Entrance control for different environments

But, when it comes to entrance control, it’s not a case of one size fits all, as different businesses and buildings have unique security and aesthetic requirements.

Integrated Design says: "Our entrance control turnstiles are installed in a wide variety of environments, and we work with a number of specialist integrators whose knowledge of their sector serves them, us and the customer well, as it gives us valuable insight into the end users’ needs. We’ve provided an overview of some of the different types of environments our entrance control solutions can help to secure."

Data centres and critical IT assets

Data has become one of the most valuable resources, with many viewing it as ‘the new oil’. A data centre – housing large amounts of networked computers, data storage and other critical IT assets – is therefore a highly desirable target for hostile forces wishing to cause widespread disruption. These kinds of facilities have a huge responsibility to keep data secure, particularly if it is stored on behalf of customers, so being able to prevent unauthorised access, and to monitor and control who has access to certain areas of a building is crucial.

Operating seamlessly with both pedestrian access control and building management systems, Fastlane Door Detective Plus is said to provide a superior level of security and detection, monitoring the throughput of access-controlled doorways, corridors and passageways. It ensures that the ‘one person one door access’ rule is met, monitoring the number of people passing through an access-controlled doorway and in which direction. Alarms identify violations to alert staff and, when integrated with Fastlane FastCount, real time building population data can be viewed so you can see how many people are in areas of the building at any given moment. This additional level of security provides management and customers with the reassurance that only authorised visits are being made and their data will not be compromised.

Healthcare organisations

Securing healthcare facilities – be that hospitals, care homes, private clinics – presents a unique set of challenges due to the number of factors requiring consideration. A large number of people, including patients, visitors, staff (permanent and temporary) and third-party contractors, all need varying degrees of access to different departments or areas of the building, so keeping tabs on who is allowed where can be tricky.

Access to restricted areas can again be controlled using Door Detective, ensuring that only authorised personnel are granted entry. As well as preventing drug theft and safeguarding valuable equipment, this additional level of security helps patients to feel safe during treatment and recovery, and healthcare providers to feel confident that they can provide medical care in a secure environment.

Leisure facilities, such as gyms

Although maybe not as crucial as the protection of people and critical IT infrastructure, member organisations – such as gyms and swimming pools – can benefit from entrance controls, protecting revenue streams by preventing non-members from accessing the facilities for free.

In our range there are many choices of turnstile to suit all budgets and environments. Developed with leisure facilities in mind, the Glassgate 155 turnstile is the latest addition to the Fastlane Speedgates range. Offering wider lane width options of up to 1200mm, the Glassgate 155 can accommodate sports wheelchairs, which are slightly wider than standard wheelchairs.

Tailgating in this kind of environment can be an issue, with members letting their friends in to use the facilities for free if there is no one staffing the front door. This can be picked up by Fastlane turnstiles, which issue alerts when more than one person passes through on an authorised card and provide information on which members are responsible for this behaviour.

Further into the gym, Door Detective can also detect these kinds of violations, protecting other access doors including fire exits.

Educational institutions, halls of residence and campus libraries

Schools, universities and other educational institutions have a commitment to providing the best possible educational opportunities for pupils in a secure environment, one where staff can concentrate on teaching and students on learning.

Campus libraries are central to student life, and monitoring their use with turnstiles operated by access cards not only ensures that only authorised users are admitted, but also enables a wealth of useful information to be captured, which can have benefits for the administration in terms of staff planning, budget control and other management planning. Specialist software integrated into the turnstiles can also be used to display useful information for the students such as book return information or changes of room for tutorials, further reducing administration.

Part of the development at the new £44 million University of Birmingham library involved the installation of seven customised Fastlane Glasswing lanes. An attractive and functional entrance control solution to complement the new library’s design perfectly, the turnstiles feature an integrated card reader and purpose-built Telepen control panel, which connects to Telepen’s software – Sentry Juno – the only access control software specifically designed for academic libraries.

As well as campus libraries, Fastlane turnstiles are installed to control access into several student residences. At Cleveland State University, to control access to student apartment-style accommodation – which houses over 600 students in four buildings – Fastlane Plus lanes were installed. The University wanted a system which would put a stop to unauthorised entries without residents feeling like they were living in a cage, so Fastlane Plus lanes were chosen to provide the required level of security whilst also complementing the buildings’ state-of-the-art features. Because of its sleek design, Fastlane Plus also proved to be the most suitable choice due to the limited space available in the lobby.

Lobbies and office environments

Space is often at a premium in lobbies but, with threats and risks growing and changing rapidly, the demand for access control to secure lobbies and office environments has increased around the globe, with organisations wanting their employees to feel safe in their places of work. To prevent disruption to the flow of people, minimise inconvenience to users and ensure that a lobby still feels open and welcoming, the right entrance control solution needs to be selected to provide the necessary level of security with the required design aesthetic.

Integrated Design recently supplied six lanes of Fastlane Glassgate 250 to control access to two banks of elevators in a leading financial institution’s new headquarters in the United States. Needing a stylish choice to complement the office environment, the sleek, stainless steel design and the low glass barriers which feature a ‘door-like’ action proved ideal, giving users confidence in operating the system and ensuring quick acceptance. The end user was also assured by the level of security this unit provides, its energy efficiency and ability to integrate with other security systems, such as CCTV.

Borders

When it comes to border control, an integrated security system is required to combat issues of immigration, terrorism and illegal trafficking of people and goods, whilst still facilitating legitimate movement quickly and effectively. The almost 200 ePassport gates in operation at airports throughout the UK aim to do just that. By integrating turnstiles with advanced facial recognition technology you can compare passengers’ faces to the digital image recorded in their passport. Details of passengers are also automatically checked against a range of immigration and security watch-lists, and only when these checks have been carried out will the gates open to allow the passenger through the border.

Fastlane have solutions for eGate applications, using either the Glassgate 400 or Glassgate 300 product variants. The Glassgate 400 variant provides an Interlock gate with entrance and exit barriers which are never opened together, as used in immigration gate applications. An authorisation may be provided at the entrance or in the middle of the lane. The optical system monitors the number of people in the lane, and if two or more people are detected the entrance-side barrier does not close, and the exit-side barrier remains locked. When one person is detected, the entrance-side barrier will close and lock before the exit-side barrier will open. With 1.8m of toughened safety glass doors, the Glassgate 400 offers the highest level of physical deterrent available in the Fastlane range.

The Glassgate 300 variant provides a single barrier solution, as used in boarding gate applications. This product variant facilitates the housing of the passport/boarding pass reader and facial recognition system.

Crowded places, such as sports stadiums and music venues

Airports are a great example of one kind of high security, busy environment. Here, strict security measures are expected and the potential inconvenience to users accepted. If we consider another type of crowded environment, however, such as a sports stadium, there is a notable difference in the way that security is handled.

The situation of a major sporting event was used as part of a demonstration at UK Security Expo in 2016, where the Fastlane Intelligate 300 was integrated with the Mass Spec Analytical Scentinel mobile explosive detection system, which simultaneously searches for improvised and military-grade explosives as well as other chemical risks. In crowded environments, where you need to process a large volume of people at speed but still provide a high level of assurance that security measures have been taken, there is a balance to be struck between the level of security required and speed of throughput. This integration was used to demonstrate how simple and quick it could be to protect public events from explosive or chemical threats.

Integrated Design concluded: "Whilst we have covered a number of applications in which our products are currently, or could be, used, it’s important to remember that every environment is unique and therefore a tailored security strategy should be developed for each situation."

For further information visit: www.fastlane-turnstiles.com