A Wing and A Prayer
Integrating multiple card reader and key systems into one access control solution
- By Ralph C. Jensen
- Sep 01, 2016
Nearly 3,000 members, plus parents and children from the community,
use the Bartlett United Methodist Church in Bartlett,
Tenn, as their home base for worship services, preschool and
recreational activities. The original facility burned in 1923, destroying
the church’s 19th century sanctuary at Court Street and
Stage Road. Today, an antique wooden pew displayed on a lower floor of BUMC
is the only item saved from the original facility. There are scratches in the wood
from years of seating church members, but the pew escaped the 1923 blaze without
damage. Since rebuilding on the corner of Stage Road and Shelby Street in 1924,
BUMC has grown to more than 120,000 square feet across three different interconnected
buildings.
“We had three different key systems in the past, including mechanical locks and
keys,” said Eddie Lindsey, the building engineer at BUMC. “One gentleman even
brought in a set of keys from 15 years ago that still opened some of the doors.”
As church membership grew, in both members and square footage, leaders were
challenged with increasing security requirements and integrating multiple card
reader systems under one software management program. They also needed greater
access control after more than 80 years in the same facility. With more than 200
access points, the time and money required to rekey or install a hardwired system
was simply not a practical solution.
Another challenge BUMC faced was managing access to its preschool, recreational
and other community activities located on the premises. The BUMC multi-facility campus is cornerstone to the
community. Ensuring the safety and
security of the children, parents and
staff is critical and not possible with
traditional mechanical locks and keys.
SOLUTION: CYBERLOCK
FLEX SYSTEM
BUMC established control over its access
points by beta testing the Cyber-
Lock Flex System on all 200 exterior
doors at its multi-facility campus. Over
time, they have added Flex to 60 more
doors to manage access to all of the interior
office doors, maintenance closets
and even some of the classrooms. Because
CyberLock electronic cylinders
can be quickly retrofitted into existing
hardware, Lindsey is able to easily
switch out the mechanical lock cores
with CyberLock electronic cores.
There are 79 staff and volunteers
who have access permissions set in the
CyberLock software. Some of them
use CyberKey smart keys for access
and others use Flex System card readers.
To meet BUMC’s specific needs
regarding facility access for outdoor
programs and community events, they
have two CyberKey smart keys that can
be checked out for use by church volunteers
so access can be granted and managed,
even for temporary users. The CyberLock
Flex System is comprised of a
variety of modules that can be mixed
and matched to create a custom access
control system tailored to each facility.
The modules are plugged into a Hub
which is connected via a network connection
to the management software.
“The Flex System allows us to manage
our current card reader system and
our CyberLock key-centric solution
with one management software,” Lindsay
said.
Embedded memory in the Hub
stores access permissions and saves
audit trail information, enabling continuous
operation even when a network
connection to the software is
interrupted. More importantly, power
outages can be mitigated by connecting
a backup battery or auxiliary power
source directly to the Hub. There
are many Flex System modules available
for a customized access control
system. Input modules such as RFID
readers and keypad displays can be
used individually or combined for dual-
credential door access. The door &
I/O module expands the capabilities of
the Flex System even further.
As a door controller, it provides
power to an electric door strike and unlocks
the door when an approved card is
presented. The door & I/O module has
additional inputs and outputs that can
control relay devices such as alarms,
speakers, cameras or sensors. Finally, it
can connect to compatible third-party
26-bit Wiegand devices such as HID
readers and biometric scanners.
For worship facilities similar to
BUMC, the useful features of the CyberLock
Flex System increase both security and convenience. Flex enables
facilities to control the flow of traffic
during community events, program a
lobby door to lock and unlock according
to a customizable schedule or activate
lighting automatically when a door
is opened. For increased security, the
end user can even activate a video or
still camera when a door is accessed or
sound an alarm when a door remains
open beyond a set amount of time.
With CyberLock, no expensive wiring
or damaging concrete core-drilling
is needed for installation. Existing mechanical
cylinders inside each door are
simply replaced with CyberLock electronic
cylinders. Now, worship facilities
can respond quickly when a key is
lost, and they no longer face the stress
and expense of re-keying their facilities.
The audit trail from the locks and
keys helps them investigate any unusual
situations. Because each person’s smart
key is programmed with the individual
permissions they need to do their job,
worship facilities can maintain tighter
access control without any added inconvenience.
As the only access control solution
made entirely in the United States,
durability is a preeminent feature. CyberLock
products go through rigorous
quality control testing at the manufacturing
facility in Corvallis, OR, and
can function in harsh weather environments
from the Arctic to the Equator.
Since BUMC was a beta test site for the
Flex System, feedback from BUMC
administrators has been vital to improvements
introduced in updated system
versions.
“After providing feedback to our
reseller, some of the newer updates
have made it easier in programming
schedules,” Lindsay said. “The local reseller,
Peifer Safe & Lock, does a great
job with installation and support and
it makes my job easier. Knowing that
support is local and responsive and
that the system is designed to be scalable
and easy to install, Lindsey continues
to expand his CyberLock system as
time and budget allow.”
The CyberLock Flex System is the
only access control solution that offers
both hardwired and key-centric
technologies within a single software
package. The CyberLock Flex System
clearly provides the most cost-effective
solution when compared to hardwired
systems and mechanical locks.
As BUMC has discovered, there is no
longer a need to choose between the
versatility of a key-centric system and
traditional, hardwired access control.
The church continues to grow the system,
integrating two or three doors at a
time, as its budget allows. For BUMC
and many other worship facilities, the
CyberLock Flex System provides the
best of both worlds.
This article originally appeared in the September 2016 issue of Security Today.