FINAL GPSJ Summer edition 2024 ONLINE VERSION.2pdf - Flipbook - Page 35
ACCESS & CONTROL
GPSJ
University of Dundee Selects HID’s
Innovative Access Control Solutions for
Campuswide Upgrade
HID® Mobile Access® Offers Students and Staff the Ability to Use Their Smartphones to Gain
Touchless Entry Into Buildings
HID, the worldwide leader
in trusted identity solutions,
announces today that the
University of Dundee is
updating its city campus estate
implementing HID® Mobile
Access® and signature HID
Signo™ readers throughout its
buildings to guarantee it has
a modern, secure and reliable
access control system to allow
staff and students to enter
using both RFID cards and
smartphones.
The project will involve buying
and installing new mobile-ready
HID Signo readers at around 40
buildings – a staged rollout being
completed over a two-year period by
specialist security installer, Scottish
Communications Group. In addition,
the University has purchased 10,000
HID Mobile Access licenses to offer
its academic community the option
to use their Apple and Android smart
phones for touchless entry into its
facilities.
“We wanted a modern system
which is safe, secure and easy
for everyone to use,” says Colin
Stebbing, the University’s Head
of Precinct Services. “Complying
with forthcoming legislation was
also another important project
requirement. With bills like Martyn’s
Law soon to be enacted, ensuring
the University is ready for this was
important given that we have a
duty to protect to ensure everyone
is safe. The HID solution enables
us to not only lock down buildings
immediately, but it has built-in
functionality which we can leverage
over time, meaning we’ve invested
in ‘future proof’ equipment which will
last us long term.”
The University of Dundee is
a public research university in
Scotland renowned for its academic
excellence in dentistry, medicine,
science and engineering and life
sciences. Based in the heart of
the city, it is home to over 16,000
students, 3,300 staff and is
ranked 33rd in the Sunday Times
Good University Guide 2024. A
thriving institution with ambitious
development plans, it is currently
building a new £40 million facility
called the Innovation Hub. This
will offer commercial organizations
flexible laboratory, meeting and office
space and, over the next 10 years,
it is anticipated the Hub will help
create up to 280 new high-quality
jobs.
The new HID Signo readers
integrate with the University’s existing
AEOS access control software
from Nedap. Supporting both
native Bluetooth® and Near Field
Communication (NFC) connectivity,
they allow touchless smartphone
entry and are fast to install as the
wiring uses common protocols like
OSDP [Open Supervised Device
Protocol] and Wiegand. Furthermore,
existing access cards already in
circulation can be used with the new
HID Signo readers thereby speeding
up the rollout.
Historically, the University used
to print and issue plastic RFID
cards so staff and students could
access buildings. This process
was laborious and time-consuming,
especially during peak times
like Freshers Week, when some
2,500 – 3,000 undergraduate and
postgraduate students enroll. Issuing
cards was logistically complex due
to the high demand and the need
for thorough identity checks, which
could take up to 10 minutes per
card.
Shifting to HID Mobile Access –
which utilizes cloud-based HID Origo
management software integrating
with the AEOS system – completely
changes this and delivers wireless
credentialling. This significantly
simplifies all the licensing, allocation
of credentials, setting of building
access rights, validating or revoking
of IDs – all of which is now done
virtually and remotely.
“Once registered by Student
Services in AEOS, a student simply
gets an email to their phone, they
tap on a link, the app automatically
uploads and a mobile credential is
granted,” says Paul Brady, HID’s End
User Business Manager for Physical
Access Control Solutions. “Not only
does this improve the overall student
experience because it’s substantially
quicker and more efficient, but it’s
far more sustainable as you’re not
issuing PVC cards anymore.”
While the strategy and aspiration
are for the university population to
shift wholesale to mobile access, its
approach today is to operate a dual
system. “We recognize that some
visitors and staff still want to use a
physical pass and not all employees
have a university issued mobile
credential,” explains Stebbing. “HID
Signo readers allow us to run both
credential types in tandem, with HID
Mobile Access giving us the option
to scale up to include digital wallets
from Apple and Google, as well as
integrate with digital campus cards
should we decide to go down this
route in the future.”
Given RFID cards are still required
today, the University of Dundee
utilizes its reliable FARGO DTC4500e
printers to back up this transition to
digital transformation. The FARGO
range of ID card printers integrate
easily with the AEOS software so
that Student Services staff can easily
issue physical IDs themselves.
“HID Signo readers are going
in now across the main buildings
including the new Innovation Hub
site,” says Stuart Leslie, Scottish
Communications Group’s director.
“HID’s reputation is built on reliability
and security with its solutions
supporting the latest encryption,
communications and authentication
standards. Their devices have an
open architecture so they’re easy to
install and integrate which reduces
the cost for the university and makes
time to value that much quicker.”
In addition, Scottish
Communication Group is supplying
Motorola MOTORTRBO Ion smart
radios to the University’s security
staff. The radios will be configured to
run HID Mobile Access so they can
open doors fitted with the new HID
Signo readers. Because these smart
radios also link to the University’s
CCTV, alarm systems and CriticalArc
Safezone® App, security staff need
carry only a single device to fulfill
their duties.
For more information, visit
www.hidglobal.com.
GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SECTOR JOURNAL SUMMER 2024
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