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Bespoke access for prime office space

Nicol Corner has developed a landmark with sophisticated design and unique architecture by collaborating with industry partners and specifying world-class equipment throughout the project. This includes installing a high-spec, bespoke security and access control system.

Net2 is Paxton’s flagship access control system. It provides a scalable, feature-rich solution that can easily integrate with many other security products. With nearly 40 years of experience, Paxton has always strived to develop access control products that are simple to install and use.

Requirements

Nicol Corner is an 11-storey mixed-use commercial building with an approximate 22 000 m² floor area. It is estimated that hundreds of people enter the building daily. The security requirements stipulated that the building managers needed an access control system that could manage hundreds of doors with frequent footfall, and is scalable to expand when needed.

Other requirements included lift destination control to tailor access permissions to the office area, public access gym, car park, and restaurant. Furthermore, boom gates and an ANPR system were needed for parking entrances, to streamline access for employees and visitors. The new access control system also needed to integrate turnstiles and customer account management software for the top-rated fitness centre.

All of these requirements needed to be communicated and configured via an IP network, so that the system administrators could manage the site remotely.

Solution

Net2 was recommended to the building manager at Nicol Corner becasue of its simplicity and ability to meet all requirements in the original brief. Intellisec was the security installation company that collaborated on the building project to provide the hardware installation, while Nicol Corner’s IT technician configured the Net2 system according to their specific needs.

Kevin Topp, Nicol Corner’s Back Office Engineer, said: “Net2 has been amazingly easy to use from the onset. I was able to configure the access without official training. I just looked at the technical documentation on Paxton’s website, which has solved every question I had.”

Net2 software offers centralised administration and management of sites with up to 1000 doors and 50 000 users. It is also designed to easily integrate with many security systems, so end users can enjoy more streamlined security for their building.

Due to Nicol Corner’s multi-purpose commercial use, it has employees coming and going, external gym members, and visitors to the public-facing restaurant. This means that lift destination control is important at Nicol Corner, to ensure people are given access only to the floors for which they have permission to enter.

The Net2 system has been integrated with the KONE Lift Destination Control System. Topp explains: “We worked with Intreba to develop a specific software solution, which has been integrated with Net2, to enable direct communication with the KONE system.”

Nicol Corner employees and visitors present their keyfobs at the lift lobby, and once their identities are verified in the Net2 system, the central lift system screen will show only those floors they have permission to access. They will be able to choose a floor based on their Net2 security clearance.

The building’s fifth and sixth floors are occupied by the six-star gym. Turnstiles have been installed at the entrance, and integrated into Net2 to manage access for Nicol Corner’s employees, who can enjoy the facility as a benefit, and to manage access for public gym members.

Salesforce customer relationship management software was integrated into the Net2 system. This allows the gym reception team to add or delete gym member accounts using the Salesforce software, without needing to access the Net2 software directly, preserving overall building security.

ANPR cameras have been integrated at all boom gates on the perimeter of the parking area to help speed up traffic flow and minimise bottlenecks for employees during peak hours. However, visitors must register at the gate to be issued a temporary token.

Nichol Corner’s system uses Net2 Pro software to benefit from a wider range of features and benefits. One of them is the Net2Online web user interface, which allows remote management of the system.

Topp said, “The online user interface is very intuitive to use. We have also been taking advantage of the Paxton Connect app to give us remote access management from a smartphone or tablet. This saves me time on travelling to the site when I need to manage users or react to an emergency.”

Result

Since the original installation four years ago, Topp, with support from Paxton’s expert product team, has expanded the Net2 system at least five times. These expansions included adding an extra floor to the system, subsequently introducing 21 additional doors; meaning Net2 currently secures 218 doors at Nicol Corner.

Kevin concludes: “We will work with Paxton again, and recommend Net2 to anyone needing an advanced security system with bespoke integrations to suit their business model.”

Project specifications

Location: Bedfordview, Johannesburg, South Africa

Type of site: Mixed-use Commercial Building

Number of users/doors:

• 4650 users.

• 218 doors.

Paxton products used:

• Net2 Plus Controllers.

• Net2 Pro Software.

• Net2 Proximity MIFARE reader, P50.

• Net2 Proximity keyfobs.

Requirements:

• Remote access.

• Scalable system.

• Bespoke integrations.

• ANPR monitoring.

Integrations:

• Salesforce, customer relationship management software.

• Hikvision ANPR Cameras .

• KONE Lift Destination Control Solution.

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