The security team at Ripon sought a system that would enable heightened awareness of building security needs, including the need to lock down different areas of the campus in the event of an emergency and lift lockdown once complete. Ripon also needed a system that could tightly integrate various software systems, including student information system (SIS), dining and human resource systems.

Ripon required the utilisation of some existing access control hardware, along with the investment in new credentials and card readers for some recently constructed buildings throughout the campus – all of which needed to be managed from a central system that could integrate into a video management system (VMS). “While the access control system in place at Ripon was functional on a basic level, the college had outgrown its capabilities.” said Matt Zimmerman, Security Integration Project Manager, LaForce Inc. Ten of the 26 buildings on campus are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, so retrofitting doors with updated access hardware became a challenge.

Ripon worked with Heartland Campus Solutions under the recognised WAICU programme, which has a strategic partnership with Vanderbilt, providing access control solutions to the higher education facilities with which Heartland works. As part of this collaboration, Vanderbilt’s access control solutions are available to WAICU members at a discounted rate.

The Vanderbilt Security Management System (SMS) now delivers Ripon a powerful, single-source solution for integrating a facility’s access control technologies, digital video and alarm monitoring systems. The SMS is scalable, so Ripon can easily add readers and monitoring solutions to the system as they grow over time without the costly add-ons. From this single software platform, users can manage alarms, photo ID badging, visitor management, elevator control, offline and online locks, advanced reporting, and more.

Ripon also needed Vanderbilt to help tie in the university’s SIS, Jenzabar, to centrally manage permissions. Working with Vanderbilt VI Connect, customisable data management software, Ripon was able to take a single point of data entry on the Jenzabar software interface and have that information communicated to the Vanderbilt SMS, meal plan database, HR and other software platforms. Not only does this save the university time, it also reduces human error, streamlining and maintaining updates.

Going further, the Vanderbilt SMS was able to help school officials streamline access for events. Once an event is scheduled within the SMS system, the doors will automatically unlock for an event, and then relock once the event is over.  The new system also allows the Director of Security, Conference Services and the One Card Office to formulate and verify access files with campus constituencies, as well as review security incidents.

“Access control companies are working hard to tie all those systems together because it’s much more convenient,” Zimmerman said. “It’s common to have multiple technologies to integrate together, such as offline locks on dorms and dorm rooms, cards for a dining program, or academic buildings.”

Lockdown capabilities were also critical for the Ripon security team, and the university’s previous system did not deliver this functionality consistently. The Vanderbilt SMS schedule doors based on different events or business rules, but also contains the necessary manual and automatic overrides that are critical to ensuring the safety and security of students. Going further, Ripon has engaged in critical partnerships with local police and firefighters who have cards so they can access or get around campus and override lockdowns, adding additional security and transparency in the event of an emergency situation.

“The Vanderbilt system is a full-featured solution with an intuitive user interface, and so far it has proven to be robust and stable,” Rodman said. “With this upgrade, we’ve laid the foundation for growth into other areas of access security, such as video surveillance, that wasn’t possible before.