Author Archives: tensor_accesscontrol

1. Avacta granted EU approval for Covid-19 test

   14 June 2021 9:58 am Leave a Comment

   Listed biotechnology business Avacta Group has been granted approval to market its Covid-19 lateral flow test for professional use in the EU.

   The company has received notice of registration of its AffiDX SARS-CoV-2 antigen lateral flow test, enabling it to place the product on the market in all 27 countries of the EU for professional use. 

   It follows on from the UK approval for the test secured earlier this month (June 2021).

   Avacta, who has sites in Wetherby and Cambridge, is progressing multiple commercial opportunities with distributors and end users in Europe, with the product registration said to be the key final step towards commercialisation.

   Dr Alastair Smith, chief executive at Avacta Group, said: “We are delighted to receive confirmation of the registration of the AffiDX SARS-CoV-2 antigen test in the EU. The EU is an important market for us, and the product registration is a key commercialisation milestone.

   “The results of the recent clinical evaluation of the test at a clinical site in Europe demonstrate the test has excellent sensitivity across a range of viral loads, which would be considered infectious.

   “Lateral flow tests have a crucial role to play in helping our societies and economies return to normal, and I am confident that the AffiDX test will now play a significant part in this process.”

   Access Control UK – expert suppliers of end-to-end Physical Identity and contactless biometric solutions

   Access control systems play a critical role in keeping infection rates down in the workplace. Not only this but they also only grant access to authorised members of staff into permissible areas of the site. This enhances the safety and security of the workplace, which is vital for a company such as Avacta where hygiene is the number one priority.  

   Tensor Access Control Systems offer a variety of contactless solutions that enable users to securely verify their credentials and gain access through a door without touching any surfaces. These include: 

   Tensor Proximity Card Readers: Slim, sleek and attractive, proximity smart card readers deliver multi-card format compatibility with extensive functionality. They are designed to work perfectly with Tensor contactless smartcards, meaning that users never have to touch the actual reader in order to gain access. Tensor readers are perfect for installations where aesthetics are of paramount importance, but where security is vital.

   Facial Recognition Terminals: The Facial Recognition Terminals are among the world’s most compact face recognition stations, offering very high matching speeds, accuracy, and level of security.Non-Contact Facial Recognition Access Control Technology provides a fast, highly accurate biometric solution for identifying employees and/or visitors and granting or denying them access to site.

   Tensor Mobile Self-Service Module (SSM) iOS/Android App: The “Door Status” feature implemented in the Mobile SSM App provides users with an overview of the current status of the access doors controlled by Tensor access controllers and also enables the automatic door locking or unlocking directly from the app.

   If you are interested in learning more about our range of access control systems, or are looking to upgrade your current security, please get in touch with amember of our team.

2. Upgrading Your Business Security with Post-COVID Measures

   7 June 2021 12:03 pm Leave a Comment

   We have already touched on the subject before, that access control is a must-have for the safe reopening of office post-COVID, but what systems, in particular, should you as a business be looking at installing or implementing once lockdown eases?

   Whilst cases of the Coronavirus are diminishing, the safety measures taken to protect the public have highlighted great potential for businesses to improve (and even increase) their security. From limited bodies in offices, to one way systems, to reducing interaction with handling in office premises, we’re adapting to the changing of times and seeing benefits for it.

   Contactless access and touch-free access

   Not everyone can work from home indefinitely, and it’s with this in mind touch-free access control should be at the forefront of your next security upgrade. With digital keypads locks and traditional keypad locks, the concern will always be present — they will be touched and more often than not, not wiped down after use. This could see a spread of germs, not just the virus that’s dominated headlines this past year.

   An ideal upgrade is turning to smart cards for access control; a simple swipe or tap of a card gains the holder entry without the need for additional cross-contamination. Easy to install, manage and maintain, smart cards are a smart step up in increasing your business’ security and building assurance with staff safety concerns.

   Facial recognition terminals

   You can take your access control to a further level of security with the use of facial recognition terminals. These incredibly accurate smart devices can not only grant access for users, but their technology also has the capabilities to monitor and record the user’s temperature. So, in the worst case, where a user has a temperature of concern, they can be alerted of this and denied entry.

   Additional advantages of access control systems

   Not only do these access control systems play a great part in safety for a post-COVID business, but they showcase several additional advantages to maximise productivity.

   These systems allow the user to have a database of all employees on file, and with that, give each card its own permissions — if an employee changes office, or responsibilities change, access to specific site areas can be granted or prohibited within minutes and a quick sync of systems. You now have the capability to adapt to issues in real-time at a computer rather than manually change key codes.

   The use of timed access can also be fully utilised. Due to the nature of your business or staff numbers, employees may only be granted access on-site during certain working hours, denying them entry after a specific time or days like weekends. Consider a visitor pass too, will it expire after one day regardless of authorised rooms?

   An additional security benefit of your database is the assistance where ‘clocked in’ employees can be added to a roll call. In case of emergencies or fire alarm drills, databases can easily print off a list of all present employees to ensure each employee is accounted for.

   If you are interested in learning more about our range of access control systems, or are looking to upgrade your current security, please feel free to get in touch with our team.

3. Access Control – Not Just About Security

   28 August 2019 3:39 pm Leave a Comment

   When you think of an access control system, you think of restricting or controlling people’s ability to move around your site to maintain site security.

   However, more than just site security is helped by an access control solution.

   The biggest secondary function is improving your company’s ability to provide optimum health and safety procedures for staff and visitors.

   Our access control solution combines with other systems to do this in a number of ways:

   Protection from Hazardous Areas

   Our access profiles mean that you can create group patterns to forbid access to potentially dangerous areas. For example, if you have heavy machinery on site, or areas of extreme temperature, or containing corrosive materials, the last thing that you want is a visitor stumbling into one of these rooms by accident.

   You might also find it useful to forbid automatic access to office staff, who may not understand the risks and thus may not appreciate the importance of wearing PPE even if they are only on the site for a few brief minutes. Making sure that only trained staff can open the doors to dangerous areas protects everyone.

   Fire roll-call

   When your fire alarm is triggered, our central system automatically prompts up to two printers per T8526 Controller to print a list of everyone who is registered as on-site. Your employees register themselves as on or offsite by using a time and attendance system with clocking functionality.

   Our access control system enables your chosen doors to open immediately when a fire alarm goes off, regardless of the usual access rules. This means that your employees can quickly head towards their nearest exit.

   Checking up on Lone Workers

   If you integrate our access control system with a good visitor management system, you can set up email notifications in order to prompt you to check on lone workers. This enables you to mitigate the risks involved in working alone, such as accidents or being attacked.

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   For more information about the varied functions and usages of our access control system, including smartcard and biometric access, CCTV, facial recognition and visitor management, please get in touch today.

4. 5 reasons to use an Access Control System

   24 May 2019 2:21 pm Leave a Comment

   In this day and age, it is important to have an access control system, even as a small or medium-sized business.

   Do you know who is on your premises right now? If you let a cleaner, postman or repairman in to perform their role, how can you be certain they aren’t going into unnecessary rooms and potentially causing a security breach?

   If you still use old-fashioned tools such as locks and keys as your sole method of access control, you will find these questions difficult to answer.

   Not only is this a security risk, it also potentially puts visitors and contractors at risk from a health and safety perspective.

   Here are 5 reasons why you should take the plunge and invest in our long-lasting, reliable smartcard access control system:

   1. Integrated security monitoring system

   Thanks to our powerful WinAC.NET software, basic access control can be integrated with multiple elements of site security, such as car park barriers, CCTV facial recognition and visitor management checking-in to create a smooth, seamless site transition. This means that as well as giving your site manager detailed control over which staff members can access which areas at which times of day, you can also use smartcards to monitor real-time footfall at entrances and exits.

   2. Small, long-lasting and easy to use smartcards

   Our contactless smartcards are similar in size to a credit card, so they are easy to fit in a wallet or pocket as well as common lanyard fittings. The radio-frequency technology means that you don’t need to remove them from your wallet or pocket as long as there is nothing metal in the way. The cards don’t use internal batteries and can resist temperatures extremes; theoretically they can keep going for as long as you might need them.

   3. Limits access to cardholders only

   The ‘limited by status’ facility enables you to grant or revoke access based on status requirements, such as not letting someone clock into work if they have not presented their card at the site entrance. If you have had problems with people forgetting to clock in, you can even use our Single Sign On module to stop them from logging onto their computer without first registering their presence with their smartcard. Temporary cards can be set up to be given to visitors and allow them access to pre-determined areas.

   4. Improves the visitor experience

   According to a visitor management white paper by Proxyclick, two out of every five people in the 2,000 US and UK workers surveyed claim their perception of a company or brand has been negatively affected by their experience in the corporate lobby or reception area. Giving visitors a smartcard which has been pre-assigned a set “visitor” security profile means that you can be confident they won’t accidentally wander anywhere unsuitable, and they won’t have to loiter impatiently outside of doors waiting for an employee to let them through. It also removes the need for them to record their personal details in an insecure sign-in book.

   5. Health and safety integration

   Our access control system can be linked to your existing fire alarms. Once the alarms sound, the system will print out a report of who is clocked into the building at that time. You can then create muster points, where staff can assemble and present their smartcards at a reader to register that they have safely exited. This means that you can be certain, in real-time, who has left the building in an emergency. This is particularly useful for visitors, who might otherwise be forgotten about in an emergency.

5. Time to update the way employees access your premises

   25 April 2019 4:04 pm Leave a Comment

   As you may recall from our article on the history of access control, the term access control technically still encompasses old-fashioned methods such as locks, keys and safes.

   However, most modern uses of the term refer to more sophisticated barriers, with much more high-tech ways of being opened than a mere key. The access control market is estimated to be worth around £10 billion by 2020, and is currently growing by 10% year on year.  

   The most basic type of access granting equipment is the smartcard. This has many advantages over the old-fashioned key. For example, if it is stolen, a key will open the lock that it was made to fit, unless that lock is changed. This can be expensive for affected companies. Keys can also easily be copied, meaning that every time a key leaves the premises a breach is risked.

   A smartcard’s information is much more difficult to copy. If it is reported as stolen or lost, the profile attached to that card can immediately be deleted. This means that the card no longer works to get through its assigned doors and is useless to a thief. The employee who possessed that smartcard can quickly and easily be assigned a new one. There is no need to replace any other element of the system.

   If someone does manage to obtain a card that they should not have access to (e.g. a salesperson gaining an IT card for the server room) then an uncharacteristic usage of that card may still alert the security forces.

   This is related to the other big disadvantage of a lock and key: that it does not give you much information. You may know exactly who has access to that room, but you cannot know how often it is being accessed without using another type of technology such as CCTV.

   Our real-time graphical display shows doors opening and closing as it happens, recording the information to be looked at later if necessary, and our access control profiles can be changed within a minute if any suspicious activity is noticed.

   Our access control system also include provision for an entry made under duress. A normal PIN can be programmed as a feature of a normal access permission, working in tandem with the smartcard, but there can also be a special duress code set up. When this is entered, the cardholder (and any potential threat) notice no difference in the way that the door opens for them, but it triggers a silent alarm and sends an alert to the necessary people.

   The other method by which people can use our access control system is through their personal biometrics.

   The type of biometric identification that we offer for access control is the fingerprint reader, for employers who, due to security concerns, want to be absolutely certain that the relevant person is accessing the door. The image of the fingertip pattern is converted into a code through a secure algorithm, which is then stored on a database for future comparison and authentication.

   These modern methods of access control should be the minimum used by all businesses, yet many premises still rely on lock and key. Contact us on 020 8242 9695 for more information on our products and services, or by using our contact form.

6. Access Control UK joins Made in Britain directory

   30 January 2019 10:42 am Leave a Comment

   Tensor, the parent company behind Access Control UK, is delighted to announce that it has joined the Made in Britain directory. Access Control UK is a leading UK-based manufacturer, system integrator and installer of smartcard & biometric Access Control security systems, along with physical security solutions such as turnstiles and car park barriers.

   The Made in Britain organisation was founded in 2011, with the intention of raising the profile of British companies who manufacture their products in Britain so that they can easily be found by journalists and potential customers.

   Members receive a marque to put on their products so that their manufacturing origin is immediately obvious, along with the PR expertise of the organisation via workshops, and opportunities for networking. The directory currently has more than 1000 members across a wide variety of industries and product types. ranging from micro-businesses and start-ups to SMEs and large companies.

   Access Control UK has been researching, developing and manufacturing security management products at its Hail Weston headquarters in Cambridgeshire for over 20 years, and its focus on and pride in its solely British manufacturing makes it a perfect addition to the Made in Britain database.

   Using the Made in Britain marque on Access Control UK products will help potential customers to identify proud British production and quality when making their purchasing choice.

   Ashley Smith, Chief Executive, comments: “We pride ourselves on our British engineering heritage as we have designed, developed and manufactured security, time and energy management products in the UK for over 30 years.

   “By joining ‘Made in Britain’ we are able to adopt a mark of distinction to our current and future customer base. It is an assurance of quality, support and performance, all of which are an integral part of our DNA.

   “The Made in Britain membership and marque are all about growth and development. We are a manufacturer who has R&D and innovation at our heart, and staying true to the values of quality British manufacturing is what provides us with a platform to compete on a domestic and global scale.”

   With over 3,000 customers, Tensor plc, the parent company of Access Control UK, supplies many blue chip organisations, law enforcement & government agencies world-wide. Access Control UK integrates its cutting edge security products into the Tensor.NET framework to provide a complete turn-key solution for business requirements. Research & development is at the core of the business, and new products are regularly released.

   Under the registered name of Tensor plc, Access Control UK is audited to UKAS ISO 9001:2015 standards, is a British Security Industry Association member, an ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers) ‘Secure by Design’ licensed company, an NSI NACOSS Gold certified company and holds a host of other industry specific & quality accreditations.

   With offices throughout the UK, distributors & business units in several countries around the world and installation & support directly from the manufacturer, Access Control UK offers an unrivalled level of service thanks to their many years of industry expertise.

   For further information on the Made in Britain initiative visit www.madeinbritain.org. To find out more about Access Control UK’s extensive range of security products, please visit https://www.accesscontrol-uk.co.uk/ or call us on 020 8242 9695.

7. Biometrics such as fingerprints add extra security reassurance in smart homes

   17 December 2018 3:43 pm Leave a Comment

   A company which specialises in smart homes has made arrangements with a biometrics finger company in Austria in order to integrate the wall-mounted finger scanner into the house system and maximise security. Biometrics – measurements of unique parts the human body such as fingerprints, irises and faces – are much more difficult to hack or guess than a 4-digit PIN, and much more difficult to steal than a smart-card/keycard.

   “eKey and Crestron took up the challenge of making door entry more secure and convenient,” said Michael Short, global residential marketing manager for Crestron.

   “To deliver on that, we focused on one of the aspects that makes us unique as human beings – fingerprints. Now, in essence, your finger is the key to your Crestron smart home.”

   Georg Schaffer, head of export, eKey Biometric Systems GmbH, concluded, “As a specialist in fingerprint technology and a proven vendor of outdoor rated fingerprint readers, we are very excited about our partnership with Crestron and the possibilities of this advanced integration. It’s like turning Crestron into a biometric access control system by itself, featuring simplified administration centrally via – for instance – a Crestron touch screen. By saving multiple fingerprints of individual users, different functions can be triggered. Whereas your right index finger will become your new key for unlocking your front door, your left index finger will trigger a silent alarm when used under duress.”

   Access Control UK – experts in designing and deploying advanced biometric access control systems

   Access Control UK provides enhanced security for all businesses with more than 10 employees. For maximum peace of mind, we offer a biometrics access control reader, which can be programmed to also demand a smart-card too. Multi-factor authentication is always more secure, and this biometrics and smart-card combination is no exception, since now no-one can enter your premises with just a stolen smart-card.

   Our software can fine-tune and regulate individuals’ access control options, from the very broad, e.g. all employees can go here and all guests cannot, right down to, for example, one particular person can enter this room between the hours of 11am to 3pm.

   If you’d like to find out more about the range of solutions supplied by Access Control UK, both in terms of hardware (smart card readers, biometric readers, turnstiles, etc.) and software (access rights management software solutions, etc.), just contact us. We’ll be more than happy to answer any queries you might have.

8. Physical security can reduce chance of technology breach

   10 October 2018 2:44 pm Leave a Comment

   With Heathrow recently in the news for serious data protection failures, now is the ideal time for you to have a second look at your own access control systems.

   The Heathrow failure was caused by a staff member losing an unprotected USB stick. This was then found by a member of the public who took it to the local library to look at the information and then gave it to a national newspaper.

   The USB may have contained information relevant to national security, though this was unconfirmed. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) did confirm that the USB, which had 6 folders and more than 1,000 files, did expose the names, dates of birth and passport numbers of 10 people as well as personal data belonging to up to 50 Heathrow aviation security personnel.

   The ICO also found that only 2% of Heathrow’s 6,500 workforce had undergone data protection training.

   At this point you might be protesting that if this was all caused by losing a memory stick then how could stricter access controls change anything?

   We believe that the second step in protecting any data (after passwords or encryption) is ensuring that you know who is accessing the data. Your IT department can track which files users are accessing, and can even block people from using USB sticks at all.

   However, what’s stopping someone from walking into an area they’re not supposed to be in, like the HR office or the CEO’s office, and swiping a USB stick off the desk?

   Too many companies don’t put enough thought into their physical security in an office environment. Theft isn’t just about the value of objects these days, it’s about the value of data on the dark web, or in using it for extortion.

   Our access control system can show you the name and photograph of who has gone through a certain door at a certain time, using a nearly real-time graphical display in the Access Viewer Designer module. You can also create reports on suspicious access activity using our reports wizard.

   Magnetic locks hold the door closed until a form of ID is shown. Our system uses fingerprints or contactless smart-cards to identify known employees.

   Each person is assigned to a profile based on their access group, which contains a number of rules based on the time of day, day of the week, public holidays and shutdown days.

   You can also limit entry and exist using the “time limit by status” facility, which, for example, only lets a user through the building entrance if they have already checked in at the gate. It can be linked to staff PC access, so that they can only log on once they have checked in with their ID.

   All of this ability to specify means that you can choose exactly who should get through the door to the IT server, for example, or the room where payroll details are processed. You can even make that access change at different times of day.

   We do have an Anti-Pass-Back feature to stop employees swapping smartcards, but for ultimate security we would recommend fingerprint biometrics.

   There is also a special feature built into the system to take into account a valid member of staff being coerced or forced to open a door for someone unauthorised. They need to enter a particular code, which will open the door as if everything was normal, then trigger silent alarms and notify the system administrators of the forced entry.

   Hopefully you can now see how boring, “old-fashioned” physical security could stop a breach if it is correctly put into place. Contact us if you’d like any more information on any of the features mentioned here.

9. Data control is vital in a good access control system

   1 October 2018 4:02 pm Leave a Comment

   Paying careful attention to identity and access management is vital to avoid data exposure or loss, which can irreparably damage a company’s reputation, according to this SearchSecurity article.

   The more users which can access a management system, the more complicated it becomes to safely manage the data involved. It is important to not only keep customer and user data secure, but to make sure that access to that data is strictly controlled.

   “The fewer people who can access data, the more secure it is. And for those who can access the data, make sure they access only what they absolutely need.”

   When this isn’t taken seriously by companies, the chance of a data breach grows steadily larger. It can happen to any company no matter how big or small – most recently the big Reddit breach has grabbed the headlines.

   ______________

   The information available to you in our access control system is strictly controlled with system security permissions, in order to maximise the data security. Users are assigned a role in the system (e.g. admin, supervisor, users) which dictates the menu options they can see, whether they get active access, “view only” access or no access to other employees’ information.

   This careful role management means that no employee can see data which is beyond their permissions, and that they can also be limited in the menu actions they can take with the data available to them.

   You can also report on anything within the access control system. Reports are based upon an easy wizard design tool, helping you explore a variety of different reporting options. Reports may be printed, saved to a variety of file formats or emailed to recipients. Each report can be fully customised using the ‘Report Designer Module’, which allows you to add your own company logos, fonts and colours, giving your reports a real personalised look.

   It is also very difficult to hide any unethical action on the Access Control system, because all user activity is recorded for audit purposes; records are saved to show the information both before and after changes.

   Contact us today for a quote or with queries!

10. Granular Access Control Maximises Physical Security Of Your Site

    3 September 2018 3:53 pm Leave a Comment

    Elementary and middle schools in Georgia, USA, are undergoing security upgrades over the summer as part of a 1.9m project to physically secure the campuses with enhanced access control.

    For example, many areas in the schools now serve as “visitor traps” which restrict people’s access to only the lobby until they are signed in and can be accompanied by an authorised staff member to their designated location.

    “We’ve been gradually adding security modifications for the past few years,” said Dean Jackson, public information officer for Coweta County Schools. “This particular project involved securing vestibules and adding security measures at entrances.

    “We were doing entrance improvements and additional security measures at all elementary and middle schools,” Jackson said. “That includes enhanced electronic access control.”

    “With the work completed this summer, all elementary and middle schools will have a secured lobby area with restricted access,” he said.

    In addition to approving the modification of entrances and the addition of high-tech lockdown and monitoring systems, the Coweta County Board of Education green-lighted additional security cameras throughout the school system.

    The board also approved funding for 14 additional school resource officers and supervisors to ensure law enforcement presence at every school.

    Jackson said, “This summer represented an enormous step – a very big push for the school system – in making our schools secure.”

    Access Control UK – specialising in deploying advanced systems tailored to your specific requirements

    Controlling who can walk into areas of your premises is a vital element of building security. At Access Control UK, we can offer you physical barriers and turnstiles as well as door access which is controlled to a very high degree by our WinAC.NET system.

    The amount of control that our system can exert over who gets through your doors is market-leading. Described as “truly granular” by customers, it can set up numerous detailed rules for individual profiles such as:

    • What day are they trying to enter on? Are they allowed on this day? (For example, you might be closed on the weekend, or on Bank Holidays)
    • What time of day is it? (For example, a cleaner might only have access during the time of her agreed shift, or workers might only be allowed into the canteen on their assigned lunch break)

    These kinds of rules combine to make a user access pattern. These can be individual to the worker, or per department – whatever works best for you. Template access patterns on our access control system can be altered to meet your requirements.

    All patterns can be changed throughout the day – on a minute by minute basis if that is what you need.

    Other ways that you can restrict access:

    • Have they followed access procedures fully? (For example, they can’t clock in at their work-space if they didn’t identify themselves at the entrance barrier. This can even be extended to computer usage, so that they cannot log in if they missed a step somewhere further back)
    • This door only requires a smartcard, but to get through this door requires biometrics (This is a good way to ensure security in the rooms where it matters most)

    A particularly important element of our access control, which would be very useful to schools in the USA, is the “Under Duress” feature. If an employee has been forced to open a door due to being threatened or coerced in some way, they can enter a special code. Outwardly the system reacts as normal so the employee is safe from the immediate retribution which might come if alarms started blaring. In reality, the duress code has set off silent alarms and email notifications so that your management and security can know exactly what has happened and where.