Emergency Response and Access Control

Emergency Response and Access Control 

When it comes to ensuring safety and effectively managing critical incidents, emergency response and access control are two crucial factors. Secure Entry Solutions understand the importance of integrated solutions that provide a seamless balance between the needs of visitors and staff, while maintaining secure zones and customizing security features to meet specific requirements.

With over 90,000 organizations already choosing Keri Systems for their security needs, our solutions offer comprehensive automation of day-to-day operations, multi-site management, and proactive emergency response capabilities.

By implementing our access control systems, organizations can enhance security and prevent disasters by effectively restricting access to sensitive equipment, tightly controlling access to high-value assets, and protecting sensitive data through integration with CCTV and anti-passback systems.

Our software package enables easy management of perimeter access control, threat-level activation, CCTV integration, and auditing. With our multi-site management capabilities, organizations can effortlessly manage security across multiple locations and compile access reports for investigative purposes.

At SSA INTEGRATE, we prioritize rapid emergency response and situational awareness. Our advanced notification systems provide crucial information and situational awareness to emergency responders, enabling them to take immediate action in critical situations. With the ability to grant specific access levels to different zones or buildings, organizations can effectively manage occupancy limits and protect sensitive information and equipment.

Our cloud-based security solution (Bravo Based), offers a powerful lockdown feature that can be initiated remotely, ensuring peace of mind and enhanced security. During a lockdown, first responders are still granted access permissions to enable them to respond effectively. Once the all-clear is given, only authorized administrators have the ability to clear the lockdown.

With comprehensive integrations across security, administrative, and identity solution ecosystems, Brivo makes it easier for organizations to manage their security needs efficiently and with confidence.

Secure Entry Solutions are committed to providing top-notch emergency response and access control solutions that prioritize safety and protect against critical incidents. Partner with us to ensure the utmost security for your organization.

Enhancing Security and Preventing Disasters

Keri Systems has developed robust access control systems specifically designed for emergency responders. Our access control systems offer a wide range of features that enhance security and prevent disasters. With these systems, organizations can efficiently manage access to sensitive equipment, tightly control entry to high-value areas, and protect sensitive data.

Restricting Access to Sensitive Equipment

• Our access control systems allow organizations to restrict access to sensitive equipment, such as fire-fighting gear, ensuring that only authorized personnel can access it.

Tightly Controlling Access to High-Value Areas

• With our systems, organizations can establish strict access control measures for high-value areas, minimizing the risk of unauthorized entry and theft of valuable equipment or weaponry.

Protecting Sensitive Data through Integration

• Our access control systems integrate with CCTV and anti-passback systems to provide enhanced data protection. This integration ensures that only authorized individuals can access sensitive data, reducing the risk of data breaches.

In addition to these features, Keri Systems provides a comprehensive software package that enables efficient management of access control. With our software, organizations can easily manage perimeter access control, activate threat-level protocols, integrate with CCTV systems, and generate audit reports.

Furthermore, our access control systems offer multi-site management capabilities, allowing organizations to effectively manage security across multiple sites. This feature streamlines security operations and provides a centralized platform for compiling access reports, facilitating investigative processes.

By choosing Keri Systems’ access control systems, organizations can enhance their security measures, prevent disasters, and protect sensitive equipment and data.

Rapid Emergency Response and Situational Awareness

Keri Systems understands the critical importance of rapid emergency response and situational awareness in ensuring the safety and security of organizations. Our advanced notification systems are designed to provide real-time updates and alerts to fire fighters and police officers, enabling them to respond swiftly and effectively to emergencies.

Advance Notifications

With our advanced notification systems, organizations can receive immediate alerts about critical incidents, such as unauthorized access attempts, fire alarms, or security breaches. These advance notifications allow emergency responders to have timely information, enabling them to make informed decisions and take appropriate actions.

Dual Verification

In emergency situations, every second counts. Our dual verification feature ensures an added layer of security by requiring users to authenticate their identity through multiple verification methods. This prevents unauthorized individuals from gaining access to restricted areas and enhances the overall security of the organization.

Access Levels

Organizations often have areas with varying levels of security clearance. With our access control systems, specific access levels can be assigned to different zones, areas, or buildings, ensuring that only authorized personnel can enter certain areas. This not only helps manage occupancy limits but also protects sensitive information and equipment from unauthorized access.

Multi-Site Capabilities

For organizations with multiple locations, our systems offer seamless multi-site management capabilities. This allows for centralized control, monitoring, and reporting across all sites, ensuring consistent security protocols and efficient emergency response coordination.

Occupancy Counting

Managing occupancy limits is crucial for maintaining a safe and secure environment, especially during emergencies. Our systems enable organizations to accurately monitor and track the number of people in specific areas in real-time. This information can be used to ensure compliance with occupancy regulations and aid emergency responders in making informed decisions based on accurate occupancy counts.

With the ability to integrate with other security systems and solutions, Keri Systems offers comprehensive emergency response support for organizations of all sizes. By leveraging our advanced notification systems, dual verification capabilities, access level management, multi-site capabilities, and occupancy counting features, organizations can enhance their emergency preparedness and ensure the safety and security of their premises.

Cloud-Based Security and Peace of Mind

When it comes to ensuring the safety and security of your organization, Brivo, a leading cloud-based security solution, offers a powerful lockdown feature that brings peace of mind to both administrators and first responders. With the ability to initiate a lockdown from anywhere using a laptop, phone app, or a hardwired button in the building, Brivo’s lockdown feature provides a quick and efficient response to potential threats.

During a lockdown, first responders are still granted access permissions, ensuring their ability to swiftly enter the premises and respond effectively. This feature allows them to carry out their critical duties without any unnecessary obstacles. Once the all-clear is given, authorized administrators have the ability to clear the lockdown, restoring normal operations securely and efficiently.

Brivo goes beyond just offering a lockdown feature. Their comprehensive integrations across security, administrative, and identity solution ecosystems provide organizations with a seamless experience in managing their security needs. The cloud-based nature of Brivo’s platform enables easy access and real-time updates, making it simpler than ever to monitor and control access to your facilities.

By leveraging Brivo’s cloud-based security and innovative integrations, organizations can benefit from enhanced security measures, streamlined access control, and increased flexibility. With Brivo, you can have the peace of mind knowing that your security system is reliable and up-to-date, allowing you to focus on what matters most – your business and the safety of your employees and assets.

Authentication Vs. Authorization

Authentication and authorization are two fundamental components of information security that are used to safeguard systems (like Access Control) and data (Access Management Software). Authentication is the method by which a user or service’s identity is confirmed. At the same time, authorization determines what actions or resources a user or service is permitted to access after they have been authenticated.

Authentication involves verifying a user’s identity through a username and password, biometric authentication, or other security measures. It ensures that solely permitted individuals or systems can enter a system. Conversely, authorization entails assigning access permissions to particular resources or actions contingent upon the authenticated identity of a user or service.

The two processes work together to ensure the security of a system. If authentication is compromised, an attacker can get unauthorized system access. If authorization is not correctly configured, even authorized users may be granted excessive access privileges that can lead to data breaches. Thus, it is necessary to comprehend the difference between authentication and authorization and to verify that both are effectively configured to ensure system security.

 

What is Authentication (AuthN)?

Authentication, commonly shortened as “AuthN,” refers to verifying a user’s or entity’s identity when they seek entry into a network or system. Essentially, it validates that the user is indeed the individual they assert to be. In other words, it is the process of confirming that the user is who they claim to be. Authentication may entail something a user knows, like a password or PIN; something they have, like a security token; or something they are, like biometric authentication (e.g., fingerprint or facial recognition).

 

Purpose of Authentication

Authentication primarily identifies the user’s identity as an individual or entity attempting to access a system or resource. Authentication ensures that only authorized individuals or entities are granted access to sensitive data, systems, or resources while unauthorized access is prevented. Authentication is crucial in maintaining data and systems’ confidentiality, integrity, and availability. It prevents malicious actors from accessing sensitive information, performing unauthorized actions, or compromising the system’s security.

Authentication helps to establish accountability by ensuring that users are responsible for their actions and cannot hide behind the identities of others. Additionally, it aids in maintaining adherence to regulations and standards mandating secure access to systems and data.

Types of Authentication

Several types of authentication methods are used in information security, including:

·        Password-based Authentication: This is the most common authentication method, where users must enter a username and password to access a system or resource.

·        Multi-factor Authentication (MFA): This method combines two or more authentication factors to verify the user’s identity, for example, a password and a security token, a fingerprint and a PIN, or a smart card and a biometric scan.

·        Biometric Authentication: This method authenticates the user’s identity by leveraging distinctive physical characteristics like fingerprints, facial recognition, or iris scans.

·        Certificate-based Authentication: This method uses digital certificates to verify the user’s identity. The user’s private key is stored on a smart card or other devices, and public key infrastructure (PKI) is used to verify the certificate’s authenticity.

·        Single Sign-on (SSO): This approach permits users to authenticate once and gain access to various systems or resources without the need to re-enter their credentials.

·        Token-based Authentication: This method uses a security token or a one-time password (OTP) to authenticate the user.

 

What is Authorization (AuthZ)?

Authorization, frequently abbreviated as “AuthZ,” involves permitting or denying access to resources or actions depending on the authenticated identity of a user. In other words, authorization determines what actions or resources a user or system can access or perform after completing authentication.

Authorization typically involves assigning permissions or access levels to users or systems based on their roles, responsibilities, or request context. For example, a user with administrative privileges may be granted access to perform tasks that an ordinary user cannot perform.

 

Types of Authorization

Several common types of authorization methods are used in information security, including:

·        Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): This is one of the most commonly used authorization methods, which assigns users or systems access rights based on their roles, responsibilities, or job functions. For example, a manager might possess permission to view sensitive financial reports that regular employees are restricted from accessing.

·        Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC): This authorization method assigns access rights based on a user’s attributes, such as their location, time of day, device used, or other contextual information. ABAC is a flexible method that allows fine-grained control over access based on specific criteria.

·        Discretionary Access Control (DAC): This authorization method empowers the resource owner to manage its access control. The owner can assign permissions to specific users or groups, and those users or groups can further delegate permissions to others.

·        Mandatory Access Control (MAC): This authorization method assigns access rights based on a security policy enforced by the system rather than the resource owner. MAC is commonly used in high-security environments such as government or military systems.

·        Rule-Based Access Control (RBAC): This authorization method employs a predetermined set of rules to ascertain access privileges. The rules may be based on specific conditions, such as the user’s department, job title, or other criteria.

 

Difference Between Authentication and Authorization

Here are the key differences between authentication and authorization:

Parameters	Authentication	Authorization
Definition	Authentication is a method of validating a user’s or system’s identity.	The process of providing or refusing access to resources or actions based on that identity is known as authorization.
Purpose	Authentication ensures that exclusively authorized users or systems can access a specific resource or execute a particular action.	Authorization specifies the access rights or permissions granted to users or systems for accessing resources or performing actions following authentication.
Objective	The objective of authentication is to confirm a user’s or system’s identity.	Authorization ensures that only authorized users or systems can access sensitive data or perform actions based on their privilege or access rights.
Aim	Authentication focuses on the user or system’s identity.	Authorization focuses on the user or system’s access rights.
Process	Authentication typically involves providing credentials such as a username and password or a security token.	Authorization, assigning permissions or access levels to users or systems based on their roles, responsibilities, or request context.
Risk	The risk of authentication is that an unauthorized user may gain access to a system.	The risk of authorization is that an authorized user may misuse their access privileges.

 

Final Thoughts

Authentication occurs before authorization, as the user or system must first be verified as legitimate before being granted access to resources or actions.

In short, authentication and authorization are two distinct but interrelated processes in information security that serve different purposes and objectives. If you want to gain more knowledge about authentication and authorization, write us ssaintegrate@gmail.com

Touchless Visitor Management System

A Guide for Touchless Visitor Management System 

Touchless Visitor Management System makes managing visitors secure, convenient, productive and supremely efficient. As businesses evolve in the face of global health concerns, adopting a touchless visitor management system becomes crucial.

This innovative solution enhances security and streamlines the entire visitor registration process, ensuring a safer and more efficient visitor experience without any physical contact. Read on to learn more.

What’s A Touchless Visitor Management System?

A touchless visitor management system is an advanced setup that manages visitor entry and registration without requiring physical interaction. This type of system typically utilizes contactless technologies such as QR codes, facial recognition, and touchless sign-in processes.

Touchless visitor management work by eliminating the need to touch shared objects like pens and touchscreen kiosks in the reception area. These systems significantly reduce the risk of transmitting pathogens, thereby enhancing the overall safety and efficiency of visitor management.

How Does It Work?

The touchless visitor management system streamlines the check-in process using a series of high-tech, contactless steps. When a visitor arrives, they can often use their own smartphones to scan a QR code displayed at the front entrance.

The QR code directs them to a secure portal where guest completes a form with the necessary information, sign legal documents, and even capture their photo—all from their personal device.

The system then processes this data in real time, potentially using facial recognition to verify the visitor’s identity and automatically grant access. Throughout this process, real-time notifications can be sent to the relevant staff members, ensuring a smooth and efficient visitor transition without direct human interaction.

Requirements of Touchless Visitor Management Systems

Management Console

A core component of touchless visitor management systems is the management console. This powerful dashboard allows security personnel and front desk staff to monitor and manage visitors efficiently.

It integrates all aspects of visitor management, from registration to visitor or guest access control, in one central location. The console displays real-time data, facilitates the whole process, and offers more control over who enters the building, ensuring that only authorized personnel gain access.

Guest Credentials

Touchless visitor management systems automatically generate guest credentials to facilitate a smooth and secure visit. These include digital visitor badges that can be accessed via a QR code or a link sent to the guest’s mobile device.

Touchless technology streamlines the check-in process and enhances security by incorporating features such as photo capture and visitor information verification without the need for physical contact.

How Much Does It Cost?

The cost of a touchless visitor management system can vary widely depending on several factors, including the scale of your operations, the specific features required, and the level of customization.

Prices range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars for initial setup, with additional monthly or annual software subscription costs. Investing in such innovative solutions typically pays off by significantly reducing time-consuming tasks, improving security measures, and enhancing the visitor experience.

Evaluating the features and support offered by different systems is crucial to ensure they meet your specific needs and provide the best value for your investment.

Benefits of Touchless Visitor Management System

·        Enhanced Safety: Reduces physical contact, minimizing health risks.

·        Security: Controlled & secure access for visitors on the basis of pre-verified identity – phone number is OTP verified real-time, the photograph was taken, identity document scanned & stored, host employee has the option to accept or decline the visit

·        Real time tracking: Real-time visibility on a visitor’s entry & exit

·        Increased Efficiency: Speeds up check-in, cutting down long lines and wait times.

·        Improved Security: Provides better control over access with features like facial recognition and visitor photos.

·        Better User Experience: Offers a warm welcome without needing a person-to-person greeting at the front desk.

·        Scalability: Easily handles a high volume of guests, ideal for large organizations.

Key Features of Top Touchless Visitor Management Systems

Top touchless visitor management systems often include:

• Touchless Access: Allows visitors to gain entry through automatic doors using contactless technology like QR codes.
• Visitor Management Software: Streamlines visitor data management and improves security protocols.
• Photo Capture: Enhances security by capturing a photo of the visitor at the point of entry to verify identity.
• Real-Time Updates: Ensures that employees are promptly informed when visitors arrive.
• Integration Capabilities: Seamlessly integrates with existing security systems and HR software.

Comparing the Best Touchless Visitor Management Systems

When comparing the top touchless visitor management systems, consider these aspects:

• Features: Look for systems that offer comprehensive security measures, including touchless visitor management software, visitor photos, and the ability to manage visitors effectively.
• Usability: Systems should be user-friendly, making them easy for both visitors and employees to navigate. The key is to make signing in and completing the check-in process simple without assistance.
• Integration: The best systems integrate smoothly with other security technologies like access control systems and employee databases, enhancing overall security infrastructure without disrupting existing operations.
• Support and Scalability: Top systems provide robust customer support and scale easily to accommodate growing visitor numbers and evolving security needs.

Evaluating these factors will help you identify the touchless visitor management system that best fits your organization’s specific needs, ensuring the efficient and secure management of site visitors.

Final Thoughts

Embracing a touchless visitor management system is stepping into the future of security and operational efficiency. These systems not only streamline the process of managing visitors but also enhance the safety of everyone in the building. 

If you want to modernize your visitor management and prioritize safety, consider exploring your options further.

Ready to take the next step towards secure and efficient visitor management?

3 Cybersecurity Steps to Reduce Threats to your Electrical System

 3 Cybersecurity Steps to Reduce Threats to your Electrical System

When anyone mentions cybersecurity, you may automatically think they are referring to IT systems. That is because protecting IT networks – and their associated personal, financial, and other proprietary data – has been the responsibility of IT professionals for an exceptionally long time. But what about your operational technology (OT) infrastructures? Are they also at risk from cyberattacks? How can you protect them? In this post, we’ll discuss these questions, and three specific recommendations for protecting your electrical systems.

The electricity subsector cybersecurity Risk Management Process (RMP) guideline was developed by the Department of Energy (DOE), in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC).

OT Cyberattacks: An Increasing Threat

The Ponemon Institute emphatically states that, “Cyberattacks are relentless and continuous against OT environments.” In a survey of over 700 organizations from six countries they found that 50 percent had experienced a cyberattack against their OT infrastructure within the last two years that resulted in downtime. For large and critical operations, this can be devastating.

All you need to do is follow the news to see frequent examples of such attacks. For example, in early 2021, the fast action of a technician narrowly avoided the risk of thousands of people being poisoned due to a hacker gaining access to a Florida city’s water treatment plant. Going back a few years, a breach that came through the HVAC system caused international retailer Target to have 40 million credit and debit card accounts compromised, costing them $290 million.

 

The latter example is just one of many that show why building systems are now widely recognized as OT attack targets. The evolution toward smarter buildings is causing an explosion in the numbers of connected devices – already an estimated 200+ million in commercial buildings alone. With more devices comes more data that needs to be protected, but for facility and business management teams to extract the maximum value, data must be aggregated and shared across OT and IT systems.

This OT/IT interconnection means that a cyberattack on an OT system can:

·        Compromise operational safety or the health of building occupants

·        Impact productivity by taking down production lines or other equipment and processes; more about the relationship between Cybersecurity and Productivity.

·        Ultimately cause an IT threat by passing malware or a virus from the OT to IT infrastructure

The Attack Surface is Now Larger

Essentially, connected OT infrastructures have increased the ‘attack surface’ for hackers and, in many cases, have acted as an organization’s Achilles heel. Clearly, it is not enough anymore to focus attention only on protecting IT and data systems integrity. All organizations must ensure strong OT cybersecurity is in place.

But what OT systems are we talking about? Depending on your type of operation, these can include industrial automation systems (e.g. SCADA) and smart building systems like a building management system (BMS), building security, lighting systems, and the energy and power management system (EPMS) overseeing your facility’s electrical distribution. Navigant Research notes, “Cybersecurity issues are expected to grow in tandem with the digital transformation of real estate through intelligent building technologies.”

In this post, we will consider cybersecurity specifically for your EPMS and electrical distribution system. However, these recommendations and practices equally apply to other OT systems.

Connected Power Means Greater Vulnerability

Energy and power management systems are helping organizations boost efficiency and sustainability, optimize operating costs, maximize uptime, and get better performance and longevity from electrical assets. When combined with BMS, an EPMS can also help make the work environment healthier and more productive for occupants.

Enabling these EPMS benefits is a connected network of smart metering, analysis, control, and protection devices that share data continuously with onsite and/or cloud-based EPMS applications. The application provides extensive monitoring and analytics while providing mobile access to data and alerts to all facility stakeholders. Connection to the cloud also opens the door to expert power and asset advisory support that can augment a facility’s onsite team with 24/7 monitoring, predictive maintenance, energy management, and other services.

All these onsite, cloud, and mobile connections offer a potential target and entry for hackers so you can read our facility managers guide to building systems and cybersecurity.

 

Securing Your Electrical System: A Holistic Approach

A hacker only needs to find one ‘hole’ in one system, at one point of time, to be successful. What you need is a holistic approach to ensure that all potential vulnerabilities are secured. For new buildings, cybersecurity best practices should be a part of the design of all OT systems. For existing buildings, cybersecurity should be addressed when OT systems are starting to be digitized. For both scenarios, the following are three key considerations:

1. Seek Specialized, Expert Assistance

The priorities for IT systems are confidentiality, integrity, and availability. For OT, the top priorities are safety, resilience, and confidentiality. This means that OT security upgrades or problems need to be addressed in a different way from IT, with careful planning and procedures. For these reasons, you need to choose a cybersecurity partner who has proper OT experience, to help you comply with all relevant cybersecurity standards and best practices.

OT systems also use different communication protocols compared to IT systems, such as BACNet, Modbus, etc. If you had your IT team attempt to perform OT security system scans, those scanning tools might cause serious conflicts, risking an OT system shutdown.

Cyberthreats are also constantly evolving, so you should seek a partner who offers ongoing OT monitoring services, updates, system maintenance, and incident response. All of these should be available remotely.

2. Put the Right Controls in Place

An OT cybersecurity specialist will help audit your EPMS and electrical systems to assess the current vulnerabilities and risks, including the gaps in any procedures and protocols.

You and the specialist must determine how secure your electrical system needs to be. The IEC 62443 standard helps protect IoT-enabled OT systems by defining seven foundational requirements (e.g. access control, use control, availability, response, etc.), each of which are designated a security level. Increased security levels offer greater protection against more sophisticated attacks. Your cybersecurity partner will help you determine the level of security you need for each requirement.

An example of one technique for securing networked systems is to break up systems into ‘zones,’ with each secured individually. OT will be separated from IT, and within OT there may be further segregation. A special ‘demilitarized’ zone is typically included, which is a perimeter subnetwork that sits between the public and private networks for an added layer of security. This makes it harder for hackers to find a way in from one system or zone to another. Where required, connections between networks are provided by specially secured data ‘conduits.’

Your electrical system should also be physically secured, with no access by unauthorized personnel. This same strategy applies to EPMS communications network security by means of controlled, multi-tiered permission-based access.

3. Train your Staff

Many cyberattacks are successful because employees have caused unintended errors. It is important that your people become aware of, and vigilant against, cyberthreats. This includes giving your operations team specialized OT cybersecurity training.

This training will typically include multiple steps, including training all individuals to spot social engineering cues, such as phishing attempts or attempts to access protected areas using pretexting (i.e. someone pretending to be a vendor to gain access). This will also include establishing protocols around the use of passwords, multi-factor authorization, policies around WiFi access (e.g., guest network that remains isolated from OT networks), regular auditing of user accounts and permissions, etc.

While the horizontal cybersecurity framework provides a solid basis, specific characteristics of the energy sector such as the need for fast reaction, risks of cascading effects and the need to combine new digital technology with older technologies necessitate specific legislation.

Thanks to Felix Ramos & Khaled Fakhuri to write this article.