Year: 2022

London – July 2022, Streamlining access while also giving private, valuable data the security it needs: This is the balancing act which every data centre manager faces. The answer could be simpler than they think: Choosing the right electronic access control solution, integrating it and maintaining flexibility for every data centre user, visitor, customer and temporary contractor.

 A breach in data security can cause severe financial damage. According to IBM’s latest “Cost of a Data Breach Report”, the average is $4.24 million (€4 million), a figure which has grown by 10% since 2020. Among European countries studied, the report finds the highest average cost in Germany: $4.89 million (€4.62 million) per breach. Healthcare is the sector where breaches are costliest, also according to the report^*.

For a data centre which provides co-location or managed cloud hosting services, the damage to reputation and trust could be catastrophic. Investments in these sites are often at a huge scale: The total investment at one data centre campus in London’s Docklands is expected to total £1 billion (€1.18 billion) by 2025^**. In other words, there is a lot at risk.

Enhanced cybersecurity is one obvious countermeasure, for both in-house enterprise centres and third-party facilities. However, compromising the physical security of servers is another route to many breaches — among the top 5 sources of initial attack, according to the IBM report.

How then can businesses avoid taking unnecessary, potentially expensive risks with servers and data? Well-chosen and correctly configured access control is part of the answer.

The importance of 3-layer access control

According to the UK’s Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure: “Data centre operators should be able to demonstrate they have used a risk-based layered approach to security” ^***.

“The ideal access control solution for a data centre usually demands three levels of security working together within an integrated system,” explains Lars Angelin, Aperio Business Development Manager at ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions EMEIA.

On the outer level, perimeter security ensures only authorized personnel enter the building. Here, high-security door and gate locks can work alongside the likes of CCTV and monitored fencing. This is the first line of defence against every physical security breach.

Level 2 — room access — can be monitored and controlled with a range of access control door devices or electronic security locks. These enable monitored and filtered movement around the centre, balancing convenience and security.

The access control system should handle fine-grained access to separate rooms by user, security level or time of day or week. It must be simple for administrators to issue temporary access via a card credential or Mobile Key. Any lost credential must be cancelled easily, with a few clicks in the system software.

The third, final level of physical data security is the server rack or cabinet itself. Server rooms get a steady flow of authorized traffic: cleaners, maintenance staff and technicians, for example. Employee screening cannot be perfect — and accidents happen. Rack or cabinet locking is the last line of defence against a physical breach, malicious or accidental.

Responsive, real-time access control and data centre protection

“A whole range of Aperio^Ò wireless locking devices can provide this convenient, secure access control around a data centre,” says Angelin. Aperio technology integrates seamlessly with access and security management systems from over 100 different manufacturers, which provides data centre managers with total flexibility to choose the right device for every application.

“These locks are fast to install and to integrate. They are already trusted to secure banks, hospitals, universities, museums and many other types of location, all over the world,” he adds.

Battery-powered Aperio devices can secure almost any door, in any material, enabling security managers to filter and monitor access into and around their data centre. Interior door access (level 2) is made secure and convenient by deploying Aperio escutcheons, cylinders, handles and locks as required.

Designed for the innermost layer of data security — rack level — the Aperio KS100 Server Cabinet Lock and the Aperio C100 electronic cylinder can add either offline or online, real-time access control and monitoring to the server itself. The lock integrates with almost any existing or new access control system and accepts any standard RFID credential.

Turkey’s Ziraat Bank, for example, chose the KS100 to replace existing mechanical lock-and-key security with a proven solution — and better secure racks at their data centre. Integration with an Armon access control system was seamless: Authorized employees continue to use the same MIFARE^Ò credentials.

“Its quality, ease of use and seamless integration were among the reasons to choose Aperio,” says Nejat Selçuk, Datacenter Manager at Ziraat.

With online integration, lock access decisions are communicated wirelessly via hubs. Events are logged with the system, so generating detailed audit trails is straightforward: Adding Aperio wireless locks speeds up incident investigation, another critical element in data security.

“When Aperio devices are integrated online with a security system, facility managers have control over their premises in real time,” says Angelin. “They can react quickly to events, while simultaneously offering convenient access to data centre staff, authorized visitors, customers and technicians.”

Could you enhance the physical security of your data, while streamlining access to the data centre? Learn more with a free access control guide: https://www.assaabloy.com/group/emeia/campaigns/aperio-data-centres

London, July 2022 – When one medical clinic in Belgium extended their premises, they looked for modern, hassle-free door security to protect the practice and its team of five doctors and administrative staff. Alongside security and convenience, the major issue Dermatologie Nijlen wanted to address was patient privacy.

“What we do most is to examine patients from top to toe. They need to take all their clothes off,” explains Dr Nele Cattaert, dermatologist co-founder of Dermatologie Nijlen. “You see them watch the door and wonder whether anyone could barge in.”

Practice managers searched for convenient door locking to help their patients feel comfortable during a consultation. This locking would ensure practice rooms were secure and separated from public areas. They also targeted a keyless solution: They did not want anyone on the team wasting time carrying or keeping track of traditional keys.

An elegant door handle with inbuilt digital PIN functionality

On the suggestion of the builder who carried out the refit, Dermatologie Nijlen chose Code Handle Door locks to secure their practice rooms. These digital locks enable the business to keep consultation rooms private with simple, keyless locking. Patients are reassured.

Practice rooms are unlocked with individual 4- to 6-digit PINs via a PINpad integrated with the door handle. Admin staff can issue up to 9 different user PINs per lock; PINs can be cancelled or changed anytime. Code Handle makes this modern, digital security easy.

“The main benefit to us was that the patient could feel at ease,” says Dr Cattaert. “That patients did not get the impression that someone could come in at any time.”

The easy way for small organizations to forget about keys

This convenient security has been achieved without the complication or expense of wiring or software.

Installing a Code Handle Door Lock on almost any interior door is straightforward: It requires just two screws. The standard mechanical cylinder remains in place, with just a change of handle.

“In addition, it is a beautiful handle,” Dr Cattaert adds. “I did not know that a solution could be so small and compact. It doesn’t really stand out. Although patients frequently notice it, saying: Oh, it is a special lock, isn’t it, doctor?”

To learn more about the Code Handle^Ò Door digital lock, download a brochure at https://campaigns.assaabloyopeningsolutions.eu/codehandle

London, July 2022 – Door closers do most of their work out of sight. Building users may not always notice them, but an effective door closer helps everyone to experience a more secure, comfortable building. Not every door closer does the same job, however.

An ASSA ABLOY Door Closer offers everyday benefits. Doors which require significant force to open are a big problem for inclusive access. An ASSA ABLOY Door Closer with Cam-Motion^® technology can solve it and remove this barrier to building accessibility. It provides safe, convenient access for every building user.

A fully closed door creates a thermal seal which minimizes energy waste; it adds fire compartmentation and ensures a building access control system works properly.

And with Close-Motion^®, ASSA ABLOY developed a door closing technology which operates almost silently, reducing environmental noise while soundproofing rooms.

Why ASSA ABLOY? History, innovation and expertise

“The key to the quality of ASSA ABLOY Door Closers is quite simple,” says Andreas Gmelin, Product Management and Business Development Director Door Closers at ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions EMEIA. “Decades of expertise and innovation have helped us to really understand the door and everything around it.”

“A lot has changed since the first door closer was patented back in 1880. In that time, ASSA ABLOY’s experience has established trust in markets in every corner of the world.”

ASSA ABLOY Door Closers have won multiple design prizes, including Red Dot and ICONIC awards from the German Design Council. They are manufactured in Europe and pushed to their limits in stringent in-house and certification testing. This ensures customers in more than 150 countries receive the quality they expect from an ASSA ABLOY door device.

“We have a solution adapted to almost any door in any building, from contemporary construction to heritage properties,” adds Andreas Gmelin.

“Our range includes single- and double-leaf door closers for any material, including floor springs for glass doors, vertical gate closers and invisible solutions which preserve any entrance’s ‘wow factor’.”

“You may not see an ASSA ABLOY Door Closer. But you will know it is there.”

To learn more about what makes an ASSA ABLOY Door Closer different, watch a short video at https://campaigns.assaabloyopeningsolutions.eu/doorclosers

Food safety, employee health and site security must all work in harmony to ensure the efficient operation of a large-scale food producer. At LFC Milling in South Africa, CLIQ key-operated electronic access control helps to ensure that happens.

 LFC Milling manufactures maize products and sell a range of prominent brands into the South African market. Maize is received from farmers, undergoes several cleaning stages, and is then milled. The large LFC plant houses high-end manufacturing equipment used in the process.

LFC Milling were looking for an access control solution which would enable the business to manage access throughout their wide-ranging site, and control employee access to specific machines and equipment. The system needed to log all access into specific zones like storage areas, giving security staff the ability to generate audit trails when needed. This further benefits the health and safety of personnel because it restricts access to any potentially dangerous areas or specialist equipment. The access management software was another major concern during the commissioning and specification process. The demand was a system with software which is easy to use, enabling swift onboarding of new personnel and quick changes to staff access rights when needed.

The advantages of CLIQ in a manufacturing site

LFC Milling chose CLIQ key-operated access control from ASSA ABLOY. “We need to ensure that our employees and production processes are safe and secure at all times — and CLIQ supports that,” explains Cobus van der Linde, General Manager at LFC Milling Pty Ltd.

Thanks to CLIQ battery-powered programmable keys and locking cylinders, now only authorized personnel enter designated areas from toolrooms to storage areas, or can operate specific plant equipment.

For the management of access rights LFC deployed CLIQ Web Manager (CWM) software alongside a CLIQ Wall Programming Device and CLIQ Remote functionality. Keys can be updated conveniently around the site. For added security, CLIQ keys are also set for specific revalidation periods: If a key is lost, it is quickly excluded from the system. The CWM software interface simplifies user, key and door management, as well as time-and-date functionality. It also provides audit trail reports should an administrator need to track access into a specific area or by a specific person. This has significantly improved accountability and security.

CLIQ’s extensive range of programmable locking devices meets the needs of almost any door or application. Padlocks secure exterior roller doors, machines and other equipment. Electronic cylinders protect higher security doors, swing-style security gates and standard doors.

“The CLIQ system allows for easy management of access control in a dynamic environment with continuous production and extremely high health and safety standards,” adds van der Linde.