Government Office Move Indirectly Affords Integrator A Huge Sale
This integrator won a $600,000 access control install at an office building a government agency was moving into.
Earning money from government projects usually requires a VAR to have gone through the extensive process of filing the appropriate forms to become certified for government work. However, there are instances where government projects can indirectly afford VARs opportunities to earn sales revenue. For instance, in 2006, a government agency spread across a number of buildings decided to consolidate office space and search for a new location. The agency presented realtors with a list of building requirements such as reinforced walls, a proven security system, and a separate lobby. Suitable office space was found, but lacked a robust security system. IDESCO, a 60-year-old systems integrator specializing in safety and security projects, was contacted by the building owner, whom IDESCO performed previous security work for, to bolster security for the entire building in order to meet the government agency's security requirements.
Sell The Added Benefits Of Proximity Cards
IDESCO's solution begins with Gunnebo turnstiles installed in the ground floor lobby of the building. All building tenants were issued HID iClass proximity cards that communicate with HID R10 proximity readers integrated with the turnstiles. The use of turnstiles permits the building security team to regulate traffic, ensuring all people who pass through the lobby have valid identification. Since the government agency was previously spread across multiple buildings, its employees were used to a mixture of keypad, mag-stripe, and proximity card access controls. "Mag-stripe cards are easy to duplicate and inconvenient to use," says Andy Goldstone, VP of strategic sales for IDESCO. "Proximity cards can be kept in, and work through, a pocketbook without needing to remove it for use. Also, HID provides a lifetime warranty on its proximity cards."
In addition to the readers at the turnstiles, IDESCO placed R10 readers at various access points throughout the building. Nearly 100 readers were used in the installation, all of which are connected to AMAG M2000 access control panels. IDESCO also installed 45 Sony video cameras throughout the building. All video cameras are connected via coax cable to one of four Dedicated Micros DVRs (digital video recorders), each with 600 GB of storage capable of collecting up to 6 weeks of video. The entire security system, including both the control panels and DVRs, can be managed by any of three Windows XP security computers in the building running AMAG Professional software. The AMAG software is used to manage the database of card users and controls, sense motion on the video cameras and then automatically record the video to DVR, and view video previously recorded to the DVRs. IDESCO also configured the AMAG software to allow Web access for remote viewing of DVR video.
The installation took two months to complete and was challenging because IDESCO had to work around the current tenants without disruption. For this reason, much of the work was performed during off-hours. IDESCO also spent two weeks training the building's security staff and management on how to use the cameras, proximity readers, and software. Another challenge was convincing the building tenants that the proximity cards were properly encoded. "The government agency needed to be shown that other building tenants weren't able to use their cards to access the agency's office space," says Goldstone. "The AMAG software contains a segregated user database to ensure users of one group cannot access building areas assigned to another group."
The total cost of the finished security system was $600,000, but IDESCO has received and expects more as a result of the installation. "There is a chip in the proximity card that can hold additional information for future applications," says Goldstone. "In addition to a standard ID card number, the cards could be used to hold a fingerprint image or money for debit card-like transactions." In this case, the cards IDESCO chose were actually less expensive than traditional cards since the older technology of the traditional cards is harder to produce.
IDESCO has made the most of what began as a government agency looking to move its office space. The building owner has purchased an ongoing maintenance contract from IDESCO to cover component failure and the need for occasional service calls. In addition, since the installation, IDESCO has provided security services for several new tenants that have moved into the building.