Martin Brandt, CEO ASSA ABLOY Asia Pacific Division, has launched an innovative technology and announced two partnerships that are set to change the face of electronic access control in Australia.
Speaking at ASIAL’s Security 2008 at Darling Harbour, Martin Brandt says electronic security providers, GE Security and Pacom Systems, were the first to enter agreements to partner with ASSA ABLOY and are the ideal partners to aid the global lock group’s market implementation of the innovative Hi-OTM technology.
“By leveraging the unique synergies between each of the companies and their individual engineering expertise within each of their market segments, the partnerships will allow ASSA ABLOY to ‘intelligently integrate’ its technology and products into end user applications,” Martin Brandt said.
Hi-O, available from ASSA ABLOY, is a new standard of technology for security of doorway environments, enabling interconnectivity – communication capability between all the devices involved in a doorway solution.
It is an advanced technology that enables all lock components around an electronic access control door to communicate with each other or upper level systems in a plug-and-play fashion.
Hi-O is a scalable and future-proof system based on CAN, a reliable technology used in the automotive industry over many years.
There are now door environments that allow all components handling access, identity control, code reading, alarms and service indicating, for example, to be connected and controlled by IP based technology.
GE Security is supporting Hi-O integration in its Challenger access control platform, the widely adopted access control platform in Australia and New Zealand.
Challenger is utilised in a range of high profile and demanding security installations including universities, banks, prisons, supermarkets, major retail chains and more.
According to Martin Brandt, the Hi-O technology was developed in response to market demands for higher levels of integration between security systems.
“Our research revealed that only 14% of security managers surveyed were satisfied with their existing electromechanical door functionality,” he said.
“More than a quarter of users experienced installation problems and reported that door server functionality (monitoring, diagnostics) was virtually nonexistent.”
“These customers wanted a system where all components around a door were plug-and-play compatible with common connectors, had self-diagnostics and could be monitored and controlled on a component level remotely,” he said.
“With Hi-O, we bring network intelligence to the door and its individual components. This results in dramatic advances in functionality over today’s solutions at a much lower lifetime cost, and brings significant benefits to our users”
- Security Managers will have access to higher security and future proof technology
- Security consultants and architects can be confident that what was specified is installed
- System Integrators can commission, configure and monitor doors and individual components from remote locations
- Installers will get easy installation and simpler maintenance
"It is very pleasing that industry leaders such as GE Security and Pacom Systems have chosen to bring Hi-O enabled solutions to the market with us,” he said. “We all share the ambition to constantly add value to our customers and be in the forefront of technical advances."
“In addition, working collaboratively with ASSA ABLOY, our Group companies HID and Security Merchants, as well as channel partner Direct Alarm Supplies, have confirmed adoption of the Hi-O technology,” Martin Brandt said. “Each will distribute specific door components equipped with Hi-O technology.”
In Australia, the most important of these products will be the Hi-O versions of the:
- Padde by Lockwood ES2000H electric strike
- Lockwood EL3570H Electric Mortise Lock
- Lockwood 8002H Swing Door Operator
- The complete HID iClass reader range
- GE Security and Pacom Systems products
“The collaboration between ASSA ABLOY Australia, GE Security, Pacom Systems, Direct Alarm Supplies, Security Merchants and HID will bring outstanding value to the marketplace, and will be the forerunners of many such partnerships to take the industry forward into the future,” he said.
Martin Brandt said that Australia was chosen as the ideal platform to pull through the recent innovations in electronic access control, as it is renowned as being advanced in awareness and acceptance of new technologies.