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Access Control Takes to the Web
Web-enabled systems find their niche in the right facilitiesThe Latest from SIW
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By Chris Wetzel
Just as the Internet has changed the way we shop, entertain and inform ourselves, it has transformed the manner in which we protect and secure our buildings, critical facilities and infrastructure. With the Internet, security directors and corporate and government executives can view and control video surveillance systems from almost anywhere in the world. The same is true for access control systems.
Using Web-enabled or Web-hosted applications, authorized system users can add or delete cards and change access control and alarm schedules—all from remote locations.
Web-enabled and Web-hosted access control systems can offer you tremendous advantages in the right circumstances. However, as with any technology, this technology may not be the best choice for every situation. I asked several of the country’s leading systems integrators to share their opinions and experiences, and those of their customers, in dealing with these systems.
What Is Web-Enabled Access Control?
First, a couple of definitions are in order. In the Access Control Trends & Technology supplement published with Security Technology & Design’s June 2006 issue, Christie Walters wrote a backgrounder on the different types of Web services available for access control. In this article we’ll focus on two of the categories Ms. Walters discussed: Web-enabled and Web-hosted applications.
Web-enabled applications use on-site software and a server that can be remotely accessed with a Web browser and password. The user, or the security department, is responsible for maintenance, software updates and security upgrades. In some cases, adding the software—which controls the system’s functions—to the controller eliminates the need for a separate server. Remote system control is available through dial-up or network configurations such as a LAN/WAN or VPN. Another option available to corporations is the use of multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) networks. MPLS gives network operators a great deal of flexibility to divert and route traffic around link failures, congestion and bottlenecks. MPLS networks are private and lend a known and comfortable network design model for corporate implementation.
The choices among Web-enabled systems are becoming more plentiful as manufacturers rush to capture their share of the market. Some of the systems my colleagues and I have installed recently include the NetBox from S2 Security, the Access Easy Controller from Bosch Security Systems and Integral Technologies’ Intelli-M.
In the Web-hosted model, an application service provider (ASP)—usually a systems integrator or equipment manufacturer—hosts the server, software and user databases in its own data center. The ASP also provides system redundancy in case of equipment failure. Authorized security staff and executives can access the system via a browser and password. This type of service requires no use of your corporate bandwidth and no network configuration between multiple sites.
