- Electronic key management
- Logging and personal assignment of key movements
- More transparency and security thanks to intelligent access control
- Systems networked by the new administration software
Secure Workflows in the Community Centre
Case study
Project goal
Challenge
- Heavily-used individual community rooms
- Rooms used at different time by different groups of visitors
Solution
- An intelligent key management system
- The protection of valuables
- RFID-based online and offline access control
- Scalable architecture (Commander Connect software)
Benefits
- Fast automatic key issue
- Simple access control
- Better transparency with continuous documentation
- Improved security without expensive refits
- Noticeably fewer administrative tasks leaving more time for community work
Project summary
To improve the effectiveness, transparency and security of their work processes, the Hoffnungsgemeinde Community Centre in Barsinghausen has opted for modern key management and intelligent access control from deister electronic.
Open to innovation - Hoffnungsgemeinde Barsinghausen
The Association of Protestant Free Churches in Germany has approximately 80,000 members. One of them is the Hoffnungsgemeinde in Barsinghausen. In their modern community centre, members meet at a wide variety of events and activities. Alongside the joint church services on Sundays, there are, of course, also intensive personal exchanges in discussion groups on current and Christian topics as well as participation in charitable community projects. But a day nursery and several youth groups are also part of everyday life. A functional building with state-of-the-art facilities is available to members and guests alike. To improve the efficiency of the many administrative tasks, management decided in favour of a modern key management system from RFID specialist deister electronic. The system was later extended to provide tailormade intelligent access control. „Life in our community is very colourful and diverse, and there are many individual activities taking place at our centre,“ explains Bernd Ulferts from the Hoffnungsgemeinde Community Centre and adds: ”Alongside the room used for the church services, there’s a separate kitchen for our catering staff, for example, a café and, of course, other meeting rooms used by groups and individual members with their guests. This means there are lots of keys in circulation. On top of this, valuables and technical equipment must be kept safe.” Over time, it had become increasingly difficult to keep track of the situation and ensure the necessary security and transparency. Initially, those in charge at the Hoffnungsgemeinde Centre were on the lookout for a modern networkable and scalable solution capable of electronically monitoring and managing key movements and safeguarding valuables.
Modern key management for better transparency and convenience
The right partner wasn‘t far away. ”As Barsinghausen locals, we knew about deister electronic, of course, and found a team there that advised us very competently and comprehensively,” Bernd Ulferts recalls. The first step was to install a modern proxSafe key management system based on RFID technology in the community centre which was connected to the in-house IT via deister electronic’s Commander Connect Software.
With this solution, all keys and bunches of keys can now be safely and transparently stored. This was achieved by attaching a called keyTag with an integrated RFID chip to the keys, each one of which sits in its own slot and can only be removed following successful identification at the operator terminal of the proxSafe cabinet. This terminal also monitors the return of the keys, but key issue can also be controlled and monitored centrally. Moreover, proxSafe can be used to safely store valuables and technical equipment. Issues and returns are also electronically recorded. Easy access is guaranteed by a keyFob with an integrated RFID token. A further step saw the implementation of intelligent access control. Today, the online and offline access control system proxEntry secures access to the building and doorLoxx digital locking systems secure access to various areas of the community centre. The holistic solution comprises cylinders, fittings, locks and controllers, as well as a total of three online readers installed at the corresponding nodes in the building.
Everything from one source
All systems are interconnected via deister electronic’s Commander Connect software which acts as the central nexus. This makes life easier for the system user who only has to access a single software program to perform a variety of tasks, be it the assignment of the respective access authorisations, the specification of time profiles or the generation of individual requirement-based documentation. The fact that both the hardware and software are from the same manufacturer means all systems can be optimally integrated because they have all been developed with compatibility in mind. ”For us, the most important thing was and still is to track and document access to the rooms and the movements of keys.
Lost or stolen keys are automatically managed by the software and hence aren’t a problem for us any more. The software just deletes the authorization for the respective key and replaces it by a new one. We are very pleased we chose the holistic solution from deister electronic. It creates more transparency and helps to optimise our administrative processes. The system relieves us of routine tasks and allows us to focus more on community life.” Bernd Ulferts, IT manager at the Hoffnungsgemeinde Community Centre in Barsinghausen.