DON’T LOSE SLEEP OVER ACCESS CONTROL

Are you scared of upgrading your Access Control System? Changing out all of your door hardware, card readers, servers etc. is a nightmare scenario and for sites with 1000's or even 100's of doors it is rarely considered an option due to the disruption of running and maintaining two systems in parallel.

Check Your Security can work with a data services partner that will allow you to migrate the backend whilst keeping all the existing door hardware, allowing for a phased approach to the system upgrade with a minimum of disruption and a much better option for business.

Are you scared of upgrading your Access Control System?

The thought of upgrading or changing is often quite daunting for a facilities or site security manager. Typically, there a number of concerns regarding the upgrade that may be forcing you to stick with an existing vendor despite the systems inflexibility, scalability, maintenance burden or cost.

Your system may have limitations in terms of devices per server and you may be running a number of separate systems that all need to be managed via separate databases and consoles. A new Enterprise Access Control Systems (ACS) can overcome many of the limitations your current system(s) may be suffering, but it is the nightmare scenario of managing the changeover that forces you to remain cautious yet not entirely in control of what you have; the ongoing resource burden required to manage it and the level of service you offer the users.

Your reasons for sticking with an existing system may include:

• The capital outlay for replacing all existing door readers and controllers in a single budgetary period
• Hardware lock in
• Maintainer lock in
• The disruption to the site having all card readers and controllers replaced
• Migrating the data between incompatible systems
• Managing your data source connections to your ACS
• Duplication of record keeping during the transition
• Maintaining business as usual for your cardholders during this transition
• Risk of service disruption
• Existing integrations
• Fear of change

Today Check Your Security, working together with a specialist data services partner can make your transition between access control systems seamless and affordable.

A typical system transition will follow these steps:

• Consultancy to analyse the gap and define the scope
• New server hardware installed containing the target enterprise access control system
• The provision of a limited amount of hardware e.g. a door controller and perhaps a single new door connected to the new system. (This is often just a licensing constraint)
• An integration interface is installed between your current and new ACS. (This can be provisioned on a virtual machine on and existing server, typically on the new hardware)
• Card holder data cleansed and imported using specialist mapping tools from a number of proprietary formats into the target ACS. This includes merging from more than one system.
• The new command centre for your ACS now manages your legacy system and all associated door controllers via the integration middleware.
• Any changes made on legacy control systems are synchronized with the new ACS
• Doors are now changed over according to budget limitations rather than all at once.
• Only when all doors are running on the new ACS system natively, are the middleware and legacy control system removed meaning you can schedule the changeover to take place over weeks months or even years.
• Throughout the changeover the middleware component permits historical reporting enabling users to report seamlessly across both systems for the duration of the swap out.

Changing out an entire Access Control System is no longer the nightmare scenario it once was. There is no longer a need to replace everything in one go, today the upgrade can run at your pace and meeting your budget. The return on investment can be significant when you consider the staff and business processes supporting your current system not to mention the service you offer your card holders.

Contact Check Your Security today to discuss your requirements in migrating your ACS and associated databases https://www.checkyoursecurity.com/access-control-management.aspx