Re: Access control software

[Jeff Kell <jeff-kell () UTC EDU>]

On 10/25/2011 8:54 AM, Kellogg, Brian D. wrote:
> We will be evaluating security control software soon for access control and video
> surveillance.  Wondering what other Universities use and your thoughts on its
> usability and stability.

We have CBORD Odyssey for student ID cards and prepay accounts, and BASIS (from Best /
Stanley) doing door swipes and security video.  I can forward your request to the folks
that manage it for operational details.  There is a periodic data exchange of valid IDs
between the two.

Network- and Security-wise, the swipes, cameras, NVRs, and associated servers are on
their own vlans in a VRF that keeps them off of the primary campus network.  They are
both somewhat windows-centric (expect lots of \\singlename references) so you have to
either adapt them to standard DNS or provide the appropriate windows name resolution
(NBT, WINS, LMHOSTS, etc). 

Much of the original deployment was done ad-hoc (they didn't ask, they just plugged in
where ever was handy and ran with the IP they happened to grab) which led to some
interesting security findings, but we have moved [almost] all of it off the campus
network now.

Jeff