As many campuses across North America are poised to reopen for the first time in months during the fall semester, backlogged access control projects are coming to the forefront. Recently, dormakaba USA sponsored a roundtable discussion for Security Info Watch featuring industry professionals including Stephen Fisher, Convergint’s Business Development Manager for SLED. Also included in the discussion were Jeremy Robin, Star Asset Security’s DFW Branch General Manager, and Ben Smith, dormakaba’s Senior Manager of Vertical Markets Government & Education. Together, the group of industry experts discussed technologies and trends that are influencing all stakeholders in campus access control.
Read the full article here to learn more about integrating new access control technologies in educational facilities.
Who are the key end-user stakeholders when it comes to campus access control?
“The K-12 environment varies in this regard depending on size, urban/rural geography, and the level of connected community; however, in most cases, we focus on these highly engaged stakeholders and influencers: CIO/CTO/IT Director, Facilities/Operations Director, Purchasing Director/Procurement Manager/Buyers”
~Stephen Fisher, SLED Business Development Manager, Convergint
What are the most important aspects of campus lockdown from a security integration perspective?
“The most important aspect of a lockdown is to minimize accessibility to rooms/buildings on campus, and secondarily, to be able to do so quickly and on an enterprise level, and tertiary, to be able to do so as part of a mass notification strategy.”
~Stephen Fisher
What role do wireless and keyless technologies play in a typical campus access control installation?
“Wireless and keyless technologies offer multiple advantages, including lower cost of entry to access control, remote management of systems, and lessened security maintenance.”
~Stephen Fisher
How do campus access control systems integrate with other preparedness systems?
“In the case of access control events integrated to other preparedness systems, it is vital to have defined escalation, open architecture, and well-documented processes that have been tested, practiced and are functional.”
~Stephen Fisher
How have mobile credentials changed the campus security paradigm?
“Mobile credentials have been part of the access control conversation now for years; however, we have seen little groundswell of adoption across the K-12 market. The idea makes sense and the logic behind ‘you always have your phone with you’ has weight, but we have yet to see this on large scale.”
~Stephen Fisher
About Stephen Fisher
Steve has been serving the public sector market(s) for over 20 years with emphasis on physical security solutions and technologies, strategy, planning and connecting thought leaders for collaboration and best practice. He has been instrumental in the growth of public and private/small and large organizations. His unique leadership style brings together the full suite of companies, colleagues, partners, influencers and stakeholders to collaborate and realize potential. Currently, Steve serves the Western United States with SLED (State, County, City, University, K-12, UL2050 Defense Contractors) vertical market Business Development programs at Convergint – Sales Strategy, Marketing, Resource Alignment, Contract Vehicles, Manufacturer Partnerships and Colleague Collaboration. Steve is a key liaison to the Convergint SLED Team, Advanced Solutions Teams for Public Transportation and Smart Cities, the full array of SLED Team resources for Procurement avenues and Convergint Technology Centers throughout the West. He is called upon for making things happen, getting things done and driving positive energy into the process. Steve holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Elon College in Corporate Communications and has completed studies at the University of Denver in support of Masters in Applied Communications.
