Facelift for the Mother City

Access & Identity Management Handbook 2006 Access Control & Identity Management

When the City of Cape Town's ­Information Technology (CCTIT) division looked over its weighty legacy of ­disparate time and attendance (T&A) ­solutions and systems, it decided the time had come for a thorough spring-cleaning.

Dawie Kriel, senior officer, HR division, explains: "The City of Cape Town had different solutions provided by different companies using different technologies. We urgently needed to consolidate this inherited position in order to improve our management of resources.

"We have to manage T&A for over 24 000 staff members based at over 500 sites. It was obvious that we needed to choose a universal solution that could be implemented across all these sites, and that the data from the sites had to be centrally managed from a single server.

CCTIT took complete responsibility for developing the system requirements and they considered, among other factors, current trends, availability of technology and feasibility. During this process, it became clear that CCTIT had to meet the following requirements: data from the T&A solution had to seamlessly integrate into a centralised payroll module of its SAP ERP system; and a biometric hardware solution was required to prevent fraudulent clockings.

Design, specification and implementation were treated as separate phases, because of the scale and complexity of project.

Subsequent to CCTIT's extensive and thorough investigation of its requirements, the division put out a call for companies to tender for the contract.

The solution

Jeff Greeff, sales executive at Blick SA: "There was an extensive selection process, but eventually Hlanganani Blick, our BEE arm, made it to the shortlist of three companies.

"Our biggest challenge was conclusively proving to CCTIT, by software and hardware demonstrations, that Hlanganani Blick was the obvious choice for the project."

Hlanganani Blick, providers of time management solutions, eventually won the contract because its solution was locally-produced and specifically designed to meet the needs of the South African HR market.

Greeff comments: "With the size of the infrastructure and the need for centralised payroll facilities, a web-based solution was the only possible solution."

Sagem's biometric fingerprint readers, locally distributed by Ideco, were chosen as Sagem (a French company) is the global market leader in this technology. Blick's BESTime web-based time management and data collection software was chosen to provide the web-based interface into the SAP systems.

"Realtime data is available at both the centralised database and at all the local and off-site workstations that are configured for our software," comments Greef.

Other challenges that had to be overcome on the way to a successful implementation included working with third party companies on the SAP integration and, in certain instances, necessary upgrades to the existing network infrastructure.

The benefits

Greeff says: "The project is still a work in progress but we have achieved a successful first installation. We have a dedicated team of project managers and technicians working on the project. Goals have been set and achieved and weekly - or even daily - meetings are held to ensure we all remain on track.

"We are now at the point where we are focused on the two year roll-out plan to eventually accommodate all 500 sites. So far, everything has run smoothly, but we are keeping a sharp lookout for any issues arising and are confident that we will continue to overcome any obstacles that might come our way.

"So far, everything has been a success. Frequent communication and regular meetings with CCTIT are helping to maintain good working relationships. I cannot over-emphasis the importance of this aspect of running successful projects."

Kriel concludes: "This project is part of The City of Cape Town's concerted efforts to improve levels of service to the community we serve. We are pleased with the way Blick went about the pilot phase of this large-scale project.

"We are confident that, when roll-out is completed, that The City of Cape Town will save millions of rands that were previously being paid out every year in unjust wages."

Fact file

Blick SA, Jeff Greeff, +27 (0) 21 511 3322, [email protected]

Ideco, Gary Jones, +27 (0) 11 745 5600, [email protected]

City of Cape Town, Dawie Kriel, [email protected]





Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page



Further reading:

The power of PKI and private sector innovation
Access Control & Identity Management News & Events Government and Parastatal (Industry)
At the recent ID4Africa 2025 Summit in Addis Ababa, the spotlight was firmly on building secure, inclusive, and scalable digital identity ecosystems for the African continent.

Read more...
Biometric security key for phishing-resistant MFA
Products & Solutions Access Control & Identity Management
New FIDO-compliant USB, Bluetooth, and NFC BioKeys with biometric login and centralised management for phishing-resistant, passwordless multifactor authentication (MFA) for enterprise users.

Read more...
Gallagher Security releases OneLink
Gallagher Animal Management Products & Solutions Access Control & Identity Management
Gallagher Security has announced OneLink, a cloud-based solution that makes it faster, easier and more cost-effective to deploy security anywhere in the world, transforming how security can be delivered to remote sites and distributed infrastructure.

Read more...
Suprema unveils BioStar Air
Suprema neaMetrics News & Events Access Control & Identity Management Infrastructure
Suprema launches BioStar Air, the first cloud-based access control platform designed to natively support biometric authentication and feature true zero-on-premise architecture. BioStar Air simplifies deployment and scales effortlessly to secure SMBs, multi-branch companies, and mixed-use buildings.

Read more...
Continuous AML risk monitoring
Access Control & Identity Management Security Services & Risk Management Financial (Industry)
AU10TIX, launched continuous risk monitoring as part of its advanced anti-money laundering (AML) solution, empowering businesses to detect behavioural anomalies and emerging threats as they arise.

Read more...
The future of security: intelligent automation
Access Control & Identity Management AI & Data Analytics IoT & Automation
As the security landscape evolves, businesses are no longer looking for stand-alone solutions, they want connected, intelligent systems that automate, streamline, and protect.

Read more...
Smart automation is changing security
SA Technologies IntelliGuard Access Control & Identity Management
Security has come a long way from manual check-ins, logbooks, and standalone surveillance cameras. With the rise of intelligent automation, security is now faster, smarter, and more connected than ever.

Read more...
The future of security in South Africa
ATG Digital Access Control & Identity Management
Security technology is evolving rapidly, but is local innovation keeping pace? Some global players recognise the potential of South African products for international markets, but can our manufacturers and service providers thrive without external support?

Read more...
Integration enhances estate access control
Access Control & Identity Management
With one-third of residential burglaries starting at the front door, the continued seamless integration of Glovent’s estate management platform with Impro access control software is welcome news for estates.

Read more...
T&A in South Africa’s retail sector
ERS Biometrics Access Control & Identity Management
Using existing systems, ERSBio provides a practical and more cost-effective way for businesses to manage operations, reduce payroll mistakes, and enhance overall efficiency through innovative T&A processes.

Read more...










While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.




© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd. | All Rights Reserved.