Reimagining access control to respond to customer needs

Advances in technology in recent years have seen tracking technology become a huge part of everyday life, and an important tool for connecting people, organisations, and emergency services.

From satellite navigation in vehicles, maps on our phones, live location tracking in messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Snapchat, through to wearables on our wrists and smart devices in our homes – new and improved technologies are being developed all the time.

As well as making everyday life easier, location data has helped us respond to the immediate health and safety threats that we face today – helping to track the spread of Covid-19 through Tracer apps and Bluetooth® technology is just one example.

In Gallagher’s latest Command Centre software release, they have introduced the Tag Tracking feature, which provides the ability to conveniently update cardholder location using Bluetooth enabled tag technology. Customers with Gallagher’s Multi Tech readers could look to use this feature to track the location of assets or employees on site for organisational purposes.

With the Tag Tracking feature, cardholder access into an Access Zone is granted or denied when a wearable Bluetooth Tag is identified at Bluetooth enabled Gallagher readers. As an asset or staff member moves throughout the site, the location of this asset/staff member is continually updated.

Brad Small, Gallagher’s Regional Sales Manager for New Zealand, explains: “While the Tag Tracking feature was built for a specific customer’s use case, we think it has the potential to support a number of different use cases.

“The best part is that our Tag Tracking feature adds value to our customers through utilising their existing access control infrastructure, such as our readers (if Multi Tech), wiring, and controllers. Potentially removing the need to install other solutions that can be expensive and time consuming to implement.”

Aged Care facilities providing dementia care is a great example of how this technology is responding to customer needs.

“Aged Care customers with Gallagher’s readers could look to use this feature to track the location of residents in their dementia care as they move around the facility. In addition, this feature could potentially help facilities identify the last location of a key piece of equipment, such as a defibrillator, which has an asset tag,” says Brad.

Additionally, for organisations that need to transport several employees through their facility, this technology has the potential to save operational time and money, by removing the requirement of each individual employee having to exit the vehicle and badge in at every new entry zone.

“For example, if a vehicle transporting five people, each wearing a Bluetooth Tag, drives towards a gate, access will be granted without anyone having to exit the vehicle. Each person’s credential would be picked up by the reader, and if anyone does not have the right competencies or clearance for that area, the driver would receive an alert for any access denied events that occur,” explains Brad.

“Think of the operational time this would save for vehicles that are required to move between several entry zones on site and must ensure that everyone within that vehicle has authorised access.

“It’s important to note that the Tag Tracking feature was only developed for a specific use case, and these are just examples of other applications where the technology may be useful. They’re also great examples of how Gallagher’s existing access control technology can deliver additional value to customers beyond locking and unlocking doors,” concludes Brad.