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How To Deploy An Advanced Building Access System
How To Deploy An Advanced Building Access System
Advanced Building
Access System
Your Guide to Protecting Your Sites
with a Cost-Effective Security Solution
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this white paper or portions thereof in any form with-
out written permission from DPS Telecom. For Information, please write to DPS Telecom 4955 E. Yale
Ave., Fresno, CA 93727-1523 • Call: 1-800-622-3314 • Email: info@dpstele.com
How many of your best customers would be affected negatively if your mission-critical equipment
or facilities were stolen or vandalized? Do you know how much revenue you stand to lose?
With incidences of industrial vandalism and theft on the rise, you need to protect your company's
important assets. While you may have been hesitant to invest in a building access security system
due to the high costs of purchasing new security equipment, you can now seamlessly integrate
building access elements into your existing network alarm monitoring system. This integrated
building access security will protect your sites from security threats.
This white paper is a guide to the essential elements of a building access system. It will give you
the information you need to increase uptime and protect your revenues though site monitoring.
Contents
Building Access System • DPS Telecom • 4955 East Yale Avenue, Fresno, California 93727 • (800) 622-3314 • Fax (559) 454-1688 • www.dpstelecom.com
What is a Building Access System?
A building access system protects your profits by keeping revenue-generating equipment secure. It also reduces the
cost of managing geo-diverse remote sites, as you can view and control access remotely from a central terminal.
A good building access system should integrate seamlessly into your current alarm monitoring system. You already
have capable site controllers in your remotes, and you already have a central terminal - your alarm master.
Integration with alarm monitoring makes building access as easy as installing user input devices (keypads or card
readers) at your entry points. The rest of the access system components, and its transport network, is already present
in your deployed alarm monitoring system.
By integrating your building access system into your current alarm monitoring system, you are also establishing
access control that can be managed from a central location, greatly reducing costly windshield time - the time you
spend driving to remote sites because you have inadequate visibility.
"It was easy to see that if we could enhance the DPS building access, that
was the way to go... We were very motivated because we like DPS. It was
already everywhere, and we didn't want another terminal in our NOC."
-Dennis E.
Sr. Systems Engineer
Building Access System • DPS Telecom • 4955 East Yale Avenue, Fresno, California 93727 • (800) 622-3314 • Fax (559) 454-1688 • www.dpstelecom.com
4
4 Basic Elements of a Well Designed Building Access System
A building access system is composed of four basic pieces, the Master, the Site Controller, the Entry Control Unit, and
the User Input Device. These four components are crucial to creating or expanding your building access system.
Site Controller
Site A Site N Controls local
access at each site
1) Master Station:
A master station interfaces with your Site Controllers and provides centralized management for your
entire system.
2) Site Controller:
The Site Controller controls local access at your remote site. The unit maintains a list of personnel
who are authorized to access the facility. The Site Controller knows which personnel can access
which doors during which days and hours. It records all valid entries, attempts, and the time of each
action. It can hold up to 1,300 user profiles. A good Site Controller should maintain a history log
that records a running tally of each indiviual site access. It should also have the capability to operate
autonomously (independent of the alarm master).
Building Access System • DPS Telecom • 4955 East Yale Avenue, Fresno, California 93727 • (800) 622-3314 • Fax (559) 454-1688 • www.dpstelecom.com
5
12 Key Building Access System Protect Your Return on
Features Investment — Make Sure
Your Vendor Offers
1) Centralized Management Guaranteed Results
Your building access system should be manageable from a central termi-
nal. This will allow you to watch over and control your access points In my experience, clients who think
from a single monitoring platform, which can be accessed remotely. This hard about cost justification have a
increases overall system effectiveness and reduces staffing requirements. much more important concern than
just price. They want to make sure that
2) Proximity Reader Support (Wiegand + Custom) they’re not
Proximity card readers offer a variety of advantages over spending their
traditional keypads. Keycards cannot be shared with others company’s
as codes can be, and keycards are much better for use in money on a sys-
hostile climates. A good access system should support a tem that doesn’t
selection of user input devices, including proximity readers work as adver-
and keypads.
tised.
Bob Berry
3) Detailed Logging That’s smart. Chief Executive Officer
Your access system should log every entry to your sites. Knowing exactly
You have to be DPS Telecom
who accessed your sites, and when they did so, is crucial the event of van- careful when
dalism or theft (or simply to proactively locate your employees). working with equipment vendors,
especially on protocol mediation
4) Compatibility with Site Power projects. Most vendors can’t support
Your building access system should operate on site power, all your legacy equipment, and they
either battery or commercial. By using protected power, don’t have the development capabili-
your system will still work during a commercial power fail- ties to make integration work.
ure. Some vendors will charge you large
NRE (non-refundable engineering)
5) Sufficient Size for Your Network fees up front for custom work, and
If you are going to incorporate an access system into a large network, it give no guarantee that the resulting
should support for at least 1,000 user codes or keycards at each site, with product will meet your performance
support for at least 50,000 total codes or cards throughout the enterprise. requirements.
Building Access System • DPS Telecom • 4955 East Yale Avenue, Fresno, California 93727 • (800) 622-3314 • Fax (559) 454-1688 • www.dpstelecom.com
6
9) Independent Door Control
Look for an access system that gives you the power to control each door at your facility independently.
You might want to give many users access through the front door, but restrict access to a central area to
just a handful of key staff. To do this, you must be able to control exactly which doors can be entered by
which personnel.
Fault-tolerant systems store user access codes in multiple locations, allowing the system to continue to function when
critical communication lines are severed.
Building Access System • DPS Telecom • 4955 East Yale Avenue, Fresno, California 93727 • (800) 622-3314 • Fax (559) 454-1688 • www.dpstelecom.com
7
7 Costly Pitfalls of Physical Locks and Keys
Building Access System • DPS Telecom • 4955 East Yale Avenue, Fresno, California 93727 • (800) 622-3314 • Fax (559) 454-1688 • www.dpstelecom.com
8
9 Advantages of Electronic Access Control
1) Electronic Keys are Difficult to Duplicate
While physical keys can be copied very easily, duplicating electronic keys requires a much higher degree of sophistica-
tion. This makes your access system much more secure than it could ever be with physical keys.
8) You Won’t Waste Time and Pocket Space with Electronic Access
With electronic access control, you’ll never have carry (or risk losing) a large ring of keys.
Building Access System • DPS Telecom • 4955 East Yale Avenue, Fresno, California 93727 • (800) 622-3314 • Fax (559) 454-1688 • www.dpstelecom.com
9
The Secret To Agile Disaster Recovery:
The Fault-Tolerant Building Access System from DPS Telecom
When Mother Nature threatens your network, you must be able to respond swiftly. If your building access system is
knocked out, your staff’s ability to conduct repairs will be severely limited.
The DPS Telecom Building Access System continues operating during connection losses. Each of the three main com-
ponents of the system (Master, Site Controller, and the ECU) can function locally without an upstream connection.
The Master contains the complete set of access codes, but each Site Controller contains up to 1,300 codes for its local
site. If the connection to the master is lost, your access system will continue to function normally.
In the unlikely event that the ECU loses its link to the Site Controller, the ECU contains a single emergency key that
will allow access to the site - and that key will only allow access during a connectivity loss.
Master
Contains the complete
database of user
access codes
Site Controller
Contains up to 1,300 local
access codes
Building Access System • DPS Telecom • 4955 East Yale Avenue, Fresno, California 93727 • (800) 622-3314 • Fax (559) 454-1688 • www.dpstelecom.com
10
SiteCAM
The SiteCAM connects directly to your NetGuardian and delivers high-quality live video of your remote site. This is great for
co-location sites, where chances for interference with your equipment are particularly high. It’s also valuable for walking techni-
cians through repairs from the comfort of your central office.
SiteCAM Benefits:
•Capture images of
unauthorized facility access
Building Access System • DPS Telecom • 4955 East Yale Avenue, Fresno, California 93727 • (800) 622-3314 • Fax (559) 454-1688 • www.dpstelecom.com
11
Case Study: All West Communications Eliminates
Costly & Dangerous Windshield Time With Advanced
Alarm Monitoring and Integrated Video Surveillance
All West Communications, Inc. has been serving Utah cus-
tomers since 1912. The company provides telephone serv-
Remembering a Client-Oriented Vendor
ice, dialup, high-speed internet access, digital cable televi-
sion, and call centers throughout several western US states. Leads to a New Monitoring Partnership
All West also operates a premier web-hosting business and As Kunz searched for a solution to his discontinued equip-
a cellular service. ment problem, DPS Telecom came to mind. Kunz had
already spoken to DPS at a tradeshow and had been receiv-
ing the monthly DPS Ezine The Protocol for several years.
Harsh Winters Make Site Visits Costly &
After his web-based research, Kunz signed up to participate
Perilous in a DPS Live Meeting Room.
In Utah, harsh winters make on-site maintenance a daunt-
ing task. But regardless of weather conditions, it is the
responsibility of the All West IT department to monitor and
protect the operation of fiber optic lines, microwave radio
towers, and switching equipment. That's a pretty big chal-
lenge says Darcy Kunz, All West's V.P. of IT Engineering
and Operations. "Some of our sites are at 10,000 feet,"
said Kunz. "We have to use a snow cat or snowmobile to
get to them in the winter. It can be pretty dangerous."
DPS NetGuardian RTU’s with integrated SiteCAM video
surveillance are a big part of reducing costly & dangerous
site visits at All West Communications.
Building Access System • DPS Telecom • 4955 East Yale Avenue, Fresno, California 93727 • (800) 622-3314 • Fax (559) 454-1688 • www.dpstelecom.com
12
Case Study: SAIC Protects Mission-Critical IT Services
With Advanced Alarm Monitoring
SAIC is a leading systems, solutions, and technical services And after he completes his week of training, Miller will be
company. The company solves its customers' mission-criti- taking a wealth of monitoring knowledge back to SAIC
cal problems with innovative applications of technology and Entergy.
and expertise. SAIC is currently managing outsourced cor-
porate IT services for Entergy, an integrated energy compa- "One of the main things that I'll be doing when we get
ny. back is to start attaching DPS RTUs to various PBXs," he
said, adding "I'm going to try to find a way to get the
Ross Miller is a Voice NetGuardian 832A involved with the Avaya system
Network Engineer for because it's a solid box, and I'm very familiar with it
SAIC. His chief responsi- now… If I can attach the monitoring system to a couple
bility is monitoring key components, that will allow me to view alarms off-site
Entergy's IT operations, pri- and do some alarm management."
marily an Avaya call center
Ross Miller
that has eight sites span-
ning four states. Miller's
work protects mission-criti-
cal business communica-
“ It was exciting to see the kind of quality
that DPS is rolling out.
”
Voice Network Engineer tions for Entergy staff.
SAIC "Any maintenance, A Commitment to Client Service Backs
upgrades, troubleshooting Reliable Monitoring Equipment
for the call center system… I support them," he said. For Even though Miller found the broad DPS product line to be
Miller, alarm monitoring is a vital part of doing exciting, he noted that the level of client service was most
his job well. impressive. "The service DPS offers is impeccable, to say
the least," he said.
Legacy Monitoring Equipment Wasn't
Getting the Job Done During his week of training, Miller was pleased to interact
Robust monitoring was a critical component of Miller's job, with key members of the DPS technical staff. "It's very
but the legacy monitoring equipment he was working with encouraging knowing that… if DPS would pay that kind of
just wasn't effective. "The reliability was one issue. We attention to us while we are here, there is no doubt that
were using [another RTU], and that box has a lot of prob- DPS will continue that relationship when we're six states
lems with it." And when Miller encountered trouble with away," he said. "The service at DPS is really what shines
his existing monitoring equipment, the technical support he compared to our previous monitoring vendor… It really
needed just wasn't there. did impress us."
Building Access System • DPS Telecom • 4955 East Yale Avenue, Fresno, California 93727 • (800) 622-3314 • Fax (559) 454-1688 • www.dpstelecom.com
13
Essential TL1 • DPS Telecom • 4955 East Yale Avenue, Fresno, California 93727 • (800) 622-3314 • Fax (559) 454-1688 • www.dpstelecom.com
Building Access System • DPS Telecom • 4955 East Yale Avenue, Fresno, California 93727 • (800) 622-3314 • Fax (559) 454-1688 • www.dpstelecom.com
14
Get Peace of Mind with a High-Quality Access Control Solution
Would you know if someone accessed your site at 3:00 AM on a Sunday morning?
Building Access System • DPS Telecom • 4955 East Yale Avenue, Fresno, California 93727 • (800) 622-3314 • Fax (559) 454-1688 • www.dpstelecom.com
15
DPS Building Access System Specifications
The DPS Building Access System contains all the advanced features that are critical to properly controling access to your
site.The T/Mon NOC is a powerful master system that can provide global centralized management for your system. The
NetGuardian is a dominant site manger that can maintain a strong local network. Finally the Proxy Card Reader is the most
effective user access device on the market. Integrate your BAS into a DPS monitoring platform and benefit from the ability
to create a security safety net with our fault-tolerant system.
Access Code Capacity: More than 10,000 Protocols: SNMP and DCPx
Fuse: Two 5-Amp GMT fuses Discrete Inputs: 32 (expandable to 176)
Modem: 56K baud internal modem (for dial-up console Alarm Detection Speed: User-defined (3 to 999 msec)
access)
Analog Inputs: 8
LAN Interface: 10/100 BaseT
Analog Input Range: (-94 to 94 VDC or 4 to 20 mA)
Polling Ports: 24 user-selectable ports
Control Outputs: 8 Form C relay contacts
Polling Interfaces: RS-232, RS422/485, 202 modem,
Maximum Voltage: 60 VDC/120 VAC
33.6K modem, FSK modem, PSK modem
Maximum Current:1 Amp, AC/DC
T/Access COM Port: 1
IP Address Ping Targets: 32
Processor: 2.4 GHz Intel Pentium 4
Interfaces: 7 DB9 RS-232 ports, 1DB9 RS.485 port,
Hard Drive: 80GB (7200 RPM)
• 1 RJ45 10BaseT Ethernet port 1 RJ11 POTS jack,
Slots: 6 PCI, 1 AGP
• 2 50-pin amphenol connectors) discretes, controls,and analogs)
Fans: 2 internal • 1 DB9 connector (analogs)
Interfaces: RS422
Building Access System • DPS Telecom • 4955 East Yale Avenue, Fresno, California 93727 • (800) 622-3314 • Fax (559) 454-1688 • www.dpstelecom.com
16
Live Meeting Rooms
A Web demonstration is a convenient, low-pressure way for the you to learn about key
monitoring concepts. The benefits of using a Live Meeting room are:
"It was a great way of presenting the information we needed to make a decision. Rick had
the entire staff at his fingertips, so if there was a question that came up, he could bring
them online and answer our questions immediately."
-Darcy Kunz
V.P. of IT Operations
All West Communications
Building Access System • DPS Telecom • 4955 East Yale Avenue, Fresno, California 93727 • (800) 622-3314 • Fax (559) 454-1688 • www.dpstelecom.com
17
The Alarm Monitoring Information
You Need is only a Click Away
www.DpsTelecom.com
Want to learn more about advanced monitoring
solutions that cut your costs and boost your
revenue? The DPS Telecom website provides
informational articles about specific monitoring
problems their solutions. Visit today to take
your monitoring to the next level.
www.TheProtocol.com
The Protocol is a free alarm monitoring ezine emailed directly to your inbox every month. Every
issue is filled with information critical to your everyday operations:
Building Access System • DPS Telecom • 4955 East Yale Avenue, Fresno, California 93727 • (800) 622-3314 • Fax (559) 454-1688 • www.dpstelecom.com
18
Get the Facts Before You Purchase Your Next Network Monitoring System
If you found the information in this white paper useful, you’ll also be interested in the other white papers in the DPS Telecom
Network Monitoring Guide series. Each paper is a complete guide to an essential aspect of network monitoring. These are the
facts you need to know to make an informed purchase of your next network monitoring system.
This all sounds great, but where can I get product details?
If you would like to know more about the products and services mentioned in this white paper, visit www.dpstelecom.com
and click “Applications.” or “Products.”
Building Access System • DPS Telecom • 4955 East Yale Avenue, Fresno, California 93727 • (800) 622-3314 • Fax (559) 454-1688 • www.dpstelecom.com
19
"It was easy to see that we could enhance the DPS building access, that was the way to
go....."I really stuck my neck out, and I did it because of my prior five years of experi-
ence with DPS. I've supported the platform here internally since Day One."
—Dennis E.
Senior Systems Engineer
Andrew Erickson is Lead Writer for The Protocol, the monthly alarm monitoring
ezine from DPS Telecom (www.TheProtocol.com). Experience writing website
content and product documentation have prepared him to capture the expertise
of the DPS Engineering team in a clear and concise white paper.
www.dpstelecom.com
1-800-622-3314
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