Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Card Access Know-How

  • 06/01/00

1. Metal keys are like a virus: Every time you give one out, there is the possibility it will be duplicated. Here is a test: Take a single room in your facility, and list everyone who has had access to a key for that door in the last six months. If you can’t, you have a management problem. Electronic locks improve the overall management and knowledge of the managers who are responsible for the health and safety of students and administrators behind their doors.
-Fred Alger, Director of Operations,Tesa Entry Systems, Norcross, Ga.

2. The needs of a card access system at a large university are different from those at a small university or business. At a university, the people in the database change every semester. The ability to add and remove large numbers of cardholders in a short time is essential, especially at the start of the new school year in the fall.
-Terry McBride, System Administrator, Campus Central Security and Alarm System - CCSS, The Ohio State University, Columbus

3. When starting a new card reader system, use the most efficient, state-of-the-art communications between points. Using an existing, older form of communication saves some money in the beginning. However, when the communication form needs to be replaced because of its slow speed, lack of capacity or manufacturer discontinued parts, the cost for switching to something else will be staggering and disruptive.
-Terry McBride, System Administrator, Campus Central Security and Alarm System - CCSS, The Ohio State University, Columbus

4. Select a company that manufactures, installs and supports a single card, single vendor, single database system. This eliminates the finger pointing that’s common when multiple vendors or system integrators partner to provide a card access solution.
-Jeff Zander, Vice President, General Meters, Colorado Springs, Colo.

5. Beware of gaining a false sense of security from using card access only on perimeter doors as they are easily defeated in the open culture of colleges and universities.
- Fred Alger, Director of Operations, Tesa Entry Systems, Norcross, Ga.

6. Multiple groupings of card readers are needed when a large number of cards need to be given to a large number of persons with no solid boundaries between the groups of access. It has been found that many staff or students with access in one area of the campus are staff or students in other areas of the campus. Without multiple groups, all card readers must be assigned individually.
-Terry McBride, System Administrator, Campus Central Security and Alarm System - CCSS, The Ohio State University, Columbus

7. Ask card vendors for a “preliminary cost proposal” that outlines all card reader options/capabilities and includes pricing for software modules based on total number of card holders.
-Jeff Zander, Vice President, General Meters, Colorado Springs, Colo.

8. Having scheduled activation/expiration dates on card access is necessary during semester breaks when a large number of students may need to be removed from access and re-added again a week later. This will save a lot of programming time for the system administrators.
-Terry McBride, System Administrator, Campus Central Security and Alarm System - CCSS, The Ohio State University, Columbus

Featured

  • Deferred Maintenance Issues Growing at Universities, Gordian Reports

    U.S. colleges and universities are falling increasingly behind on facilities maintenance and repair, according to Gordian’s 13th annual State of Facilities in Higher Education report. The deferred capital renewal burden has reached $156 per gross square foot, an 8% increase over the previous year.

  • South Carolina District Starts Construction on $50M Middle School Renovation

    The Aiken County Public School District in North Augusta, S.C., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $50-million renovation and expansion of North Augusta Middle School, according to a news release. The project’s funding comes from the 2024 renewal of a one-cent sales tax approved by local voters.

  • Chartwells Launches Campus Dining Evaluation Framework

    Contract food-service management provider Chartwells Higher Education recently announced the launch of BLUEPRINT, according to a news release. The evaluation framework was designed to provide a data-driven and customizable roadmap towards optimizing campus dining services and, by extension, the student experience.

  • Moline-Coal Valley School District to Consolidate Two Schools into New Facility

    The Moline-Coal Valley School District in Moline, Ill., recently broke ground on a new elementary school that will consolidate the students and staff from two existing schools, according to local news. Robert Ontiveros Elementary School will serve as the new home for Lincoln-Irving Elementary School and Willard Elementary School.