IP Access Control for the Education Market
IP-based access control is fast becoming the technology of choice for schools by enabling their access control system to reside on the existing network. The key benefits for educational institutions include:
- it saves money by leveraging existing infrastructure;
- it enables the access control system to be integrated with other systems on the network — video surveillance, building automation and controls, and others; and
- it allows for immediate notification and control of district facilities from anywhere on the network.
Because they are saving on infrastructure by utilizing the existing network, many schools have seen their security dollars go significantly further than originally expected. Thus, they are often able to extend access control beyond just main entrances, computer rooms, and counselor or administration offices to other critical areas of their facilities. Such system coverage expansion increases security and provides greater control of student and staff movement.
Some educational institutions have opted to use savings from implementing IP access control to invest in the integration of the access control system with other enterprise systems, like video surveillance to increase the effectiveness of school security and incident investigation.
Rueben Orr is the director of Business Development for Brivo Systems, LLC.