16 Jan 2012

Secure access to higher education

Over 8000 students and around 600 employees at Blekinge University of Technology enter where they should using ASSA's ARX access control system and Smartair.

Blekinge University of Technology in Karlskrona is located in an archipelago and boasts its own jetty and beach volleyball court.

Here, innovative architectural additions elegantly fit in between centuries-old military buildings. Buildings and levels are connected by glass passages and unexpected stairways. Indoors the impression is open with large glazed sections towards the sea and glitter.

Since 1989, BTH, which the university is called, has profiled itself as a non-traditional university, where applied IT, innovation and sustainable development are in focus. Here you can train to become a nurse, a civil engineer, there are programs in management and media design. The university attracts students from around the world.

Roland Westerberg is curator at the BTH since 2003.

- The role includes knowing the most about the property, premises are a major expense item for us, the second largest after personnel costs, he says.

The university leases its premises of the municipal property and the curator is responsible for the locks, electricity and cleaning.

 

Smartair in the personnel’s doors

ARX is used in the entrances, the classrooms, the laboratory rooms and other spaces that students have access to.

ARX is the full-scale access control system with the ability to integrate other systems such as alarms. This has been done at BTH.

 - Does not my card work in the reader, I know that the area has the alarm activated and that I first must disarm it, says Roland Westerberg.

At the staff's break room is a Smartairläsare mounted on the door. "Staff only" a sign announces and it works too, only the staff’s cards unlocks the Smartair readers.

- Primarily, we use Smartair for the employee offices, says Roland Westerberg.

The advantage of Smartair off-line readers, is the cost effective installation. No wiring is required and no tampering with the door is needed. The access control is administered via the Internet and at BTH coordinated with ARX.

Makes the cards themselves

At the Student Services desk the cards to each enrolled student are produced. With the card, the students have access to parts of the university's premises around the clock. A generous offer.

- The students here are selected and interested in their studies, which means that graffiti and vandalism in principle is unknown, says Roland Westerberg.

Many students are working with laboratory work of various kinds. In ARX the University may distribute access rights so that nursing students can enter their laboratory room throughout their studies and engineering students have access to another Laboratory rooms for a limited period. While students of English not have access to any of these.

- These access rights are easier to create in ARX than in previous software.

The university reception manages the cards for staff, guests and a loan card, they produce and administer them. At Roland's desk the task to structure the odd permissions, as routines for guests or invigilators
end up.

- When an employee leaves is the access rights of the card automatically outed. I do not have to think of it, says Roland Westerberg. It's the same for the students. The automated system saves a lot of work.

Why did BTH chose ARX and Smartair? The transition to ARX went, so to speak by itself, in connection with the new construction.

- We worked with the predecessor of ARX, RiTA, but since the system was on the way out, it was necessary to upgrade the access control system, says Roland Westerberg. It felt like we needed more
modern stuff.

Users seem to have settled down well with the new access control system. Roland Westerberg has not been reached by any comments. He takes this as evidence that everything is working properly and the users are satisfied.