Emory University

May 1, 1997 12:00 PM, >By Staff

A stand-alone door locking mechanism compatible with the existing system solved key management and door security problems.

With nearly 35,000 cardholders on multiple campuses using one card system, Emory University in Atlanta faced problems with key management, door security and the costs associated with traditional on-line access control. It sought a creative solution.

We were looking for a stand-alone door locking mechanism that would be compatible with the card and access systems already in place, explains Dave Siegel, director of the EmoryCard System at Emory University. We had a few Oindustrial applications' that needed to be secured, but we wanted to keep the costs reasonable.

Emory turned to Atlanta-based TESA Access Control. Emory's requirements are common to many colleges and universities, says Kevin Whitley, vice president of TESA. The number of students, faculty and staff places an incredible demand on access control. Traditional on-line access control works for high-traffic doors, but it can be unaffordable. Mechanical key systems lack the features of programmable systems. If you use a key to unlock a door, there is no record of the event.

Replacing the 35,000 cards that had been issued by General Meters Corp. was not an alternative, so security personnel researched available technology and determined their requirements across the board. Secured areas included general and medical storage areas, warehouse space, student government offices, executive offices and student rooms.

They wanted to secure two areas that handle significant amounts of cash, which meant we could not use a standard reader due to the possibility of a lost card. Additionally, their Oxford campus is more than 30 miles away, and using our locks on the residence halls there meant we had to be able to encode cards there by accessing the database at the Emory campus, says Whitley.

The university uses an extensive key management system that includes rotating, interchangeable lock cylinders and key check-in/check-out systems. TESA provided an alternative to the system by using track three on the ABA standard magnetic stripe cards already issued to students. The EmoryCard system uses track two. The card system includes an extensive communication network on the Emory and Oxford campuses, including T1 communications between the two campuses, which provides the ability to tie in to the TESA database on the EmoryCard host from either location.

Emory was also concerned with handling lost cards. Using proprietary encoding on track three, TESA was able to use its ML series of electronic locks. Issue and facility codes are included in the encoded data to allow automatic acceptance of replacement cards without personnel having to visit the lock. A unique site code for each campus ensures that the use of cards on one campus does not result in unauthorized access at the other. The use of mechanical keys for access to many areas was eliminated.

Virtually all our students need to get into as many as three or four areas, other than their room, says Bob Hamilton of Emory's Residential Services. The electronic locks accommodate hundreds of users in any combination while providing control by time and date and an audit trail of events.

Now, when students leave for break, we simply program the locks to stop accepting their cards on the evening they should be leaving and to accept them again when they are scheduled to return, says Whitley. The residence halls are completely secure, but maintenance and security personnel continue to have access privileges.

Siegel says electronic locks are used in the bookstore warehouse and safe room, the residence halls and the EmoryCard office. For each location, it was determined whether the lock required the additional security of a keypad. Locks with keypads require a card and a PIN.

The LMS Windows-based management system, portable programmer and encoder incorporate an open architecture. As locks were installed, cardholders simply stopped in to have their cards re-encoded. The EmoryCard office provides the host, communications and basic access management, and Residential Services manages the student database to accommodate room re-assignments and replacement cards.

The locks have been accepted very well, says Siegel. The system is doing what we want it to do.

In addition to door locks, the EmoryCard system has been used for everything from dining to laundry since 1991. It processes more than 350,000 transactions each month, handling several million dollars for the university.

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