Access Control

Cloud based access

by Mark Rowe

London Fields is using a cloud-based access control and video management system. The site is a co-working and private offices facility in Hackney, north London, run by Work.Life. Members are provided with hot-desking, meeting rooms, visitor greeting service and retreat areas. Work.Life operate additional London premises across London.

Vision Security Services installed ACT’s ACT365 to provide the client with unified management of access points and CCTV, locally and remotely. ACT365 allows the operator to activate doors and analyse their status from a web browser or ACT’s own app. London Fields can claim to be the UK’s first integrated access control and VMS installation running from a single platform solely on the Cloud.
The ACT solution was fitted late in the construction stage at the project since the client had initially used a conventional system but came to see the economies available from cloud management.

The software is allowing Work.Life to make immediate remote adjustments to a user’s details including updating access privileges when a lapsed membership is renewed. Crucially, ACT365 will also generate muster reports during a building evacuation, with marshals being able to see instantly from their phone or smart device if members have mustered out. This function can be used remotely if required.
Vision Security Services used existing MIFARE cards to activate doors from ACTpro MIFARE 1040 proximity readers. The readers are designed to enable multiple applications of cards often in office use.

Reg Butler, a director of Vision Security Services, said: “We chose ACT after exhaustive research. There are very few true Cloud-based access control solutions, and ACT365’s ability to synchronise access control events instantly to camera footage from a single platform means no time is wasted searching through video. This aspect may well be unique. ACT365 appeals to our end-users in terms of functionality and price point. They also appreciate being able to view sites and even open and lock doors based on what they are seeing on a camera feed, all from a smartphone or web browser.”

Local and head office staff for London Fields use an ACU (access control unit) in combination with a VCU (video control unit) within the same ACT365 software. As for the management of satellite sites from headquarters, London Fields encourages flexible work patterns by being available 24 hours. The VCU is operating with turret cameras from Hikvision which are giving 1080p images at 25 frames per second.

The product firm adds that on new-build projects the software assists installation engineers by diagnosing problems such as power supply and break-glass faults. Work.Life is now preparing for three more roll-outs at other sites.

David Moran, Marketing Director at ACT, said: “You don’t have to preach the Cloud now. People already get it and in this case the end-user actually asked for Cloud software. A crucial aspect of London Fields is that access control door events have a dynamic link to video cameras for immediate verification of what might be a threat, an innocent error by a user or an equipment fault. Triggering a video feed when a door event occurs is the ideal way of giving managers an informative view of an incident.”

Visit www.act.eu.

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