximately 7,000 residents in 25 facilities. The department also operates a facilities service group consisting of 110 full-time employees and a staff of 170 building paraprofessionals. The department also operates a facilities service group consisting of 110 full-time employees Because of the personnel changes the department experiences on an annual basis, the system’s enterprise management capability has been a valuable feature, as have its robust reporting capabilities, says Kyle Estes, Texas State’s Associate Director of Housing Facilities Services. Having keys available in each residence hall for use by maintenance staff has made the department more efficient and reduced their liability; staff no longer need to carry multiple master keys across campus for different buildings. Centralized management features “Because the system automatically generates a log of who has each key, we’ve been able to establish much better employee accountability for key usage,” Estes says. “The ability to set a maximum duration that each key can be checked out and to receive alarms when that limit is exceeded has eliminated the problem of having keys unnecessarily checked out and as a result inaccessible when someone needs them.” Ease of use and centralized control parts fed by the system’s web capabilities All KeyWatcher Touch systems deployed at Texas State are connected to the university’s network and interface with its card access and email systems. The ease of use and centralized management features provided by the system’s network capabilities have streamlined the once cumbersome process of generating reports and reviewing incidents. One particular feature, the ability to access the system from anywhere, has made the system even more effective, Estes says. Earliest adopters of KeyWatcher Touch As one of the earliest adopters of KeyWatcher Touch, the Housing and Facilities Department served as a test case of sorts for the system. Based on the success the department has had, combined with its continued rapid growth and expansion, Texas State University’s 85-system implementation is ongoing. As more systems are added, expansion will be a consideration moving forward, but Estes doesn’t anticipate that being a problem. “We’ve found that expanding these systems is fairly easy and doesn’t involve time-consuming processes that could delay implementation of key management for particularly sensitive areas,” Estes says. “Overall, the system has been very reliable, and the support staff has been very responsive and regularly available to help resolve the very few minor issues we’ve encountered in a timely manner."
Read moreCompany in profile
Increase your online visibility and get found by relevant security professionals.
Upcoming events
Counter terror
- G4S Announces Exclusive Partnership To Revolutionize Frontline Worker Safety
- Delta’s DSC501 Stops Unauthorized Vehicle At FBI Building
- 3xLOGIC’s To Debut Its X-Series Edge Based Deep Learning Analytics Cameras At The Security Event 2024
- Break-Down Of Recent Updates And Threats In C-UAS Innovations & Technologies Impacting The Defense Space At ACI Congress 2024