Brivo Systems Technology Provides 24-Hour Access Control
Brivo Systems, a provider of Web applications for access control and security systems, recently announced that eFit Financial, provider of health club management software and services, has signed up more than 20 customers for its new 24-hour access service.
eFit joined the Brivo Technology Partnership program to develop software integration that would enable health club customers to safely and efficiently offer members round-the-clock access to health club facilities.
“Twenty-four-hour access to gym facilities has caught on like wildfire,” said Dudley Exstrom, vice president of sales at eFit. “We had worked with a number of other access providers but hadn’t found what we were looking for until we were introduced to the Brivo ACS and its XML integration potential. One of our big challenges is we service clubs all around the country, and we wanted to offer a consistent, turnkey package everywhere. We needed a company that could go from smallest town to the biggest metropolis -- Brivo works nationwide, and that is exactly what we were looking for.”
eFit’s integration with Brivo was made possible by Brivo’s XML application programming interface, which allows different systems to exchange data in the XML standard.
eFit and Brivo extend the functionality of eFit’s Web-hosted ClubAdvantage application to communicate directly with each health club’s Brivo ACS installation. This was accomplished using Brivo’s off-the-shelf ACS5000 control panels, which secure the facility’s entrances with proximity readers. The system is automated, requiring no manual updates and no dual entry. Members use the same card at the front door and to check in at the front desk, and are automatically granted or denied entrance to the club based on their account status in the database. The updated ClubAdvantage system also automatically retrieves and displays attendance records from Brivo ACS control panels, allowing the gym owner to view member attendance history through ClubAdvantage.
The Brivo-eFit integration allows gym owners to enter their members' information directly into the ClubAdvantage software, providing a single point of data entry. ClubAdvantage then connects out to the Brivo ACS and accesses the gym owner's panels to make any changes necessary. Such changes include granting access to new members, adding new cards or revoking member access when contracts are terminated.
The eFit-Brivo integration offers eFit’s customers the ability to increase revenues, cut costs and provide gym members with a better experience. Since Brivo’s XML API is common to all of Brivo’s ACS offerings, the updated ClubAdvantage application works effectively with both OnSite and Brivo’s Web-hosted ACS solution, offering club owners choices that fit their specific access control needs.
“We knew when we released the XML API that there really was no limit to the applications for integrating different systems and databases with the Brivo ACS,” said Steve Van Till, Brivo president and COO. “The world of access control has fundamentally changed when the system that used to just open doors now offers our customers the ability to improve productivity, more effectively manage resources, enhance the customer experience and produce greater revenue.”