Guatemala. In order to update the physical access control system, the American College of Guatemala chose HID Global's Seos credential technology , which has significantly increased both safety and efficiency related to student and parent traffic on campus.
Additionally, the school can now more easily issue and manage access credentials.
"We have drastically reduced the time it takes for parents to access the parking lot. In the same way, we improve the evacuation and emergency processes for our students and workers," said the American School Safety office. "Best of all, we now have an automated system that allows us to manage staff check-in and check-out times to maintain location control on our sprawling campus."
Colegio Americano is a bilingual college preparatory institution located in Guatemala City. The school partnered with local security integrator SensorlogiQ and HID to replace its previous system, which consisted of written documentation and fingerprint registration.
The new system included the installation of HID iCLASS readers for pedestrian and vehicular access and the implementation of 1,500 Seos smart cards for students, parents and employees. This solution allowed the school to automate and streamline vehicular entry into campus buildings, reducing the time it takes for parents to drop their children off, from 40 to 18 minutes.
The school also launched a pilot with HID Mobile Access to grant secure access to parking through mobile IDs stored on smartphones. To enter, users simply have to drive near a reader, an important feature given that most students travel in bulletproof armored vehicles, which do not allow the windows to be lowered.
"Colegio Americano de Guatemala's access control system has all the hallmarks of an industry leader like HID's own secure authentication solution," said Harm Radstaak, vice president and general manager, Physical Access Control, HID Global. "From flexibility, to security and ease of use, HID's unique combination with innovative technology and intuitive design, it helped create a robust solution that strengthens the school's campus and elevates the user experience."
Because of this successful implementation, school officials plan to replace their traditional key system with Seos smart cards, and thus apply the technology in other uses such as lending books in the library or payment services for students.
