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Visitor management solution from Gallagher

Historically, managing visitor access has proven a time-consuming, costly and inaccurate security function. Significant progress has recently been made in this sphere through technologically advanced solutions that have automated a number of tasks. Although these products reduce the costs associated with personnel required for visitor management, such as human error or wages, they still remain fundamentally limited. A crucial capability gap exists regarding their integration with a site’s existing security management system; this not only creates vulnerabilities but also fails to maximise returns on investment through the simplicity of a single, comprehensive visitor management tool.

Gallagher has developed a bespoke solution to answer this problem in the form of the Visitor Management System. The flexible and secure product delivers extensive pre-registration and reception-based visitor management functions. The product provides improved client-server connectivity on modern corporate IT networks; automatic application updates; automatic removal of access on visit-completion (providing an audit trail of all visitor management events); among a host of other innovative attributes.

Flexibility is the cornerstone of the networked-centric system, enabling a single receptionist to manage multiple, co-located visitor management kiosks or a series of kiosks located across a number of on-site reception areas. The product can also support visitor management on multi-tenanted sites; ensuring operators at the main reception can monitor all visitor transactions, while tenants can only register visitors arriving at their dedicated reception desk.

An optional licensed feature to the company’s scalable Command Centre is the Visitor Management Self-Registration Kiosk that offers an intuitive touch screen interface. The Kiosk allows visitors to sign-in for a visit independently of the receptionist.

On completion of sign-in, their host is automatically notified of their arrival via e-mail or SMS. Hosts can manage their visitors onto and offsite from the kiosk, including the ability to issue visitor cards and access, update the visit details or reprint visitor labels.

The Self-Registration Kiosk integrates with the Dymo Executive Business Card Scanner eliminating the need for a visitor to enter their details manually; instead retrieving these from the visitor’s scanned business card. As well as catering for individual self-registering visitors, it provides the ability to manage tour groups onto and off site. It fully supports the induction of visitors to ensure the relevant site safety information is presented and the visitor’s safety knowledge confirmed prior to site entry.

The Gallagher Self-Registration Visitor Kiosk allows customisation of the welcome screen message and background image to allow customer branding and imagery to be seamlessly incorporated into the kiosk.

Its flexible nature is also readily apparent when it comes to the creation, utilisation and administration of visitor badges. Badges are automatically printed according to the type of visitor selected (for example a VIP or contractor); enabling receptionists to assign temporary access cards which restrict on-site access according to a visitor’s specific registration criteria. Receptionists can also assign escorts as part of the visitor management process, while card readers located at the reception desk can automatically de-assign cards upon departure.

The value of operating across a secure TCP/IP network system is evident from the additional functionality derived from improved data flow. Site visitors can be pre-registered to capture arrival and departure times, visit purpose and company name. Consequently the kiosk enables comprehensive reporting via a ‘Print Report’ button in order to quickly compile data files of all on-site visitors; assimilating information such as current visitor status, whether visitors have been escorted on past visits and scheduling future visits.

The visitor management solution alerts operators to visitors who remain on-site after the end of a scheduled visit. The Command Centre is configured to allow each visitor extra time to leave without raising an alarm, but once this has lapsed an ‘overdue’ visitor alarm is activated within the system. This smart technology is incorporated with advanced systems such as Morpho biometric fingerprint enrolment to provide a robust and efficient visitor management tool.

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