Page 36 - Security Today, October 2019

Airport Security
By Kim Rahfaldt
GVeorgia airport replaces proprietary system with open solutions
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aldosta Regional Airport in Valdosta, Georgia offers three daily commercial flights to and from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson
International Airport, along with general aviation. The airport contains three runways, two of which are used by commercial air- craft. The airport offers ground transporta- tion, free parking, a Subway restaurant and many other services, such as hanger space and flight training, to name a few.
Previously, Valdosta Regional Airport operated a legacy access control system. The proprietary system, including the readers, panels and software, was outdated, making it difficult and expensive to obtain replacement parts. Looking for an open solution, Valdosta Regional Airport turned to Allcom Global Services for their expertise and upgraded to AMAG Technology’s Symmetry SR Retrofit Access Control system with HID readers.
“Symmetry integrates into various video, intrusion and building automation systems,” said Kevin Cioffi, the vice president of busi- ness development in the physical secu- rity division of Allcom Global Services. “By choosing an open system, Valdosta has more freedom to research competitive pricing and alternative options. We are thrilled they have chosen Allcom.”
“We gutted all the circuit boards and changed to Symmetry panels,” said Tim Reg- ister, the operations manager and airport security coordinator at Valdosta Regional Airport. “We kept the antennas and how the data was transmitted. All the mounts stayed the same; we just swapped in Symmetry, and it worked.”
The system controls access to the perime- ter of the airport, including the vehicle access gates and all outside doors facing the Secu- rity Identification Display Area (SIDA). The SIDA includes all areas that have access to the commercial apron and tarmac. The SIDA also requires a reader with a PIN-plus-card swipe to open, which make up 75 percent of
“The security operators found the Symmetry solution much easier to learn and use, saving money and hours in training time.”
the airport’s readers.
The remaining Airport Operations Areas
(AOA), which are mostly internal doors and the main entrance, requires only a proxim- ity card swipe to open. Thirty-two new HID proximity card readers were installed in total.
To get the open system the airport re- quired, Valdosta Regional Airport replaced older panels. As the system changes and ex- pands, integrating different technologies or adding more readers will be easy and cost efficient.
The security operators found the Sym- metry solution much easier to learn and use, saving money and hours in training time. The simple job of creating a badge for a user was cumbersome and time consum-
ing with their old system. Badges are now created on demand and onsite, with no has- sle or extra charge.
“This Symmetry solution provided us a more economical approach to facilitate the same thing we used to do with a more expen- sive proprietary system,” Register said.
Airport authority employees, TSA, airline employees, fixed based operators, life flight helicopter and fixed wing aircraft are all pro- tected by Symmetry. In addition to the perim- eter, the solution controls access to all work areas within the airport and to the hangers located inside the perimeter fence.
Kim Rahfaldt is the director of media rela- tions at AMAG Technology.
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GOVERNMENT SECURITY OCTOBER 2019