Village of Hoffman Estates Protects Water Infrastructure

Oct. 5, 2006
Village protects water supply and key municipal buildings with Brivo's Web-enabled and wireless access control

San Diego, CA, and Bethesda, MD, September 25, 2006 – Brivo Systems, the leader in Web applications for access control and security systems, today announced that the Village of Hoffman Estates, IL, utilizes the company's advanced Web-enabled and wireless access control system to enhance security for key buildings and critical infrastructure over the Village's 26-square mile area.

Brivo ACS4000 Web-enabled panels and readers are installed at the Village police station and Brivo wireless panels have been installed to control access to the Village's water towers and the chlorine facility. The Village has been able to mix and match transmission technologies to best fit their needs. Other major advantages are the flexibility and integration potential of the Brivo platform.

In the post-9/11 world, the Village began planning in earnest both to protect its water supply and other infrastructure, and the staff who serve its more than 51,000 residents. The Village of Hoffman Estates is spread out over 26 square miles and the Department of Public Works faced multiple challenges to cost-effectively upgrade access control over such a large area without installing and maintaining a lot more phone lines. Budget considerations also dictated that the system would have to be implemented over a number of years as well as be capable of integrating with other systems and video surveillance.

With Brivo, the Village used a phased implementation over three years in which they have been able to upgrade software along the way, use different installation vendors as dictated by their bid process, and integrate with other technologies to bring multiple buildings, vehicles, and doors onto a system managed by one control interface.

Paul Petrenko, the Village's Facilities Manager, Village of Hoffman Estates, discussed the progress to date, "Our initial plans were that, with the remote sites, we didn't want to install phone lines everywhere. Brivo offered cellular transmission along with Ethernet, and with a Web-enabled system, we didn't have to maintain servers and get our IT department involved. Brivo provides data storage and management and front-end installation costs were kept low, so we were able to do this on budget."

Petrenko oversees the system on a day-to-day basis, and was also involved in system design and implementation, "The Brivo system is fantastic. It's logical and easy to use—I didn't even need to read the manuals." Petrenko has programmed the system to fulfill a number of critical functions. Each day he receives an "exception report," which flags activity he needs to investigate: propped or forced doors, unauthorized access attempts, and repeated attempts for access by someone who may actually need such access. He has also programmed alerts to his handheld device in the event of system or communications failure, problems at the water supply facilities, and more. Petrenko again, "I often access the system from my home office and even while I'm on vacation by my handheld. No matter where I am, I can be in control. I can even unlock a door or gate for a vendor from hundreds of miles away."

There is no doubt that municipalities have enormous security responsibilities to their citizens and to fulfilling government regulations and requirements. Ken Hari, Director of Public Works, deals with this every day: "We're living in a whole new world now in terms of threats and compliance with mandated security needs. But even without such mandates, we have a responsibility to implement the best technology and systems to protect our employees and citizens and to safeguard our water supply. I believe we've done a good job so far, and we plan to expand our system to continue to meet growing needs."

The Village's future plans include expanding the Brivo ACS to the Village Hall, the Public Works Center, the Vehicle Maintenance Building, and four fire stations. These installations will all be Ethernet-based and Web controlled. Eventually, the Village will add video surveillance of key locations, recorded to DVRs, and integrated to the Brivo platform.

"The Village of Hoffman Estates shows the best of what Brivo offers," said Steve Van Till, Brivo President and CTO. "Our flexible platform can be upgraded and integrated with, so the Village can protect its investment and expand their system in a way that fits their budget and timing. Brivo also offers the maximum amount of choice in the industry—Web-enabled, wireless connectivity, and a standalone capability. The Village was able to choose what they needed and then mix and match technologies for maximum benefit."

About Brivo Systems

The Brivo Access Control System is a truly revolutionary and groundbreaking access control solution. It leverages the power and versatility of the Internet to provide total control and real-time visibility of events in your facilities. In addition, Brivo is the first access control solution that gives you the choice of secure wireless wide-area networking or wired Ethernet connectivity.

Brivo access control and security systems allow organizations to remotely manage multiple buildings, facilities, and access points. Brivo enables real-time control of assets and sites through a Web-hosted solution based on state-of-the-art technology that eliminates the need for special software or computer maintenance at each location.

For the integrators, Brivo provides a simple 3-hour installation time and one-hour end-user training.