Genetec Announces Synergis Master Controller, a New Open Architecture IP Door Controller

The new open architecture IP door controller features native support for popular access control hardware from Mercury Security and HID Global, offering more choices for customers to modernize exiting systems, leverage equipment investments and facilitate the move to a unified security platform.

  • Dec 05, 2012

Genetec, a pioneer in the physical security industry and a leading provider of world-class unified IP security solutions, has announced that its highly anticipated Synergis Master Controller (SMC), an intelligent IP controller based on an open architecture, will be available in early 2013. Currently installed at over a dozen key customer sites around the world as part of a limited availability program, the SMC has been designed to address longstanding customer demand for non-proprietary access control solutions. Towards this end, the SMC will offer native support of widely-deployed and non-proprietary access control hardware from leading vendors, including HID Global and Mercury Security.

Synergis is the IP access control system within Genetec's Security Center, the Company's unified security platform that seamlessly blends IP video surveillance, access control, and license plate recognition systems. Synergis also provides real-time monitoring of access events and alarms, as well as cardholder management and reporting. The system enables users to handle thousands of access events in real-time and centrally manage and configure cardholders and credentials across multiple distributed sites.

With the addition of the SMC to the Synergis access control product line, Genetec’s customers will now have even more flexibility when designing a solution to suit their particular needs, installation environment and budget. Thanks to a new technology partnership with Mercury Security and a long-standing relationship with HID Global, customers will be able to leverage SMC's open architecture and choose from a growing array of industry-standard reader interface modules, input modules, and output modules.

Above and beyond new system installations, the Synergis Master Controller will be ideally suited for customers who are looking to modernize an existing installation. It will allow them to leverage their corporate or security network to transition to a fully IP-based access control system.

The SMC will also facilitate their migration to Genetec’s unified security platform, Security Center, bringing the benefits of access control and video unification to a wider audience while leveraging much of their existing infrastructure such as readers, interface modules and wiring. Moving to an open and extremely flexible option like the SMC will ensure their investment is protected for the lifetime of their access control system.

"With the launch of SMC, we are enhancing our Synergis enterprise class access control solution to bring more openness to a traditionally closed and proprietary sector of the security industry. Unlike most access systems on the market that only support a single brand of modules, the SMC is designed to be an open platform that simultaneously supports multiple hardware vendors. This way, we are making it possible for customers to choose best-of-breed hardware based on their needs, while knowing that they avoided the pitfalls of proprietary systems," explains Jimmy Palatsoukas, Senior Manager of Product Marketing at Genetec.

When deployed with Genetec's Security Center, the Synergis Master Controller will provide even greater efficiency and control of a security system. The Security Center platform unifies security applications and key operating tasks to enable users to manage access control, video surveillance and third party systems from within a single interface. Unification of access control and video also ensures that all access control events, alarms, and reports are associated with both recorded and live video.

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