Steven Van Till, President and COO of Brivo Systems recently made the presentation “Taking access control beyond its Boundaries with IP” at the IPUserGroup USA – Boston event. He shows how with an IP Infrastructure and a little creativity one can take access control far beyond its traditional boundaries in the security world.
With the introduction of Web-hosted access control, it is now possible to leverage existing access systems by connecting them to the vast information services available on the Internet. Web-hosted access control service can provide a single point of integration that can be shared across thousands of accounts, sites, and control panels. This integration enables access control, device management, and other systems to ‘listen’ and respond to data such as weather conditions, public service announcements, and much more.
Accessing data in this manner allows municipalities, schools, and businesses to address or respond to changing conditions. The same techniques can be applied to corporate data sources such as HR systems and automated kiosks.
Brivo’s Service Oriented Security Infrastructure™ (SOSI) enables such transfer of information between very diverse systems. SOSI uses Brivo’s XML API to exchange data in the XML standard so both systems can ‘understand’ one another. This can include a classic example of a Human Resources system such as PeopleSoft™
passing information to the access control system. New employees are automatically assigned proper credentials, and terminated employees have theirs automatically revoked.
Integrating Web applications opens the door to new services, such as combiningonline hotel reservations with access control, so a guest arriving after hours can be assigned a PIN code to enter after the front desk is closed for the night.
Finally, the ability to integrate disparate services such as ID management, become a reality, enabling customers to build the exact system they need without creating it from scratch. The cost savings are great, and the capabilities are limited only by the customer’s desires.
Example: Hospitality
In this example , a resort property has a parking problem. With limited spaces and agents throughout the country making reservations, guests often arrive to find no
available spots. Credentials are in the form of a card that allows access to the lot at any time, even after the guest’s stay is over, meaning that former guests have access to the lot – and new guests drive in circles looking for a space.
A creative XML solution solves several problems. Agents, regardless of their location, can now book parking spots along with accommodation reservations. With such integration, the limited number of spots can no longer be overbooked. And the crucial piece for this project – no longer do credentials remain valid forever. Instead, a valid credential exists only as long as the accommodation is booked. Once a guest checks out, even if they keep their card, it will no longer allow them to enter the garage. In this way, parking is controlled to provide convenience to current guests, but it also opens up an additional revenue stream. By being able to guarantee a place for the guest’s entire stay, the resort can charge for the spot.
