Page 75 - Security Today, April 2021

and visitors and making their lives easier and more efficient. The trend in access control is that any investment should offer both allevi- ation from the spread of COVID-19 and a clear security benefit — both a today and tomorrow perspective. What’s more, the total cost of ownership (TCO) of access control solutions can be shared by multiple internal disciplines at an institution. With different budgets all sharing the cost, the TCO for any one specific entity is reduced tremendously.
Given its ability to create a touchless envi- ronment, access cards or mobile access smartphone technology coupled with pow- ered doors can grant or restrict access at exterior and interior doors. A powered door, when an access credential is presented, opens automatically and closes/locks a few seconds afterwards. Door handles never need to be touched, mitigating the spread of COVID-19.
Mobile smartphone technology has appli- cations for both security and business opera- tions at a college or university; for example, access to dormitories and parking garages, purchases at bookstores and food courts, tickets to sporting events or performing arts events, borrowing capabilities at libraries, passes to campus transportation.
Network audio/video door stations also provide higher education with a solution that can help curb the spread of COVID-19, while creating a flank of security on either a perimeter or interior of a building. The ben- efits of having integrated two-way high-defi- nition (HD) audio communication with HD video verification are powerful.
Audio/video door stations are used to vet people before they enter buildings or suites, thus reducing the possibility of face-to-face meetings. They are an excellent solution for offices with infrequent visitors, especially if the visitor is simply looking for directions or has a question that can be answered remotely.
Billions of dollars from the March 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the December 2020 CARES Act Extension are available to higher education institutions and are cur- rently being underused. Part of these funds have been set aside specifically for higher education, and can be used for anything that mitigates the spread of COVID-19. Access control technology upgrades fall into that category.
Colleges and universities are security- intensive environments whose campuses need efficient and effective tools to not only protect students, professors, staff, and visi- tors, but to help law enforcement manage issues, too. Body-worn cameras, video ana- lytics, and access control are three advanced security technologies that can help them do that job.
Bruce Canal, CPP, is the segment develop- ment manager, Education, for Axis Communi- cations Inc.
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