In 2008, Haiti was hit by four hurricanes that severely affected its economy and infrastructure. In this context, a major telecommunications company decided that it was important to protect itself to avoid inconveniences during this type of eventualities, so it implemented an access control system.
By: Alejandra García Vélez
Having a good security system is a must for any type of company, but there are some circumstances that make such facilities practically an obligation. This is the case of Haiti, a small Caribbean country that, unfortunately, and due to various historical circumstances, has become one of the poorest nations in Latin America. According to Amnesty International's 2009 report on the state of human rights in the world, in Haiti "food shortages, chronic unemployment and natural disasters aggravated poverty and marginalization, jeopardizing minimum and essential levels of access to health care, adequate housing, education, water and sanitation systems."Likewise, according to the CIA World Factbook, "Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, 80% of the population lives below the poverty line and 54% in conditions of extreme poverty. Two-thirds of all Haitians depend on the agricultural sector, mainly small-scale subsistence agriculture, and remain vulnerable to damage from frequent natural disasters in the country. While the economy has recovered in recent years, posting positive growth since 2005, four tropical storms in 2008 severely damaged transportation infrastructure and the agricultural sector."
Precisely the hurricanes that hit the island and that caused hundreds of deaths and considerable material losses, were one of the motivations that led a local telecommunications company to implement an access control system.
Sara Sanchez, president of Paradise Fire & Security, Inc. said, "After hurricanes Fay, Gustav, Hanna, and Ike; security conditions in Haiti worsened, fueling violence and looting. Since the headquarters are located in Port-au-Prince and there are also about 200 branches throughout the territory of the island, two Isonas access controllers will be installed per branch."
Installation
Paradaise Fire & Security was the company in charge of designing the access control system, this time Sara Sánchez, will teach with VENTAS DE SEGURIDAD the details of this project.
Basically, "Paradise Fire & Security, Inc. as Master Distributor was responsible for designing a solution customized to the needs of the end user," said the official. This solution consists of a free IP Access Control of panel and power source, with power over Ethernet or better known in English as Power over Ethernet (PoE) of the Brand Isonas Security Systems. Also included, as part of the hardware to control the doors, were electromagnets from Dortronics Systems.
The building in which the installation of the system is being carried out is that of the headquarters of a pre-paid Cell Phone Company in Haiti, with a presence in Jamaica and other Caribbean islands. It is a new building of fifteen floors, 35 doors, 34 of them controlled by both sides and 500 employees. It is important to mention that being a totally new construction, the installation was done from scratch.
As for the equipment, 61 Isonas Powernet Readers, 1,000 Isonas Proximity cards, 16 1,500 pound single Electromagnets, fourteen 600-pound double Electromagnets, a 650-pound single electromagnet were used.
The reason for choosing the Isonas brand was, according to Sara Sánchez, that it was sought to have a panel-free team that did not need a source of power. In addition, highlights the official, which in independent mode stores 5,000 events in memory, and up to 64,000 cards, while in network mode supports an unlimited number of cards, and shifts.
To this is added the possibility of integrating access control with other subsystems, including CCTV equipment such as Dedicated Micros, Brewster Alexander, Mobotix, Videology, and 16 other brands. In fact, "the possibility of integration was something that caught our client's attention, it is for that reason that the implementation of Isonas in this project is integrated with the CCTV system that the client already had," said Sánchez.
Likewise, the entire building was easily equipped with An Internet connection to allow the installation of the system, "the demand to access security equipment through the network is so high that it was the primary attraction of this product," said Sánchez.
As already mentioned above, for the installation it was necessary to start from scratch, also because Isonas is not compatible with any other access control system "an exclusivity is created between the integrator and the end user," Sánchez said, adding that "if you can make an update and convert them compatible with HID if the user has existing cards, otherwise the full implementation of Isonas is recommended."
Finally, Sara Sánchez argued that "this is a flexible network system, which allows future growth, either for companies or on a large scale. It has an unlimited number of cards and is integrable with other technologies for different applications such as RFID or MESH. The software is easy to use in a network and allows information to be accessed remotely from any building through the web", adding that "ISONAS is a scalable system, easy to implement, based on IP communication standards. The implementation of these systems is extremely simple and takes advantage of the IP protocol in terms of security and trust."
Boxes
Green Security
Through the use of green materials, both in packaging and in products; In addition to adhering to the "paperless" philosophy, Isonas hopes to reduce its impact on the environment. According to the company's website, "you have to think about how a building can function as a system and how we can make that system environmentally friendly." Reducing energy use is one of the most effective strategies to achieve this, which is why Isonas teams use PoE (Power over Ethernet) to power the reader and the associated hardware door. This provides the lowest possible cost of energy to power an access control system.
In the same way, the company indicates that "we have managed to develop the access control system with less environmental impact by using a system without panels combined with a single Cat 5 cable, instead of the large number of copper wires that other systems use."
Overview
Integrating Firm: Paradise Fire & Security, Inc Distributor And Global Business Technology Installer
Manufacturers involved: Isonas Security Systems, Dortronics Systems
Company covered with the installation: Central Office of prestigious Cell Phone firm in Haiti
Installation dates: July 10, 2009
Paradise Fire & Security
Paradise Fire & Security, Inc. Located in Miami, Florida is a Master Distributor of security equipment for Latin America and the Caribbean. Its president Sara Sánchez, a veteran with 18 years of experience in the field of fire suppression and integrated systems was the president of Instituto Internacional Contra Fuegos, Inc for six consecutive years. Earning his undergraduate degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from American Intercontinental University graduating with Laude honors; and his Master of Business Administration and Concentration in Marketing from the same American Intercontinental University.
