Integration is the Future

After bearing witness to 27 years of progress and changes in the security industry, I can name one word that is synonymous with success in Access Control:   Integration. 

While the specific access control needs for a variety of businesses may be different, the need for a flexible, integrated system is always a must and is coupled with one common denominator:  The need to secure an environment.

Today, no one is safe, and no place is truly secure without some form of protection.   For many years, security guards were the only option. Then for  the past 15 years, cameras became the “norm.”  However, today, people can’t afford 24/7 guards, and along with watching their doors, they want to  “lock” their doors and “control” who enters.

It’s clear that integration is needed more now than ever before; And by integration I don’t only mean integrating with video, I mean integrating with “everything”  and when you start integrating everything there is good news and more goods news….

What ?  No bad news? Nope; and here’s why:

When you start to integrate multiple technologies for your customers two things happen:

1. It Differentiates you from the guy who “just installs” cameras or “Just installs locks”
2. Gives you job security- You cannot “BUY” integration on line, you cannot “buy” integration at the Big Box Club Stores and you can’t buy integration in a pre-bundled DIY kit

So now what?

Your customer can only buy integration from YOU: the service provider. And what is going to make you stand out from the rest? Your ability to provide integration easily, affordably and efficiently.

If you’re not experienced in integration, don’t worry. Through time-tested software and hardware, Keri Systems has everything you need to be successful, so you can differentiate yourself  from the rest.

I’ve watched the innovators and developers at Keri Systems respond to this need over the years, and the current systems offer an unmatched potential for integrating multiple technologies.

Whether a project has an existing infrastructure (such as HID readers and cards, Pin Pads, Pin-pads w/Prox cards, Biometrics, Facial Recognition , or Iris recognition, etc.) that needs to interface with Keri, or they are starting from scratch, Keri has it covered.

Keri also works very closely with other technology partners in the security industry. Currently, there are new integration projects in place for Bluetooth/Wireless Locks, Time and Attendance, Visitor Management, Video Management/Integration, Pedestrian Turnstiles and high-end Facility Intercom.; not to mention our already existing telephone entry, elevator control and wireless gate/parking solutions.

Many years of thoughtful Keri design and creative thinking means they’re not just an access control company. The push for integration and early adaptation to a variety of hardware companies, as well as software companies, means that the potential for flexibility and growth is endless.

In addition, Keri is aware of what the future holds and that both the integrators as well as the end-users want portable and “CLOUD” solutions.  Keri has you covered there as well.  Our mobile “On the Go “browser-based “Doors.Web” client is already in use and a cloud solution is scheduled to be released soon.

Examples of Integration: One System – One Software – One Solution

Often times, what starts out as an Access Control opportunity can quickly become a fully integrated Access Control/Video/Intercom/Telephone Entry System combined with turnstiles,  Gate & Elevator Control  Visitor Management and Badging.

Here are some of the best examples I’ve seen where multiple technologies seamlessly co-mingle and compliment each other.

Integrated Access Control for Property Managers:

Property Managers have their hands full. Whether they’re securing buildings and grounds, preventing illegal subletting,  or making sure there are not 10 people living in a one-bedroom apartment, they need an integrated solution that works hard to make their jobs easier. Among a host of potential solutions, Property Managers often benefit from an integrated mix of products including:

•       Keri Video Integration
•       Gate/Parking Control
•       Intercom
•       Telephone Entry

With Video and Gate/Parking control and Access Control integration, a property manager can verify who is (or is not) living in his apartment.  Illegal subletting will be eliminated and the ROI instant. The Video is recorded directly to the transaction at the door.

With Integrated telephone entry, the building’s security is heightened.  Whenever a visitor is granted access into the building, a full transaction is recorded directly to the Keri Software, including a record of who let the individual in and the time and date they were allowed entry. Then, the system can provide reports that detail when such events occur in specific areas or apartments, which is helpful when there is suspicion of illegal activity.

Integrated Access Control for Commercial Buildings:

In today’s World we are not only locking our doors, we also need to decide who can enter, where they can go, and when they can go various places. Owners and employees of commercial buildings have a great variety of needs and uses for access control, but some of the most needed solutions include an integrated variety of the following:

• Access Control: Along with City-approved proprietary Bit format, Keri readers come HID-ready, out of the box.  So when you get to a commercial building, ready to secure their doors, ask what reader their tenants use and/or what readers are existing at the front door.  This way , the doors can be secured using the same reader technology and only one type of credential is necessary.
• Visitor Management: You can help secure a building by having visitors enroll into the system, where they will be assigned specific access rights, such as where they can go and when. Visitor Management is fully integrated with Keri software. Whenever necessary, reports may be generated, to detail who entered the building and at what time,  where they went and what time they left. If an individual didn’t leave, you can track them by their last location.
• Elevator Control: Limiting access to specific floors as well as doors is becoming more and more common.  Elevator control is used for both the tenants in the buildings as well as the visitors. Elevator control, along with access control and Video assessment, is the perfect team of  technologies to record where everyone is. And all of these technologies can be seamlessly controlled by one easy-to-use software
• Video: Recording the video from cameras associated to the access control  doors  is essential to the security of the building  Keri Software not only allows cameras to be recorded directly, it also integrates with other VMS systems for a seamless solution. The recordings can be filtered to include:

• Access granted: who is allowed in
• Access denied: who is not allowed in but tried to get in.
• Forced Entry: video of the person breaking in.

• Turnstiles: Creating “lanes” of entry with turnstiles has increased tremendously over the years.  People “slipping in” or “sneaking by “ is now eliminated with turnstiles by issuing access cards that permit entry. When used in conjunction with visitor management, this technology can  to truly secure an environment. Access Control and Visitor Management fully integrate within Keri Software.
• Wireless Locks– Instead of wiring, it is often more cost-effective to use Wireless lock technology programmed from Keri software.

Integrated Access Control for Schools

Easy and Quick On-Demand lock-down is essential in school environments.

Complete lock-down can occur through Keri software or from a  browser by someone with the authority and permissions to do so.  It is done quickly and efficiently In these situations, when every second counts.

• Doors. WEB: when a global lock-down is needed you can use the mobile client to lock down; unlock; add, change, or edit card holders; and view live events remotely. It works through any browser and can have multiple concurrent users.  Emergency situations are quickly and easily managed by locking doors and changing user management rights if necessary. All can be done from outside or inside the building
• Front Door/Entraguard-One Video Doorbell: Keeping front doors secure is now mandated in almost every school environment. The new Keri Entraguard One doorbell system is a perfect solution.  Entraguard-One allows up to 4 cell phones to ring when the doorbell is pushed, at which time the school person can Unlock the door from their phone.  And if  the threatening individual is loitering in front of the door,  built-in motion detection can also ring 4 cell phones allowing for immediate manual recording (right to their phone) of the person and alerting security and/or police.
• Wireless Locks: Wireless locks from our partners are a perfect solution and a perfect “add on sale.” They are now a more cost-effective and efficient solution to securing an environment where wiring just doesn’t make sense, such as in classrooms, computer labs, science labs, bathrooms, dorm rooms, etc.  This technology is especially useful in older buildings that are hard to wire conventionally.

Integrated Access Control for Community Centers/Gyms

Community Centers, specifically Jewish Community Centers, have fallen victim to attacks by radical opposition.  There are many things you can do to help your clients secure those facilities,gyms or other shared spaces.

• Turnstiles can be used to ensure that the members can be allowed into the facility. Used to keep member entering specific lanes to present their cars to insure they are “current “ members.
• Access Control/Elevator Control: to control where they go.
• Video assessment to record entry
• Video Doorbells to let visitors in: Especially useful in day care centers
• Wireless locks: exercise facilities, classrooms,  bathrooms, etc.

Protect Your Customers Through Integration

Keri can help you protect your customers and formulate the best-tailored integrated solution for their needs.  Keri’s award-winning technical support, along with our team on the street, is there to design, support and train you AND your customer.

Let’s bring back what it truly means to service our customers by supplying them with the best solution and integration they need to protect their families, friends and employees.

One System – One Software – One Solution

Keeping

Everything

Really

Integrated.

Peggy Caruso is the Founder and CEO of XtraSales.  She has been in the Security Industry for over 27 years and has worked with Keri Systems for 22  years. Her longevity with the manufacturers she represents, proves her ability to maintain a territory, grow the business and has gained her tremendous respect in the industry.