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Insurance provider uses Net2 For access management

Bestmed is South Africa’s largest self-administered medical scheme. It has been among the fastest-growing medical schemes in the past three years. Bestmed provides a wide range of benefit options, covering in- and out-of-hospital benefits. Its service has received numerous healthcare industry awards. Headquartered in Pretoria, Bestmed also has offices in Cape Town, Durban, Gqeberha, Mbombela, and Polokwane.

In 2020, Bestmed’s headquarters in Pretoria underwent renovation. The access control system it was using at the time ran on Windows XP, which is now obsolete, had limited features, did not offer remote management, and allowed only one system administrator login.

These technological restrictions created challenges for the IT team at Bestmed, so they decided to upgrade the access control system.

There are three buildings at Bestmed’s Pretoria site, so the new system needed to run on a network to allow remote access management. The IT team wanted a flexible and intuitive system to ensure employee safety and manage user and visitor access. The other major feature that it needed was reporting functionality. In addition, the system needed to integrate with other security systems and products.

A Paxton Solution

Ricky Sumares, Sales Manager at Active Motion, was responsible for the Bestmed installation project. He recommended Paxton’s access control system, Net2.

Net2 is an advanced PC-based access control solution that offers centralised administration and control of sites with up to 1000 doors and 50 000 users. Sumares recommended the system because of its simplicity of installation and ease of navigation for end users.

He adds, “Paxton’s 5-year warranty was a big selling point for the client as it shows Paxton’s level of confidence in the reliability of Net2.”

The team at Bestmed are using Net2 Pro, the advanced version of Paxton’s software that provides extra features and more flexibility. This allows them to remotely manage the system via the Net2Online interface or the free Paxton Connect app. Paxton Connect allows system administrators to access the Net2 system from a smart device.

Rentia Aspeling, IT Manager at Bestmed, said, “Our previous system was PC-based only, so we had to literally go to the server room to access the system. Now we can use Net2 from wherever we want to manage users, generate reports, and open doors remotely across our three buildings.”

Bestmed operates hybrid workdays, with three days in the office and two days at home. The IT team needs to submit a monthly timesheet report for management to track employee working hours.

Aspeling said, “Previously, one of our directors owned the access control system, and we had to ask him to generate the reports. It used to take us at least five days to get the reports ready to submit.”

Net2 allows an unlimited number of system administrators to manage the software, with an option to set different operator levels. The team can now generate reports whenever they need, which can be customised based on individuals’ specifications, departments, or areas.

“The benefit of being able to see live events and generate reports on demand is huge,” added Aspeling. “Because we work hybrid days, it is important to be able to see who is in the office and in which areas in the event of an emergency.”

Cards and biometrics

Bestmed uses Net2’s card designer feature to create employee IDs with their picture and details. Employees need to present their IDs to the reader on each door to gain access. For visitors, the team issues temporary access cards, a feature available in Net2.

Third-party Virdi biometric readers and ZKTeco proximity readers have been integrated into Net2. The Virdi biometric readers are installed at their high-risk areas, such as the IT infrastructure room, data centre, on-site gym facility, and HR and finance areas where confidential information is stored. It requires employees to present their IDs and verify their biometric characteristics before being granted access. The ZKTeco proximity readers are installed at Bestmed’s main entrance and automated emergency doors.

Additionally, the IT team integrated multifunctional printers into Net2 via Active Directory, as employees need to present their IDs to print documents from the printers.

Result

“Looking at where we were with the old system to where we are now with Net2, it is way better than what we had, providing innovative access management,” Aspeling noted. “Net2 is such a powerful product we are not yet using its full capacity.”

Sumares said, “Paxton’s technical support and sales team have helped us through the project; before, during, and after the installation. This gives our client the peace of mind that the manufacturer is on hand to support us at Active Motion to deliver our client’s needs.”

The IT team at Bestmed has plans to integrate the existing CCTV system into Net2 to further maximise the benefits of their new security solution.

Project details

Location: Pretoria, South Africa.

Type of customer: Healthcare insurance provider.

Number of users/doors:

• 500+ users.

• 57 doors.

Products:

• Net2 Plus – 1 door controller.

• Net2 Pro – Software.

• Net2 – Proximity ISO cards.

Requirements

• Employee attendance reports.

• Roll call reports.

• Photo ID access cards.

• Access management for high-risk areas.

• Remote access.

Solution:

• Personalised access cards with employee pictures.

• Timesheet and timeline to log working hours of employees.

• Customised access rights to specific areas for employees and temporary visitors.

• Remote management available with Net2Online and free Paxton Connect app.

Integrations:

• ZKTeco proximity readers.

• Virdi biometric readers.

• Virdi UNIS software.

• Gym access and payment.

• Microsoft Active Directory.

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