The original access control system at the company’s Unicorn Brewery in Stockport and Packaging Centre at Bredbury was rapidly becoming obsolete when, with the assistance of their electrical contractors Piggott & Whitfield, they approached Advance Security UK Ltd to help update the system. Advance immediately recognised that the flexibility of the Janus technology was the ideal solution for the project.

A phased approached has been adopted that allows the system to be upgraded with minimum disruption and to accommodate available budgets. Using the Janus system also allows Robinsons to upgrade to proximity readers from the existing swipe card readers. Dual function HID proximity cards that also include the magstripe technology, work on both systems and are being used to ensure a seamless and uninterrupted migration.

Robinsons has realised additional savings by using Grosvenor’s Ethernet version of their Intelligent Door Control (IDC). These are installed directly onto the brewer’s existing LAN without the need for extensive new wiring. Each IDC can control two doors/locks and interface to a wide range of industry standard card readers and lock mechanisms. Every card profile associated with a specific IDC is downloaded to the controller to ensure uninterrupted access to the buildings in the event of a network or power failure.

Grosvenor Technology invests heavily to ensure future-proofing. Each new version of Janus software maintains backwards compatibility with previous versions of IDC, maintaining a client's investment with existing Janus hardware that may have been installed over the last 15 years.

Another attractive benefit for Robinsons was the modular nature of the Janus software. A library of add on modules is available for the core Janus server software, allowing the system to simply expand and encompass other applications and processes. Robinson’s are particularly interested in the Guard Tour and Badge Production modules, both of which will help them streamline their security and save costs in the future.