An insurer in the United States, Employers Mutual Casualty Company (EMC) is using HID Global cards and readers for access control to protect its corporate campus at the companyโs head office in Des Moines and a site in Ames, Iowa. Covered are seven buildings and car parking lots.
The previous, 15-year-old access control system was based on proprietary technology no longer supported by the manufacturer, making it impossible to expand. Scott Gooch, control center supervisor with EMC, said: โWe were in dire need of an upgrade in order to perform the functions we required. Our card access security system was definitely the weakest link of our systems. Now, with our integrated solution from HID Global, weโve not only eliminated critical immediate risks that could have been extremely costly, but also have the flexibility to continue upgrading our system as our needs change and security threats evolve. We also plan to expand the HID solution to our 17 branch offices across the country, from Providence, Rhode Island, to Phoenix, Arizona.โ Selected were HIDโs iCLASS/Prox combination cards, iCLASS R40 readers for all buildings, and iCLASS R90 long-range readers for the parking garages. The system was phased-in over eight weeks and included 160 HID iCLASS R40 readers with paired, 64-bit authentication keys for EMCโs buildings. All RF data transmission between cards and readers is encrypted using a secure algorithm, and custom, non-interchangeable keys are used for locations requiring highest security. In two car parks, installed were 12 iCLASS R90 readers. EMC meanwhile re-badged its 1,800 staff with HIDโs 32-bit iCLASS contactless smart cards, which were personalized with photo IDs using two on-site printers. Staff carried both badges during a two-week transition period, but otherwise the upgrade caused no disruptions to the insurerโs day-to-day work. At the lifts, the new cards speed traffic flow by automatically granting floor access to staff in a single read operation, faster than the prior system that required verification and then approval of each floor request.
EMC has the ability to add applications to the cards, including cashless vending, time/attendance, logical access, energy control and video authentication. Because HIDโs iCLASS solution has been integrated with EMCโs IT backbone and all field network controllers are IP addressable, EMC can add controllers wherever the security system network expands. For more information, visit –
