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New generation integrated solutions are an important answer to labor shortage problems, writes Phil Campbell, Sales Director

The evidence of staff shortages is obvious to anyone planning a flight just now – with constant news of flights cancelled, and reports of stressed-out queues at airports, it can feel like a gamble. At the same time Covid, stress, and pay are causing a global crisis in nursing, with the World Health Organization estimating a shortage of 5.9mn staff.

It’s not just aviation and healthcare that’s affected of course. Services are overstretched in many critical sectors, including manufacturing, food processing, agriculture, logistics and retail.

In the UK, unemployment is close to a fifty year low according to figures from ONS (May 2022) and we’re seeing similar labor shortages in other parts of world, with the latest data from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce showing 11.4 million job openings – but only 6 million unemployed workers.

According to a report by City & Guilds, staff shortages in the logistics sector in the UK alone is expected to reach 400,000 by 2026 attributed to low pay, poor working conditions, and influences of Brexit.

As a result, employers are finding it increasingly difficult to hire the workers they need.

Some people who used to work in these sectors have found less stressful ways to earn a living, or in the case of some over-50s, have retired – or semi-retired – sooner than they planned. The pandemic workplace shake-up is not over yet, and the global economy is being buffeted new challenges.

But despite the turmoil – or maybe because of it – we’re seeing a shift in attitudes among employers.

Yes, there is a cost-of-living crisis, and it’s going to get worse. But increased pay is not seen as the only answer – or the most important – for many organizations looking to fill vacancies. They are looking at a mix of efficiency gains, and employee benefits, as they look to adapt.

Accuracy of pay and better working conditions help

While unions and employees in many sectors are demanding wage increases, according to the UK HR professionals’ body, the CIPD, offering improved working conditions with more flexible home and hybrid working is also favored solution.

Employers understand that when staff are weighing-up the benefits of a job – whether to apply, move on, or stay – they factor in benefits apart from pay. There are the cost-savings from reduced commuting, and savings that come from being able to manage work-life time more efficiently, as well as the hidden benefits from reduced stress and hassle.

The CIPD’s recent quarterly outlook (April 2022) reported that 27% of employers believed raising wages would help them tackle staff shortages. By contrast, 37% said they were looking to introduce flexible working conditions and upskill existing staff.

Flexible and hybrid working are becoming the established norm in many sectors – most obviously in IT, communications, scientific services, and professional services generally – but also more widely.

Frictionless access is supporting wider strategies

The US, the UK and Canada appear to further along the road than Europe in this move away from fixed desks and default Monday-to-Friday office attendance.

And the reshaping of corporate systems and infrastructures that is supporting hybrid working is not just reactive, it’s aligned with longer term strategies.

Because the same automations and efficiencies that are making it easier for people to work remotely, and to use premises flexibly, are also driving wider productivity benefits.

Implementing new generation visitor management solutions and upgrading access control is allowing employers to remove many of the old annoyances and inconveniences that their staff, and other site visitors, had to put up with every time they arrived on site and had to pass through security.

This is particularly true for workers in the manufacturing and logistics sectors, where staff need to wait to be authorized to pass through barriers to gain entry to car parks, use ID badges to access facilities and then check in and out using time and attendance systems. Compensation accuracy and timeliness of employee pay in these sectors are also critical to staff retention and recruitment strategies.

Today, employees can benefit from touchless, frictionless access, using license plate recognition and mobile credentials. And organizations can benefit from the integration of Microsoft Active Directory that allows then to use access control data to connect to scheduling systems and payroll, eliminating or streamlining cumbersome processes that are prone to human error. This also gives employers the confidence that staff will receive automated, accurate and timely remuneration.

Flexible, secure access control that connects time and attendance with payroll is also helping employers to make these essential jobs more attractive by offering more flexible working patterns.  Some firms are going a step further, utilizing the same credentials to give staff access to daily perks including free coffee and snacks, improving working environments and morale.

The next generation solutions are going even further, strengthening, and extending the connections between remotely based teams and the corporate center. By integrated access control with Microsoft Active Directory, for example, organizations can manage access to multiple, dispersed physical premises – plus logical access to corporate networks and applications – much more effectively.

Efficiency gains for busy teams

In busy workplaces from hospitals to hospitality, airports to logistics hubs, we’re seeing these solutions cutting out the inefficiencies of siloed technologies.

For instance, by integrating AI-powered facial recognition, organizations are strengthening security of their physical premises – facial authentication is providing a powerful ID option – and improving network security and home working security too.

Facial authentication is also enabling better two-way engagement between employees and employers, helping to ensure that staff are taking regular breaks and not allowing work to blur into evenings and weekends, which can quickly lead to stress and burnout.  The same technology allows workers to report a concern or seek emergency assistance. And feedback from the staff using these new, improved two-way communications and engagement technologies is overwhelmingly positive.

It’s also being welcomed by department managers concerned that their staff aren’t being as productive or innovative as they were in the office. These managers can now measure productivity gains or losses, and review the times employees are actively using applications and delivering output. This can signal when team members need reward, inspiration, or guidance. Bosses also have the right tools to meet their duty of care obligations, for example being alerted in the event of a remote working safety incident.

And because these new generation solutions are much more affordable, employers see them as a good option to reduce staff turnover, make employees feel valued, provide better working environments, and to help them work more efficiently.

As economic conditions tighten, those could be very welcome benefits.

Last October, we reported on ground-breaking innovations in the public sector, with proof-of-concepts linking – and streamlining – physical access and visitor management processes with wider corporate data systems.

We highlighted one project that has particular promise: a major healthcare trust undertaking a proof-of-concept (POC) trial to test the potential of full physical and digital systems integration, streamlining access control, by linking with existing staff databases.

We can report now that the POC trial has been successful, and findings suggest that intended efficiency benefits should be achievable. Lessons have been learned, the technology has been further developed, and the next stage, planned to run from July until the end of the year, will see the project move from POC to Pilot, with roll-out in a newly built Adult Mental Health hospital.

While the POC was limited to Estates and ICT staff, the pilot stage will, for the first time, mean that medical teams will benefit from a smoother and more efficient access experience.

Ultimately the idea is to give every employee a unique digital portal which they’ll use for access to all the physical spaces they need to use, as well as systems access. If you want a simple image: a time-pressed clinician or care worker will no longer have to juggle multiple ID cards to access different sites and facilities within the same organization. They’ll be able to get to the physical and digital resources they need using a simple, easy to manage staff portal.

And in the future, authorised staff from partner agencies will, it is hoped, be granted the same hassle-free and frictionless access to sites.

Access control and visitor management functions will be able to operate more securely, with more centralised oversight.

One innovation to emerge from the POC has been a requirement to integrate a key cabinet tracking system with the access control on traditional doors, so that the two can work in harmony. The purpose is to enforce the requirement for specified staff to withdraw a set of emergency keys from the secure cabinet before they move into the main patient area of the hospital. So, managers can ensure – and demonstrate – that every member of staff who is required to will have a set of emergency override keys. This customisation caters for specific operational requirements at the specific hospital, which provides care for adult mental health patients – but at other sites, and for different applications, customisation will be necessary. And they’ll be relatively easy to accommodate. In the old days, customisation would have been provided only by enterprise-level PSIM developers along with expert systems integrators, and would have entailed significant cost, but today more flexible and modular approaches have made it far more affordable.

It’s now understood that there are lots of efficiencies to be made by speeding up day to day tasks but automating workflows – maintaining access and ID authorisations, granting, and revoking digital passes, managing mobile staff, streamlining deliveries, allocating workspace resources, booking-in guests, even automating building systems to align with occupancy. When multiplied across large workforces and dispersed estates this is expected to generate massive savings.

Behind the scenes, those managing the NHS pilot scheme will be further testing the links between doors, the client software, and the back-end database. And they’ll be looking at building the necessary resiliency, with back-up servers in separate data centres providing failover capability.

With the project in question, for the next stage a new-build site has been chosen which allows a ‘clean slate’ approach rather than a more complex migration away from incumbent tech. So, when the first staff and patients start arriving at the site, the new policies and procedures will be set up, ready and waiting.

This facility offers other advantages too, as it sits at a mid-way point in terms of the type of care being delivered and the complexity of activity taking place: it is neither the most challenging, nor the least. So, depending on the outcome here, the trial managers will be able to decide whether to scale up or scale down for the next phase early in 2023. Beyond that, a year from now, the plan is for a full roll-out across the whole trust.

And at that point the benefits of full digitisation will be clearer to see. This project, and several others like it, may soon be providing a template of efficiency gains for other major employers to adopt too.

It’s exactly the kind of approach we’ve been writing about for some time: projects encompassing multiple disciplines so that everything works seamlessly: video, intruder, fire, access, building services and specialist functions.

Similar things have been done before on a smaller scale and with different operational priorities, in sectors such as hospitality, office, and multi-use developments. But this approach is of particular benefit to major employers with thousands of staff and dozens of locations. So, the potential impact of these larger scale trials is very exciting.

Deal signed at The Security Event to give users complete security and site management solutions encompassing best-in-class brands and technologies

Specialist audio, video and security distributor CIE Group will deliver a new generation of powerful, silo-free security and site management solutions – including best-in-class video and access control from Axis Communications – following a partnership deal with Quanika, formalised at The Security Event (Birmingham NEC, April 5, 2022).

CIE, which has built a reputation for high level design-and-build access control solutions, will extend its offering via Quanika to include a range of leading brand integrations in security, life safety, building controls and broader corporate systems – all operated from a unified management platform.

The distribution agreement covering the UK will focus on sectors including retail, leisure and hospitality, offices and commercial property, healthcare, light industrial and the education sector.

With a rapidly growing user-base globally, Quanika technology is enabling a new generation of security and site management solutions that leverage the power of enterprise identity services – including Microsoft’s Active Directory – helping customers to operate their sites more efficiently in increasingly competitive landscapes.

“Quanika fully integrates with 2N’s leading IP access control & door intercom range, where CIE has built a market leading reputation, and allows us to seamlessly link other third-party access devices, video monitoring and online payment brands including 2N, Assa Abloy, Akuvox and HDI,” says Steve Collin, CIE Group Sales Director. “Our customers will also benefit from the full range of Axis Communication’s video technology and Quanika’s unrivalled ability to adapt and customise solutions and rapidly develop new features, function and integrations whenever they are needed.”

Quanika’s integration model combines out-of-the-box affordability with bespoke tailoring whenever required. Its core software offerings, Quanika Enterprise and VisitorPoint, give customers more practical, affordable migration routes away from outdated, siloed systems and technology stacks which are less efficient and less secure. They are also transforming the way organisations control access to their premises, facilities, and networks, and manage a growing number of functions – including time and attendance, and payroll – by automatically exchanging data between access control and visitor management databases and popular enterprise identity service such as Active Directory.

Quanika Enterprise combines advanced access control functionality with the ability to manage video surveillance and wider building management systems to give organisations multi-site management and control from a single user interface. VisitorPoint synched with Active Directory gives organisations complete identity and access management to manage their staff, contractors, and visitors under one single umbrella giving them the flexibly to adapt to the latest security, safety, and operational requirements.

“Greater user convenience, more positive visitor experiences, and advances in overall efficiency are now vital for organisations looking to adapt to economic stresses by improving working conditions and staff retention,” says Quanika Sales Director, Phil Campbell.

“Customers in almost every sector looking toward a ‘single pane of glass’ to streamline their operations, improve efficiency and care for their people with frictionless access and a smooth experience every time they arrive at a site,” adds Phil. “We are delighted to be working with CIE to deliver on these priorities with complete security and safety solutions and the ability to quickly integrate new systems and devices to meet site-specific challenges.”

For more information on Quanika solutions go to quanika.com and to contact CIE Group go to cie-group.com.

Current, emerging developments in facial recognition tech are opening up exciting possibilities for identification, verification, and authentication for many businesses and industry sectors.

Many of us are already reaping the benefits of being able to smoothly access our smartphones and banking apps using facial recognition. Not only is it more convenient, but we also know our faces have unique geometries that give us the assurance of cyber protection versus the risks of username and passwords – not to mention first pets’ names, car models, and mother maiden names for 2FA – or the hassle of trying to remember specific characters in long strings of letters and numbers and inevitably writing them down in insecure lists.

Similar approaches to using facial recognition are now available for organisations, allowing them to provide secure and frictionless access to premises, meeting rooms, car parks, hot desks, IT applications, and sensitive documents – and with similar benefits: greater personal convenience and improved cybersecurity.

Not only are these new solutions easy and affordable to implement, because they leverage low-cost edge devices or existing equipment such as company laptops and phones, but the come with impressive performance now processing has also become super speedy.

Any privacy concerns that employees, contractors, and visitors have can easily be alleviated by giving individuals timed options so they can choose for how long their biometric data is used and stored. Businesses can also opt for technology that creates synthetic face overlays to protect individuals from any risk of being recognised, and to meet compliance with regulations including GDPR.

This means we can now give our customers reliable and practical alternatives to both physical and logical access based on proximity cards, tokens, and other credentials, as well as complicated MFA for IT applications.

We’re already seeing this as a game-changer because not only is this form of biometric authentication more secure; it drives significant savings: removing the cost of producing and administering ID badges or supplying every employee with a token, and saving the time it takes to maintain systems, for staff to intervene to replace lost or forgotten access credentials or re-setting application passwords.

In sectors from healthcare and logistics to e-commerce and hospitality, we’ve already seen how upgrading ID verification from proximity cards to smartphones delivers efficiency savings by using QR codes or mutual authentication with edge devices such as door readers to enable more frictionless and contactless access to premises, workspaces, meeting rooms, and hot desks.

Next gen facial recognition tech now gives us more authentication and verification options and adds another layer of security and safety.  Integrated with wider systems – including security, building management, operational and human resources applications and particularly databases such as Microsoft Active Directory – this has huge potential to eliminate siloed systems and technology stacks.

This integration also gives facilities managers the ability to monitor occupancy to ensure buildings and workspaces are optimized day to day – with more sustainable approaches to heating, lighting, and services – while, longer-term, the statistical data that becomes available will help tailor building use more closely to the needs of staff and visitors. Inevitably, that will deliver new efficiencies.

And with hybrid working here to stay, these new solutions also allow IT departments to better support BYOD policies.

Reductions in the number of permanent staff using office spaces – and more flexible working patterns also bring some increased security risks that need to be managed. For example, the less predictable ways of working may make it harder for employees and security staff to spot intruders.  But the latest facial recognition tech plugs the gap, helping to keep unauthorised individuals out of secure areas. Facial recognition, with the ability to quickly verify unrecognised individuals using edge devices on the move, can cut infiltration risks – for example, ensuring staff-only access to private workspace areas and server rooms, and preventing tailgating.

At a time of increased employee bargaining power, we should not underestimate the value of giving staff the improved daily conveniences that comes with frictionless, yet flexible access to working spaces. Not only can this help to improve staff engagement, it lets employers meet their duty of care obligations and promote a culture of safety and wellbeing.

And it has potential to deliver many benefits beyond commerical office spaces.

For example, automated access control is being proven in use at construction sites, enabling touchless time and attendance, reducing operational costs and human error, and improving health & safety by integrating data such as worker qualifications, insurance enrolments and onsite working history records.

This increases operational flexibility, allowing mobile workforces to move easily between different sites, using the same seamless and frictionless authentication system wherever they go.  The same is true in sectors including healthcare and logistics and warehousing operations.

Industry bodies and government departments are all now recognising how much facial recognition can help to reduce operational costs and advance the digital transformation of sectors under increasing pressure from supply chain disruption, high staff turnover and shortages

These emerging integrated solutions are also strengthening and extending the connections between remotely based teams and the corporate centre.

Adding AI-powered facial recognition to these integrated solutions, the result is not just improved security at physical premises – with facial recognition providing smoother authentication – but more effective home working with improved network security too.

For example, with facial recognition remote monitoring can ensure that only authorised employees are able to log-in to specified applications or to view sensitive systems and data on work laptops. If that authorised individual moves away from their laptop – or if somebody who’s not authorised tries to use the system, or even look over the user’s shoulder – access can immediately time-out.

The same AI technology will detect attempts to deceive the system using a photograph or digital image – thanks to robust liveness detection capability – ensuring a high degree of authentication accuracy.

These tools can be tailored to the security level required by the user – in the case of a bank or government department, for example, the access restrictions can be more rigorous, with a smaller business where employees need to be agile it can be more flexible.

For the many of the sectors we are now working in, facial recognition is set to deliver major new benefits, including managing hybrid working with increasingly mobile workforces, and pivoting operations to be more efficient and flexible.

Integration with Microsoft’s Active Directory powers new generation security and site management solutions, encompassing best-in-class Axis Communications video and access control hardware

Network infrastructure and security systems integrator, Data Installation & Supplies (DIS), has formalised its working relationship with Quanika in a partnership deal with Quanika in a move that will drive advanced integration projects in high demand sectors including logistics and online retail warehousing and e-commerce services.

Quanika technology is enabling a new generation of security and site management solutions that leverage the power of corporate databases – including Microsoft Active Directory – helping customers to operate their sites more efficiently in increasingly competitive landscapes.

DIS reports that it is growing strongly in sectors including warehousing, logistics, manufacturing and retail, all of which have to manage high throughputs of staff, visitors and site users. The partnership with Quanika now allows DIS to deliver advanced – and increasingly customised – solutions integrating best-in-class video and access control hardware from Axis Communications along with multiple technologies from other vendors.

“Quanika software lets us power Axis Communications access control hardware to create complete end-to-end security solutions that operate from a single pane of glass. We’ve been an Axis surveillance Gold partner for years, now Quanika’s software is a game-changer for us,” says Adam Foster, Technical Director, DIS. “Another key advantage of working with Quanika is the company’s ability to adapt and customise solutions and develop new integrations at speed. When we request a new feature or function the development turnaround is impeccable – whether that’s something bespoke to one customer or something with wider market applications to benefit more projects.”

Quanika’s integration model combines off-the-shelf affordability with bespoke tailoring whenever required. Its core software offerings, Quanika Enterprise and VisitorPoint, are giving DIS customers more practical, affordable migration routes away from outdated, siloed systems and technology stacks which are less efficient and less secure. They are also transforming the way organisations control access to their premises, facilities, and networks, and manage a growing number of functions – including time and attendance, and payroll – by automatically exchanging data between access control and visitor management systems and popular corporate databases such as Active Directory.

Quanika Enterprise combines advanced access control functionality with the ability to manage video surveillance and wider building management systems to give organisations multi-site management and control from a single user interface. VisitorPoint synched with Active Directory allows organisations to manage their staff, contractors, and visitors under one single umbrella giving them the flexibly to adapt to the latest security, safety, and operational requirements.

The overall increased efficiency – with greater user convenience and more positive visitor experiences – is particularly important for organisations looking to adapt to labour shortages by improving working conditions and staff retention, says, Sales Director, Phil Campbell.

“With the continuing economic pressures arising from the pandemic, customers are looking to care for their people with frictionless access and a smooth experience every time they arrive at a site, whether that’s full-time staff, contractors, regular visitors or a guest attending for the first time,” says Phil.  “We are delighted to be working with DIS to make this a reality for many more organisations. Together we are giving customers the advantages of affordable complete security and safety solutions with off-the-shelf integrations, and the ability to quickly add new systems and devices to meet site-specific challenges.

For more information on Quanika solutions go to quanika.com and to contact Data Installation & Supplies go to https://www.disnetwork.co.uk/

Adam Foster, Technical Director, Data Installation & Supplies (DIS)

As organisations look to become more agile they are turning to innovative software that lets them manage everything from a single pane of glass, without the cost or complexity of a PSIM

In doing so, they are taking advantage of an exciting new generation of enterprise-class, flexible solutions, that integrate previously siloed systems to encompass access control, visitor management, video surveillance, life safety and other building management systems, with the ability to automate data sharing between multiple departments and core functions.

Partnering with Quanika and Axis Communications, we are now delivering these solutions and unlocking multiple benefits, from increased efficiency to reduced staff turnover, just at a time when organisations need it most.

We are seeing first-hand, in projects from online retail and logistics to warehousing and manufacturing, how customers can leverage the power of their corporate databases, such as Microsoft Active Directory. They can streamline processes and workflows to manage their sites and businesses far more securely and efficiently, which assists with security threats, stringent compliance and staff benefit schemes.

Many employers are under pressure, as a result of both the pandemic and other longer term trends.

Even before COVID some high demand sectors were finding it challenging to retain good employees.  We are seeing continued strain in our focus sectors, including logistics, warehousing and food production, as the pressures of labour shortages spread. It’s telling that key workers in many sectors, from retail staff to delivery drivers, are now being wooed with wage increases, joining bonuses, and other incentives.

What does this have to do with the systems integration projects we are delivering?

Increasingly, our customers say that when they run their operations efficiently, their workplaces become more attractive – especially when they make flexibility and staff convenience a priority.

So as an employer, if you can set up your access control and visitor management so they automatically exchange data with Microsoft Active Directory, employees and regular contractors can be granted automatic, secure access to all the locations, facilities and online resources they need without having to jump through additional hoops or intrusive security layers.

Additionally, payroll and time and attendance can be integrated through that same single pane of glass, so that shift workers no longer have to clock in and out – they simply enter and exit the building through a given access point, with their arrival and departure times automatically logged.

Automatic data exchange means that when authorisation status of any individual changes (they leave their job, for example) access rights are immediately updated without the need for manual intervention.

HR or department heads now know to automatically prevent leavers from accessing company email and IT networks immediately, but regularly forget to inform security to revoke ID cards and other credentials, leaving them able to enter facilities with high value goods and assets. The integration of access control and visitor management with Active Directory puts an end to that potential for human error.

This integration model also combines off-the-shelf affordability with bespoke tailoring whenever required and lets us give customers more practical, affordable migration routes away from outdated, siloed systems and technology stacks which are less efficient and less secure.  With everything operating under one umbrella, it’s easier for customers to adapt to changing security, safety, and operational requirements, enabling seamless systems which contribute to welcoming workplaces, helping employers compete for exceptional people, whilst also delivering operational efficiencies and long-term budget savings.

Operating your systems from that single pane of glass also delivers other benefits too including threat and hazard detection and an increased visual awareness enabling increased proactivity – from a logistics perspective detection of risks can include things like the misuse of forklifts, unauthorised access attempts, or suspicious activity on the perimeter, which is increasingly important across many of our key sectors where health and safety and security are both mission critical.

Organisations not only need to mitigate risks and meet compliance requirements, there’s also now a growing need for them to ensure staff wellbeing and demonstrate proper duty of care provision – all necessary for retaining the best talent and avoiding HSE fines, liability claims and reputational damage.With a number of the projects we are involved in, we are seeing the applications and benefits expand and we can ask Quanika to adapt and customise to develop new integrations at speed – which they do. Whenever a new function is needed, we see how it can be developed very quickly, whether it’s bespoke to one customer or something with wider market applications and benefits.

Looking ahead, we see huge potential.  When you have a powerful core system, such as those we are building around Quanika Enterprise and VisitorPoint, you can add hardware, such as best-in-class video and access control hardware from Axis Communications along with multiple technologies from other vendors.  We can integrate customer-specific systems and devices, practically without limit to improve the employee experience whilst enhancing safety, security and driving cost savings through increased automation.

Disruption to global supply chains over recent months has highlighted how essential logistics are to modern life.

The efficient supply of goods and materials underpins every aspect the global economy and this efficiency has been raised to impressive levels by the integration of systems, technology, people and processes..

We all now benefit from highly integrated networks linking producers and consumers through multiple transportation modes – air and express delivery services, rail, maritime and road – right down to the last mile.

But with complexity comes vulnerability, even from basic causes.

In the UK for example something apparently simple, that should have been predictable,  has led to major disruption: a shortage of qualified drivers.

Sector-specific and local factors have been blamed, including an exodus of foreign drivers after Brexit, inadequate pay and facilities for long distance drivers, lack of status and recognition, and a testing backlog caused by Covid restrictions.

But these problems are not unique to the UK. For example, according to data collected by Transport Intelligence, Poland was short of more than 120,000 drivers last year, while in Germany between 45,000 and 60,000 were needed.

So in almost every developed economy there is pressure on organisations to operate more efficiently and to automate systems – but to do it in a way that is also resilient, and that reduces rather than increases vulnerability.

The logistics sector has long faced big challenges from crime, with each link in each supply chain a point of potential risk from low level opportunist theft, steal-to-order organised gangs, internal fraud, cybersecurity threats, people trafficking and general crime.

In Europe, most cargo theft (i.e. from trucks) is thought to be perpetrated by small-time gangs and low-level crime groups not linked to major syndicates. Recent estimates by the UK Home Office put annual losses at £250 million (€290m).

So it’s hardly surprising, given the risks faced, that this is a highly standards-driven sector.

TAPA (the Transported Asset Protection Association) has grown into a leading influencer over the last two decades. Its work in risk monitoring, threat intelligence sharing, training, and security standards accreditation is helping build resilience among over 700 member companies and, through them, across global supply chains.

Recognising that cargo crime is one of the biggest supply chain challenges, particularly for higher value products, TAPA’s FSR (Facility Security Requirements) were developed as common global minimum standards for secure warehousing and in-transit storage (separate Trucking Security Requirements cover transportation by road).

Successful implementation of the TAPA standards depends on logistics services providers, buyers and auditors working together and robust oversight systems to manage people are essential at every stage.

Many of these challenges are the focus of the solutions that we specialise in: integrating security infrastructure with people management and sector-specific systems that are designed to streamline operations and drive efficiency.

Over recent years we’ve been closely involved with some major logistics operators developing seamless single platform solutions that are more efficient than stand-alone, siloed systems.

And we have seen first hand how important efficient, seamless operating systems are in making sites more secure and collaboration between parties easier.

We have implemented solutions combining ANPR with door access, with customer invites scheduled using Microsoft Outlook providing visitors with secure QR codes and relevant wayfinding information.

This digitisation is making it easier for authorised customers, auditors, contractors to  gain access to secure warehouses, and making it harder for criminals to exploit loopholes that are inevitable with inefficient paper-based or siloed systems.

At each stage, as a customer or other visitor is granted access – from parking to secure area entry – the host is notified by email. This allows the host to welcome each visitor personally in the reception area, reducing pressure on reception staff at busy times and allowing a better arrivals experience for the guest. Reception staff also monitor all visitors on and off site as an additional layer of security using an intuitive web interface, and can support visitors as required.

And a new generation of  integrated solution, operated from the Quanika Enterprise interface, offers seamless connectivity with existing perimeter detection cameras, intruder, detection and fire systems.  It significantly enhances visibility and control of access and related on-site activity, with intuitive maps, easily searched audit trails, and a dashboard providing the real-time status of doors, controllers, batteries including system health monitoring.

The result is that senior security and ops managers can handle all site control tasks through one platform that includes viewing cameras, monitoring doors and communicating through audio devices.

Together, secure visitor management and access for staff,  plus increased situational awareness across warehousing sites, delivers many benefits.

Looking ahead, and helping logistics suppliers go further, we are now developing practical digitization solutions for loading bays, with automated recording of driver check-in to replace labour-intensive paper systems.

Users to benefit from seamless integration and best-in-breed tech choice

BELFAST, UNITED KINGDOM, 18 AUGUST 2021 – More streamlined, cost-efficient options for integrating Axis Communications network door controllers, cameras, and audio devices are now possible thanks to a new technology integration between Quanika and IPConfigure. The integration between Quanika’s access control and visitor management software and IPConfigure Orchid VMS enables more affordable, powerful, and feature-rich integrated security solutions for single and multi-site management and control.

Quanika’s impressive, modular access control and visitor management software seamlessly works with Axis Communications network hardware to offer users a unified security management platform. Now those systems integrate with IPConfigure’s popular VMS – including its Orchid Core video management software for small to mid-sized users – and its Orchid Fusion for enterprise level and multi-site applications.

“With the addition of IPConfigure’s popular Orchid video management software suite, including Orchid Fusion, Hybrid, and Alto for small through enterprise and multisite applications, this technology partnership offers significant upfront and ongoing cost advantages, with simple license fee structures and no hidden extras,” says Leo Cook, Quanika’s General Manager.

“Our transparent, modular approach gives customers the freedom to scale up, letting them upgrade to enterprise-level functionality selectively for sites or camera streams where they need it most. They can do this without the prohibitive license fees traditionally charged by vendors.”

He added that one-stop-shop purchasing of Axis Communications hardware and Quanika and IPConfigure software globally through leading distributor, Anixter, together with pricing flexibility would help systems integrators who need to competitively bid on project scale-ups: “They can now affordably cater for unlimited cardholders and credentials or manage multiple sites using a federated and partitioned architecture for video and access management. And they have the option to easily add in new and emerging technologies, such as AI-powered video analytics.”

There is growing demand for flexible, affordable but powerful integrated solutions that allow organizations to eliminate inefficient siloed systems and databases, speed up verification, detection, and incident response, and increase operational efficiency.

Quanika Compact is already proving its value for smaller and mid-sized users while Quanika Enterprise extends these benefits, with more advanced capabilities and extensibility for the most demanding applications. Quanika Enterprise offers an intuitive security and safety management platform that integrates powerful access control functionality with video and wider building management and popular databases that allows organizations to orchestrate change and adapt to change operational requirements.

This modular, off-the-shelf approach offers significant advantages over expensive, customized solutions, including greater flexibility, reduced up-front costs and a lower total cost of ownership (TCO).

IPConfigure’s Orchid VMS is recognised worldwide for its reliability and ease-of-use, providing local and remote access to live and recorded video through an intuitive web browser interface, with the same user experience on mobile devices as on static workstations.

The Orchid VMS web interface is hosted by one or more Orchid servers running on traditional Windows or Linux systems, NAS storage devices, on supported embedded hardware, or in the Cloud. Orchid supports over 4,500 IP camera models through the ONVIF Profile S specification, with cross-platform flexibility making it easy to adapt existing infrastructure, which reduces IT, hardware, and licensing costs.

Brad Stice, Chief Revenue Officer at IPConfigure, welcomed the technology partnership with Quanika, saying it would be easier for systems integrators to streamline best-in-breed technologies, including video infrastructure, access, visitor management, and life safety systems.

“In today’s fast-changing environment customers need greater flexibility and adaptability. Quanika and IPConfigure are leading the way in delivering this, giving customers affordable and practical routes out of inefficient siloed solutions.”

For more information on Quanika go to quanika.com or email info@quanika.com and to find out more about IPConfigure go to ipconfigure.com.

 —Ends—

 Media Contacts

Tara Farley, Quanika PR & Marketing Consultant

+44 (0)7785 707714 or e-mail tara@tmfmarketing.com

Sophia O’Neal, IPConfigure, Marketing Director 

sophia.oneal@ipconfigure.com

About Quanika

Quanika specialises in developing and implementing advanced systems integration projects in both corporate and government settings, delivering on the full promise of integration.  Quanika creates powerful, off-the-shelf solutions for the most efficient management of security, fire, building controls and site-specific business systems and devices.

Headquartered in Belfast, UK, Quanika has offices and operations globally, providing clients with international delivery, capability, and reach. 

For more information on Quanika please go to www.quanika.com email info@quanika.com

or telephone +44(0) 8450531716

Quanika Social Media

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/quanika

About IPConfigure

IPConfigure is a global IPConfigure is a software development company specializing in video surveillance solutions with two flagship products, Orchid VMS and SteelFin Servers and Appliances.

IPConfigure’s Orchid VMS includes on premise, hybrid, and cloud deployment options for unlimited locations and cameras.

Based out of a historic building in Norfolk, VA, USA IPConfigure works with Fortune 500 companies from France to Australia, providing simpler security solutions.

For more information on IPConfigure please visit ipconfigure.com, email sales@ipconfigure.com, or call at +1 (877) 207-1112.

IPConfigure Social Media

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ipconfigure 

Robert Jansson, Director of Sales, STid

It’s little wonder that smartphone-based mobile access control is becoming the solution of choice for customers globally. Mobile access tech is becoming ever more powerful and user friendly and – even better for users – is now integrating to operate seamlessly as part of wider security, visitor management, and building services.

We are seeing it win hands-down over traditional solutions, such as key cards and key fobs, in applications ranging from residential blocks, hotels, and mixed-use premises through to universities, hospitals and newly refurbished and repurposed corporate offices.

And for mission critical applications mobile access control is providing a highly secure but more affordable alternative to biometric solutions usually associated with expensive readers.

So, what are the main benefits?

Convenient, frictionless, and flexible

On user-friendliness, the new tech scores particularly highly. Today it’s more important than ever to ensure hassle-free access to site visitors, whether they are employees who come in every day, ‘floating’ staff who move from location to location, temporary contractors, VIP guests or one-time visitors.

What we all have in common is that we trust and rely on our smartphones for a wide range of everyday interactions with the physical environment around us – from paying for our shopping in the supermarket, to using digital loyalty cards in coffee bars, from booking a taxi outside a restaurant, to using public transport.

So, the latest generation mobile access solutions are a natural, almost instinctive progression for most people. And they are much easier to use.

Look at the options we can now give site visitors for passing through a secure entry point – more quickly, hygienically, and smoothly:

• You can place your smartphone in front of the reader just like a standard card.
• You can ‘press and enter’ using remote control mode.
• You can slide your hand across the reader without needing to take out your smartphone.
• You can pat your phone twice (‘tap tap’) – whichever pocket it’s in – and just walk through.
• You can just walk past the reader.

These five modes are possible thanks to technology that differentiates between access points (depending on distance, up to 20 metres) so that multiple readers can be installed in the same area. The system controller can specify which options are available for each reader, adapting to the specific requirements of every entry point.

And it is also possible to use the SIRI voice command with iPhones and Apple Watches.

Ease of use doesn’t stop there. With traditional RFID access credentials no longer needed, when users download the app, they get a virtual wallet which can store multiple secure virtual access cards. With no physical cards or ID to collect from reception or security, they save time, and they no longer have to worry about losing or forgetting their cards, or about strips becoming demagnetized (a common bugbear in older generation hotel access systems).

Inherently Cybersecure

Another major benefit is the improved security that comes with improved system management and First Level Security Certification (CSPN) from France’s ANSSI agency. This includes secure storage of data using encryption and authentication methods that are compliant with government standards (AES-128/SHA-256), with unique keys for each user and keys not stored in the application.

The full information chain is protected too, with HTTPS-TLS exchanges, mutual authentication for each transaction, and unique encrypted and signed exchanges.

With credentials sent to mobile devices digitally, encrypted data protects each individual user’s identity, in full compliance with GDPR. And remote management means that credentials and authorisations can be changed or revoked instantly, closing potential loopholes that were common in older generation systems.

Adapting to higher security applications, the technology allows additional security levels to be added, for example enforcing smartphone unlocking via PIN, biometric, voice authentication etc.

This kind of customization and user adaptability is built into the very DNA of these new mobile solutions.

Cost-effective

There are significant cost savings to be made too, most obviously with no longer any need to buy and replace cards, fobs, or physical credentials. With savings on the card price, the ongoing administration, and the customisation costs, we estimate a typical saving of around 500%. It’s important to note that the virtual card is fully customizable, like a standard RFID card, with a logo, background, ID photos, and custom texts. We also offer a free virtual access card too (the green card), with ID randomly and automatically issued on download of the app.

And that value extends over the full system lifetime, with these new solutions being more flexible and scalable, and no limit to the number of new credentials that can be assigned to your system whenever they’re needed.

All these feature and benefits mean that smartphone access is a cornerstone element of the new generation of seamless, integrated solutions of the kind being pioneered so successfully by Quanika – another essential ingredient that’s transforming the way facilities are managed.