Security
Access Denied
Physical security technology moves into more sophisticated
realms at last, while schools continue to rely on more
traditional means of building access control.
ASK A HIGHER EDUCATION CIO what keeps
her up at night and the answer is usually: security.
On the data (or logical) side, technologists have taken
action with new systems to protect against virus outbreaks and
data breaches such as those that have grabbed national headlines
for exposing personal information. On the physical side,
fears are more visceral. Not surprisingly, during the almost 19
months since the shooting tragedy at Virginia Tech that left 32
dead, many technologists have pulled out all the stops to
deploy new emergency notification systems that work toward
preventing a similar event from occurring again. And in
almost every case, these new tools have markedly improved
the safety of college campuses. The exception?
Building
access control (BAC), where until recently, advancements
have been few and far between.
Building access control-- a catchall phrase to describe the
systems that control access to facilities across campus-- has
traditionally been handled with remarkably low-tech solutions:
manual locks, electronic locks, and ID cards with magnetic
strips. Recent improvements have included smart cards
and keyless solutions that make use of shortwave radio frequencies
(RF) to unlock doors when specially programmed
key fobs are within 3 to 5 feet of a reader.
Sure, some schools are investigating newer systems that
incorporate cutting-edge technologies such as biometrics and
video recognition software (see "Go to the Videotape"). But for the most part, while just about every other aspect
of security technology seems to be advancing at breakneck
speed, the technologies behind building access control have
progressed at what is comparatively a snail's pace.
Some security experts argue that innovation in this area is
not necessary, supporting the common notion that "if it ain't
broke, don't fix it." Still, with physical security topping the
"to improve" lists of campus technology, security, and facilities
pros, one can't help but wonder why BAC technologies
have been taking a backseat, and how soon it will be before the
next generation of technologies is here, assuaging administrators'--
and parents'-- fears.
From Magstripe…
In the radical 1970s, through the birth of the internet in the
1990s, many colleges and universities left their building
entrances unlocked most of the time-- a physical manifestation
of the "open" environment that historically has been the
bedrock of academia. Even among those schools that secured
doors, most doors were locked and unlocked manually, with
standard jagged-edge keys or Marlock keys that incorporated
an electric charge.
Phil Mullendore, executive director for
the California College and University
Police Chiefs Association, recalls that even on the campuses
of institutions renowned as trailblazers,
building access wasn't much different
from the strategies of home residents.
"You have a door, you have something
that acts as a key, you use this key to
unlock the door-- for most schools,
that's been it," says Mullendore, who for
22 years was police chief at Pasadena
City College (CA). "It sounds simplistic,
but unless you're made of money,
there really aren't that many ways you
can control access to a building."