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Secure campus doors

The University of Glamorgan has selected and installed Salto’s XS4 campus security solution for a major access control system upgrade. With completion of the current installation, security personnel at the university now use XS4 to control and protect almost 1500 doors in one of the South West’s leading centres of higher education, with plans to continue expanding the system in the near future.

Today the university is home to almost 24 000 students and has four academic faculties based on three campuses. These include a major 40-acre campus at Treforest, a 3-acre site at Glyntaf about half a mile away and the ATRiuM campus based at the Cardiff School of Creative and Cultural Industries in the centre of Cardiff.

Improved security

As the old access control system and its manufacturer could no longer provide the level of security, control or support the university wanted, Salto was able to offer it an alternative solution together with the all important backup and support they needed. Steve Rossiter, Salto South West area sales manager says “Parents trust the university to look after their children, so it is vital that they provide 24/7 on-campus security and ensure the students are safe at all times.”

As a multisite estate, the University of Glamorgan annually spends approximately £7m on the revenue upkeep of the estate and has a five-year capital development programme of around £130m.

Throughout 2010/11, as part of this capital development programme, the university has been redeveloping its accommodation facilities so that in addition to the 730 bedrooms in the current Glamorgan Court, by September 2011 Snowdon Halls of Residence, a new build development of a further 476 rooms consisting of 360 en-suite bedrooms, 96 premium en-suite bedrooms and 20 studio apartments will be available on the Treforest campus. Access to both accommodation sites and all rooms within, as well as to some other locations on campus, are controlled via strategically located Salto WRM wall readers, wireless XS4 battery operated standalone electronic handle sets and GEO electronic cylinder locks.

Wireless solution chosen

Wireless access control systems offer a versatile and cost-effective way to regulate entry to university premises. Sites of further/higher education, particularly student accommodation, face a variety of threats including theft, vandalism and trespass. Therefore, safeguarding the wellbeing of students is paramount. Wireless access control systems can do this by protecting assets as well as ensuring the physical safety of everyone onsite, whilst maintaining the continuity of education by preventing disruptions caused by theft and damage. Simple to use, wireless access control systems are effective and provide both students and staff with the highest levels of crime prevention they deserve.

Rossiter continues, “Working in consultation with University of Glamorgan Estates and facilities project manager Peter Aleman and deputy security manager Chris Beazer, we designed a highly secure and flexible access control system utilising the power of the SALTO Virtual Network (SVN).

“This system allows the XS4 and GEO units to read, receive and write information via the university’s student and staff ID cards. Since most access related information is kept encrypted on these cards, the WRM wall readers are able to update and receive information from the cards at any time. So not only is the system easy to use, but its clever functionality also provides 90% of the benefits of a fully online access control system at the cost of a standalone system.”

The smart ID cards build up on-card audit trails through normal use giving the university complete control over access and enabling the movement of students, staff and visitors to be tracked through both the offline and online parts of the system if required. This enables a complete access profile of each individual to be established and updated as necessary at the WRM wall readers. And if security is breached due to the loss of a key card, it can be instantly deleted from the system without the need or cost of rekeying or changing locks – saving the university time and money.

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