The plague of too many databases can be a real problem for Administrators who are tasked with keeping multiple systems updated and accessible to Users. The benefits of a particular technology can sometimes be negatively affected by the administration overhead that it brings with it. These are the types of issues that can have little to no impact on certain organizations while causing others to suffer havoc. The KeyWatcher and KeyBank systems are simple enough to operate and for many organizations, the benefits of mandating control over the keys are immediate and positive, even when the systems are operated independently of other forms of access control. In some organizations, though, the efficiency of system integration delivers clear and cost-effective benefits with special emphasis on reducing administrative overhead.

It is important to remember that any access control system, no matter how advanced, is easily trumped by an unaccounted-for hard key. Due to this liability, no investment in access control is complete until the keys are locked down, and people made accountable for their use. The risk exposure to hard keys can be quickly and effectively addressed in the implementation of KeyWatcher Systems. For those organizations where multiple databases are a major concern, the solution is integration.

Morse Watchmans has long offered some degree of integration with access control systems but customers using leading vendors such as Lenel and Softwarehouse have requested more. In response, Morse Watchmans has developed integration packages that offer a comprehensive solution to reducing administrative overhead and maximizing the value of both the key control and access control systems.

Organizations opting to integrate these systems can Add/Modify/Delete Cardholders from the KeyWatcher systems using Lenel’s (and soon Softwarehouse’s) application software, they can Assign Users to the KeyWatcher sites based on OnGuard Access Levels, as well as Add/Modify/Delete badge data to KeyWatcher Users from within the OnGuard software. Other features of the integration package include configuring which KeyWatcher Touch alarms, and transactions, are passed through OnGuard via alarms so that action-required responses are dealt with on a real-time basis. Most intriguingly, an Anti-Egress feature can be implemented that prevents Users leaving an area while they have certain assets checked out of the KeyWatchers.

It is fairly obvious that you cannot manage what you do not control and when the amount that needs to be controlled is overwhelming the result can be nearly the same. Utilizing integration the KeyWatcher systems place Administration back in control without the burden of adding too much overhead. The benefits of both systems are maximized when information flows effortlessly through them. The greatest benefit is a that a simple little piece of formed metal cannot be easily used to overcome the significant investment placed in an access control system.