The first reference site is a retrofit situation for an old building in a light industrial zone in Auckland. The building has been equipped with traditional door locks and a traditional alarm system since day one. Compucon installed modern IP-based access control equipment including RFID card readers, supervisory management software, and remote control facilities recently and successfully. Since the building has operated for well over 20 years, everything existing there worked. Therefore the new system must do better than the traditional system, and the expectation of the clients from the new IP system is high.
A special feature of this project was that Compucon was able to re-use whatever existing resources in the building such as cabling and a PC-based server for the new system. At the same time, attention was paid to various usage concerns which the clients expressed. It has been a productive consulting process.
In order for the building users to have time to adjust to the new IP locking system, Compucon installed a special switch in the building to allow: (a) traditional locks only in operation, (b) IP locks only in operation, and (c) both in operation giving extra-strong protection. Option C is not really necessary for long term operation but it is there for the clients to take time to accept the IP locks. The clients will make their own decisions of when to shift to the IP locks to enjoy the benefits they provide for the price paid. Please see Merits of Compucon Access Control Systems.
We would be able to demonstrate how this system works for committed customers. If you have questions, check the Frequently Asked Questions page. If the answers are not there or not clear, please enter your questions in the Online Customer Enquiry Form.
Compucon does not get involved in the design, development, manufacturing, installation and maintenance of door locks. Compucon deals with the control of lock operations as well as the information side of lock operations. The answer is therefore no, Compucon is not replacing locksmiths. Nevertheless, the public may like to know if high tech access control refers to the information side only. The answer is no again. Some new lock designs have appeared to better match with information technology.
#2How does IT (Information Technology) affect Locks?
The question is indeed not a dumb one. IT has an influence on how locks are designed for the simple reason that the current IT industry is based on 1 or 0 for computing akin to locks. Some locks in real life have more sophisticated or complicated design. The design is not just for cosmetic appearance but for making hacking very difficult. Are these locks in conflict with the binary computing basis of IT? Let the reader of this article be the jury after making more observations after logging off. In the meantime, we would like to introduce a modern lock called magnetic lock. It does not look sophisticated in any sense. In fact, it looks very dumb. But it works. Compucon does not create this concept or get involved with the design. Nevertheless maglock is functional, reliable, not expensive, and easy to install and maintain. Maglock is now a default offer from Compucon.
#3Can a burglar operate a Maglock like a traditional lock?
A burglar can unlock a door fitted of a traditional lock with a piece of metal wire within 3 minutes most of the time. Can a burglar bring along a magnet or hammer and unlock a maglock? It is practically not possible. The maglock would be installed on the inside of the door and the burglar would not have access to the inside of the door in the first place to work on the maglock. For the sake of experiment, we let the burglar into the house. The burglar would have to dismantle the maglock off the door and door frame first and then try to separate them. Even if the maglock is now on the bench sticking together, it still requires an extreme force to pull them apart. Extreme means something sophisticated and complicated! So the conclusion is not possible practically.
#4What can a burglar do to unlock a maglock?
The burglar has to steal a RFID card that is authorized to unlock the maglock. Without access to the house, the burglar will have to steal the card while the owner is not in the house. OK, the burglar has stolen a valid RFID card and knows where the lock is. Suppose the owner realises very shortly that his card is missing. He should ring his building manager immediately and the manager will disable his card. This is similar to the use of credit cards issued by banks. Keep the RFID card like another credit card.
#5Are burglars more capable than we said?
Yes they are because we have said very little. IP-based Access Control is a sophisticated discipline of application of information technology development. It is constantly evolving. Compucon will certainly give more advice to clients on real life project implementation.
Compucon does not get involved in the design, development, manufacturing, installation and maintenance of door locks. Compucon deals with the control of lock operations as well as the information side of lock operations. The answer is therefore no, Compucon is not replacing locksmiths. Nevertheless, the public may like to know if high tech access control refers to the information side only. The answer is no again. Some new lock designs have appeared to better match with information technology.
#2How does IT (Information Technology) affect Locks?
The question is indeed not a dumb one. IT has an influence on how locks are designed for the simple reason that the current IT industry is based on 1 or 0 for computing akin to locks. Some locks in real life have more sophisticated or complicated design. The design is not just for cosmetic appearance but for making hacking very difficult. Are these locks in conflict with the binary computing basis of IT? Let the reader of this article be the jury after making more observations after logging off. In the meantime, we would like to introduce a modern lock called magnetic lock. It does not look sophisticated in any sense. In fact, it looks very dumb. But it works. Compucon does not create this concept or get involved with the design. Nevertheless maglock is functional, reliable, not expensive, and easy to install and maintain. Maglock is now a default offer from Compucon.
#3Can a burglar operate a Maglock like a traditional lock?
A burglar can unlock a door fitted of a traditional lock with a piece of metal wire within 3 minutes most of the time. Can a burglar bring along a magnet or hammer and unlock a maglock? It is practically not possible. The maglock would be installed on the inside of the door and the burglar would not have access to the inside of the door in the first place to work on the maglock. For the sake of experiment, we let the burglar into the house. The burglar would have to dismantle the maglock off the door and door frame first and then try to separate them. Even if the maglock is now on the bench sticking together, it still requires an extreme force to pull them apart. Extreme means something sophisticated and complicated! So the conclusion is not possible practically.
#4What can a burglar do to unlock a maglock?
The burglar has to steal a RFID card that is authorized to unlock the maglock. Without access to the house, the burglar will have to steal the card while the owner is not in the house. OK, the burglar has stolen a valid RFID card and knows where the lock is. Suppose the owner realises very shortly that his card is missing. He should ring his building manager immediately and the manager will disable his card. This is similar to the use of credit cards issued by banks. Keep the RFID card like another credit card.
#5Are burglars more capable than we said?
Yes they are because we have said very little. IP-based Access Control is a sophisticated discipline of application of information technology development. It is constantly evolving. Compucon will certainly give more advice to clients on real life project implementation.
Some customers may ask for a security system that costs as little as possible. This is certainly achievable but the cheapest system may not meet the expectations of serious customers. Should customers ask for a pricy system? This is not right either.
Compucon recommends 2 amendments to the cost approach. First is that cost has a relationship with value. Low cost may link with low value but not necessarily and similarly for high cost and high value. Second is the period of assessment. It is certainly wrong to consider the costs spent during installation only. The cost of operation, maintenance, and opportunities over the entire lifespan of the system should be considered. A system with a low cost may last 2 years, and another system with a higher cost may last 10 years. It is not fair to compare price only but then how would we know which system will work better and last longer. Check the track records of the suppliers and ignore sales pitches!
Whilst system cost is expressed in dollar terms, value derived from the system is not. The concept of value is personal at the consumer end, and it is organisational at the business end. Small business owners may or may not have organizational value appraisal abilities whereas bigger businesses would have. The professional team of Compucon will assist in this process.
What is the cost of opportunities? There are opportunities enabled by the Compucon quality of the security system for owners and managers to obtain more business or to lose lesser customers. On the other hand, there would be opportunities where a poor quality system causes frustration to the owner or incur a lot of owner’s time. After including the above considerations, it is natural to arrive at a measurement metric called the value to cost ratio over the ownership period (of 10 years or longer). More likely than not, the metric is only accessible to customers who are prepared to see the security system as a unique asset and not a ‘me too’ system.
Some customers may ask for a security system that costs as little as possible. This is certainly achievable but the cheapest system may not meet the expectations of serious customers. Should customers ask for a pricy system? This is not right either.
Compucon recommends 2 amendments to the cost approach. First is that cost has a relationship with value. Low cost may link with low value but not necessarily and similarly for high cost and high value. Second is the period of assessment. It is certainly wrong to consider the costs spent during installation only. The cost of operation, maintenance, and opportunities over the entire lifespan of the system should be considered. A system with a low cost may last 2 years, and another system with a higher cost may last 10 years. It is not fair to compare price only but then how would we know which system will work better and last longer. Check the track records of the suppliers and ignore sales pitches!
Whilst system cost is expressed in dollar terms, value derived from the system is not. The concept of value is personal at the consumer end, and it is organisational at the business end. Small business owners may or may not have organizational value appraisal abilities whereas bigger businesses would have. The professional team of Compucon will assist in this process.
What is the cost of opportunities? There are opportunities enabled by the Compucon quality of the security system for owners and managers to obtain more business or to lose lesser customers. On the other hand, there would be opportunities where a poor quality system causes frustration to the owner or incur a lot of owner’s time. After including the above considerations, it is natural to arrive at a measurement metric called the value to cost ratio over the ownership period (of 10 years or longer). More likely than not, the metric is only accessible to customers who are prepared to see the security system as a unique asset and not a ‘me too’ system.
