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Security
Spring 2009

The Battle Rages On

News

Magnetic Locks vs. Electric Strikes - is one really better than the other?

he answer is yes. I come from a long background of physical security, with over 12 years in the locksmithing and door hardware field. When designing a security system I believe you have to look at the worst case scenario. When it comes to a locking device, in my opinion, the worst case scenario is a fail-safe device leaving an area or building unsecured when a failure occurs. Lock failure can happen a few different ways. For example, when a person presents their credential but the door does not unlock, even though the access control system granted them access. Although this is not an outcome you would want, no security breach has occurred. This is considered a fail-secure device (i.e. the lock has failed but the building remains secure). Also with fail-secure locks people can continue to exit a door as long as the mechanical door hardware continues to work. Allowing people to exit a building even though an electronic device has failed is an important life safety issue. This issue is relevant when considering failsafe magnetic locks.

Magnetic Lock on Wooden Door

A second type of lock failure leaves the door unlocked. This failure comes from a fail-safe lock, typically a magnetic lock. This presents a serious security breach since a door left unlocked leaves a secure area of your building completely unprotected. Lou Picciocchi, a In This Issue... locksmith for over 25 years said Sure mag locks are sometimes easier to install but the security risk just isnt worth it. Id rather take a little more Message from the President Page 3 time and make sure a customer has a truly secure system. Choose the right card reader Page 3

Magnetic Locks vs. Electric Strikes...., continued on page 2

271 York Rd. Warminster, PA 18974 Telephone: (800) 886-5625

Featured Product

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Fax: (267) 803-3100

www.accesssecurity.com

Magnetic Locks vs. Electric Strikes...., continued from page 1

A third type of lock failure isnt a considerable security risk but should be commented on since it presents a serious life safety issue. If a magnetic lock fails in the locked condition or one of the devices that release the lock fails, it presents a serious life safety risk. In this situation, visitors, employees and even firemen trying to escape a burning building can be locked inside with no means of escape. NFPA and BOCA codes require the following when using any magnetic locking device on an emergency exit to prevent people from being locked inside. 1. No prior knowledge must be required to exit through the door. This means a person must be able to walk up to a door, push on it and the door must open. Forcing a person to press a button or present a card is not acceptable when exiting. (Certain local fire code officials may allow exceptions if all of the other criteria are met.) 2. Request to exit redundancy. This means there must be two forms of request to exit devices that will unlock the magnetic lock. In a typical installation, a motion sensor above the door satisfies the first criteria and an emergency Push to Exit button satisfies the second.
Electric Strike in Wood

3. One of the request to exit devices must directly cut power to the magnetic lock. This means that no programming or panel intelligence is required to open the lock. Having both devices trigger the request to exit input on your access control system does not meet code. At least one of the devices must be in line with the power to the magnetic lock. 4. Connection to the buildings fire alarm system. In this case the power supply that keeps the magnetic lock secure must drop power to the magnetic lock when the fire alarm system is activated. The power supply must also be U.L. listed for fire alarm release. Improper installations are a major concern. Loss of life due to a faulty installation shows extreme negligence, yet I see these incorrect installations daily from competing security companies. So the answer to the question is that fail-secure electric locks are, in most cases, a better choice for securing a door. They typically require no modification of the existing door hardware and at worst, a person is denied access through the door. The secured area and your companys assets remain protected.

Access Control Systems - Surveillance Cameras - Security and Fire Alarms - Automatic Gate Openers

Message from the President

Access Security finished out the 2008 year strong even with the declining economic conditions. Im sure that 2009 will prove to be an interesting year. Has the economy hit bottom? How many more government bailouts will we all see? I wish I had the answers to these questions but unfortunately I dont. In times of economic hardship it is easy for companies to cut back on customer service and decrease overhead by reducing staff especially service technicians. I have already seen numerous technicians resumes that have been laid off from other security companies that are scaling back. For 2009 and beyond, Access Security has committed itself to increase our service department so that we can provide even faster response times for our clients. Decreasing the time it takes for us to resolve your service issues is our number 1 priority. To accomplish this we will be installing a new service dispatching software to increase service efficiency and get service technicians onsite more quickly. We have also doubled our internal customer service efforts to provide our customers the absolute best service possible. We understand the importance you place in your security system and in our service which is why we continue to improve our company. If you find a problem with any of our services please contact me personally so that I can resolve any issues as quickly as possible. Thank you and I hope that everyone has a successful new year.

Have your cake and eat it too!

Choose the right card reader today and SAVE money tomorrow.
Deciding on card reader technology can be a tough decision since there are numerous manufacturers to choose from as well as multiple card technologies. The newest reader from HID gives you what you may have thought wasnt possible. For the last ten years, I have been hearing that smart card technology is the wave of the future in access control readers, but have seen little push for the mass market to switch from the very popular wiegand proximity cards. Over the last 15 years, these cards have become very inexpensive, are durable with long life spans, and have been integrated into other products (such as: time clocks, photo IDs, and computer login identification.) The numerous different types of smart card technology has been a major sticking point since no one wants to pick a smart card technology only to have to replace the readers after a couple of years due to obsolescence. Smart cards were originally invented in 1977 but didnt gain much Access Security delivered a state of the art product in a timely popularity until about 1993 when the major credit card manner and their employees were professional in every way. manufactures began seriously looking into the technology. Bill Reick - Council Rock School District Now almost 15 years later and after proximity cards are well imbedded into the access control world, things may The installation process was the best and follow-up service cant be compared. be changing.

Customer Testimonials

Pat Clark Bucks County Courier Times

The change is due to Multi-Technology readers. The latest reader from HID Corporation (the world leading manufacturer of security card and reader technologies) called the multiCLASS reader, enables the following card technologies to be used simultaneously.

Very knowledgeable staff, from sales to service...Professional after hours notification service. Phil Sampona ABB, Inc. Access Security combines an exceptional service with a knowledgeable staff to deliver an outstanding product at a terrific price. Brian McGovern Gateway Funding

Have your cake...., continued on page 4

Access Control Systems - Surveillance Cameras - Security and Fire Alarms - Automatic Gate Openers

Have your cake...., continued from page 3

1. 2. 3. 4. 125kHz (Standard Proximity Cards) from HID, Indala, and AWID 13.56 MHz iCLASS cards (HIDs contact-less smart cards) DESFire ISO 15693 CSN (Data Encrypted contact-less smart card) MIFARE (Philips branded smart card technology)

The tremendous benefit of these card readers is the ability to start with a proximity card system and migrate to a smart card system over time. Academy of the New Church and Bryn Athyn College are currently implementing a new access control system which is using HIDs new multiCLASS readers. Currently the school has over 600 users in the database all using standard HID proximity cards. By using these readers it allows them to migrate to smart card technology over time. This keeps their initial costs low and implementation simple. This reader provides flexibility for the future and the ability to pick between different smart card technologies in the future. Multi-Technology readers do allow you to have your cake and eat it too. To learn more about these multi-technology readers from HID you can visit our website at http://www.accesssecurity.com or call us at (800) 886-5625 to speak with a sales consultant. We will be happy to answer any of your security questions.

Featured Product

DNF Security - Network Video Servers

Dynamic Network Factory (DNF) takes pride in its innovative spirit, engineering excellence, and broad product line. Since 1998, DNF has focused on delivering storage solutions from direct attached storage for small business to enterprise applications, networked storage, iSCSI and file servers in capacities from 1TB-10PB. In 2006, its acquisition of iSCSI pioneer StoneFly Networks expanded DNFs storage portfolio to include enterprise class iSCSI and storage virtualization technology. With the expertise of DNF Storage, DNF Systems and StoneFly, Inc, DNF Security leverages innovative storage and server technologies for mission critical IP surveillance solutions. DNF Security provides high-performance, easy-to-deploy hardware platforms designed to take the guesswork out of IP Surveillance. With open-platform architecture, their systems ensure high performance and compatibility with leading cameras and digital video management software. DNF Securitys solutions are optimized for mission critical IP surveillance deployments, designed to support streaming video across multiple streams, serve as a high quality recording target for megapixel cameras, and maximize uptime with built-in high availability features. They rigorously test their systems in environments with multiple, simultaneous, IP camera streams, in order to achieve the highest level of system performance. With industry leading in-house testing, experienced system design, and Hi-Definition disk drive certification testing, they ensure reduced disk failure rates common in standard server and storage systems. DNF Security is the platform for a complete IP security infrastructure. To request a data sheet be emailed or mailed to you on DNF Security contact Helene Craig at (800) 886-5625 extension 117.
271 York Rd. Warminster, PA 18974 Telephone: (800) 886-5625 Fax: (267) 803-3100 www.accesssecurity.com