Case Study 1: Building an Access Control System
The technique of Access Control Systems was introduced in 1960’s to curb the problem of lost keys and constant changing of locks. At the point of the introduction, the Access Control System used a simple personal identification Number and a card to access restricted doors. Advancement in technology brought about the technique of proximity reader cards which had more advantages. These proximity access cards are used concurrently with an access control card reader. A door controller with codded data from the Access Control Software is connected to the proximity card reader. The codded information shows who is authorized, at what time and how one is allowed. The Access Control Systems can be intertwined with other functions that the system can advance at any given time. This controlled access system play an important role in also providing management reports about the access of a premise at any given time, its primary function of providing and denying access hold constant all the time.
In the modern days Access Control Systems are made to allow access to authorized personnel and deny the unauthorized personnel from accessing a premise. The said system can be used to provide excellent integration with Security Camera System to offer access logs and a database of individuals registered to access a particular building at a given time. All the institutions of higher ;learning needs to have a proper controlled access system in order to offer a safe environment for the staff, and the students. The project management team together with the college security board was notified that the college was in a need of a controlled access system for the dormitories. This controlled access system will offer a more flexible, easy, and efficient ways of observing the movement of students and staffs in and outside the dormitories.
The scope of the study states that the Access Control System will automatically unlock the dormitory doors through a proximity card reader with an integration with the Security Camera System. The security cameras are design to rotate and use face recognition technique to record and use personal identification number on the card to control access at any given time.
The project tasks are broken down into main ideas and sub tasks to be carried out during the whole project implementation.
Field study. This involves carrying out a study of the physical dormitory and identify where the required structures will be put in place.
Appointing a team to undertake the project tasks.
Carrying out the field analysis of the dormitories.
Identify the control area.
Security camera area.
Coming up with the designs for the Access Controlled System.
A diagram showing the interior section of the dormitory.
A diagram showing the exterior section of the dormitory.
Conduct a study about the current security system. This is the Camera Security System which will be intertwined with the Access Control System.
Check cameras for consistency with the proposed Access Control System.
Assess cameras for wear and tear or any previous damages.
Making a proposal for the management. This will include the items to be procured and the configuration set up.
The labour cost
The time frame of events. This will be the time taken to complete a certain task.
The cost of materials including hardware and software.
Set up and installation.
The set-up of wires. This will include the general layout of wires and cables.
The set-up of a control panel area.
The analysis and set up of the controller’s interior and exterior walls
The repositioning of security cameras in order to be able to perform face recognition.
Configuration of the server and the database.
Access Control Software will be installed in the server which will form the database that will hold the readers and the proximity card credentials of all the students and the staff.
Configuration and issuance of proximity cards. These cards will include the data of students from their Identity Cards issued at the point of joining the college.
The execution of the system and Documentation.
Partial deployment. After full installation the team will perform tests to know if the system is fully functional and maybe correct any mal-functionalities involved.
Staff deployment. The team working on the access control unit will perform test runs with the staff only to be sure if the system can proceed to full deployment.
Communication. The security team will send the appropriate communication to students and staff letting them know about the new Access Control System and explaining fully the need for the new security System and when the access cards will be issued to them.
Deployment. The Access Control System can be fully implemented and be in use. The management team will issue the access cards to the staff and the students.
TIME IN WEEKS
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Field Study Field analysis of the dormitories Designing the Access Control System Studying the Current Security System Integration architecture
Implementation Framework Systems Integration System implementation Documentation Design Model
Hu, V. C., Kuhn, D. R., ; Ferraiolo, D. F. (2015). Attribute-based access control. Computer, 48(2), 85-88.