Electronic Access Control

412 Pages·2010·11.09 MB·English

by  Thomas L. Norman (Auth.)

Electronic Access Control
Electronic Access Control
Thomas Norman
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Dedication
This book is dedicated to the innocent employees of Discovery Channel's Headquarters Building,
whose fate might have been different but for an effective Alarm/Access Control System.
On September 1, 2010, a 43-year-old gunman identified as James Jay Lee took the Lobby
Security Guard and two other employees into the office area. He rolled into the first floor of
the building where there was an employees' nursery with dozens of employees' babies. Going
into the employee space, he held 3 of the over 1,000 employees in the building as hostages at
gunpoint for many hours. The gunman held his hostages in protest of Discovery Channel's
environmental programming. Lee burst into the suburban Washington Headquarters build-
ing at about 1:00 p.m. waving two handguns and displaying canisters, which appeared to be
explosives, strapped to his body.
Police had the suspect within view and Swat Teams shot the suspect when he raised his gun
at a hostage at which time the explosive device on his body went off. Before that, Lee had ter-
rified many employees by firing his weapon around the building. Bomb Squad technicians
searched the building for additional explosives.
Lee was a man with a long and very quirky history of protests against the Discovery network.
In an anti-corporate protest in 2008, where Lee had paid many homeless people to carry signs
outside the building, Lee was reportedly arrested while throwing cash outside Discovery's
offices saying money was “just trash” and was the root of evil against the planet. He said that he
had been moved to save the planet by an eco-documentary by a former U.S. Vice President.
Lee's Web site, SaveThePlanet.com, was reportedly a hodgepodge of anti-immigration,
anti-war, and anti-population rants where he expressed views against increasing human
population. He was opposed to the Discovery Channel because he felt they were serving the
interests of corporations and not the planet.
This book includes descriptions of Alarm/Access Control System designs that can reduce
such incidents from occurring.
v
Preface
My publisher, Pam Chester with Butterworth/Elsevier, called me in a panic late in 2010 when
another author backed out of writing a book on Access Control Systems. She remembered that
I had wanted to write a book on electrified locks and thought that these two subjects would be
a good fit together.
And so began this book. Although the deadline to write it was aggressive by any standards
(I had to meet the deadline of the other book, which was nearing its close), the result was most
rewarding for me and, I hope, for you the reader.
There is precious little written on electrified locks, which are the bane of Access Control
System designers, installers, and maintenance technicians. Also, Access Control Systems have
become so complicated since the introduction of TCP/IP interfaces that a great deal of people
in the industry who remember the good old days of completely proprietary systems are now
somewhat frightened as the communications needs of each security system element must be
planned in conjunction with the needs of all the others, and often in conjunction with Business
Information Technology systems.
In this book, I have tried to place all of the information that any new designer, installer, or
maintenance technician would need in addition to the basic training given by the manufac-
turer. I have included many industry secrets that never seem to be discussed out in the open
and a great deal of design, installation, and maintenance tips that usually take years for most
people to learn.
In short, this book is intended to “launch” you into your career with a vast head start ahead
of your peers. Enjoy and happy reading!
xvii
Acknowledgments
Writing a technical book is a very difficult task and can take a very long time. Of the five books
I have contributed to, written, or have in development, I can say that each has been the ulti-
mate challenge to make interesting, appropriate, and suitable for its audience.
This book would not have been possible without my Editor, Ms. Pam Chester, and Senior
Development Editor, Mr. Gregory Chalson, whose tireless efforts have helped me through the
difficult process of publishing a book.
I can also say that this book would not have been possible in any way without Mr. Nabil el
Khazen and Mr. Adel Mardelli, my partners in the security consulting firm Protection Partners
International. Without their cheerful support and dedication to excellence, I would not have
the ability to spend the time each day necessary to hunker down and focus on each chapter.
I would also like to thank Mr. Adel Mardelli; my protégé, Ms. Rima Ghanem; and Ms. Hala
Abou Yazbeck who have all provided valuable support toward the completion of this book.
Additionally, I am grateful to my wife, Ms. Cynthia Kamalo-Norman, for her encouragement.
But most of all, I would like to thank you, the reader, for continuing to buy my books and for
your e-mails. I am always happy to answer your questions. I am truly grateful to each of you for
your continued support.
xix
1
Introduction and Overview
ChaPter ObjeCtives
1. Understand Who Should Read This Book and Why
2. Understand What You Can Expect to Learn
3. Understand How Information is Presented in the Book
4. Understand How This Book Will Improve Your Career
ChaPter Overview
This book is about physical Access Control Systems. It does not cover Information Technology Access
Control, which is another subject altogether.
Access Control Systems are electronic systems that allow authorized personnel to enter controlled,
restricted, or secure spaces by presenting an access credential to a credential reader. Access control
systems can be basic or highly complicated ranging across state and national borders and incorporating
security monitoring elements and interfaces to other security systems and other building systems.
Security technicians, designers, and program managers who fully understand access control
systems are at a distinct advantage over their brethren who have only a passing knowledge. This book
will give you that edge.
This book covers virtually every aspect of electronic Alarm/Access Control Systems and also includes
insight into the problems you will face as you learn to install, maintain, or design them, including
valuable information on how to overcome those challenges.
This book is designed to help you launch your career with Alarm/Access Control Systems well
ahead of your contemporaries by equipping you with the knowledge that takes most people decades
to assemble.
Rules to Live By
While many Security System Designers today come out of Engineering Schools, I became
a Designer after first being a Technician. I also spent a number of years learning the
intricacies of Risk Management and Security Program Management. This background has
allowed me to create three important rules that I follow when designing systems:
Rule #1: Design security systems based upon an understanding of the facility's
risks and make sure the system can mitigate as many as possible.
Rule #2: Design the security system as a “Force Multiplier” to repeatedly expand
the capabilities of the Security Force.
Rule #3: Always design security systems as if the guy who will maintain it is a
violent psychopath who knows where you live.
Electronic Access Control 3
© 2012 by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
4 ElEcTRonIc AccESS conTRol
Rule #3 acknowledges that Technicians have a very difficult job. If you are one, you
already know this. If you are an aspiring designer, please remember all three of these rules.
They will serve you well. If you design systems that embrace risk, that expand the capabili-
ties of the security force, and that are easy to operate and easy to maintain then you will be
much loved by your clients, installing contractors, and their maintenance technicians.
If you are a security system technician, it pays to learn more about risk and how to
mitigate it. There is more to security than security systems. In fact, I am well known for
saying: “Electronics is the high priest of false security.” It is understandable but unfortunate
that very few security system technicians understand how organizations operate, why
organizations assemble assets, what kinds of threat actors put those assets at constant
risk, what threat scenarios the security program should be designed to mitigate, how to
identify a very wide range of vulnerabilities, how to calculate threat/vulnerability prob-
abilities, or indeed much about risk and risk management. There is much more to security
than installing cameras, alarms, and card readers.
My background as an installation and maintenance technician has given me a deep
appreciation of the difficulties in installing and maintaining security systems. Although
today I design highly integrated security systems, security risk management programs, and
anti-terrorism technologies for extremely high-threat environments, I still draw daily on
that early experience as a technician. Engineers can do plenty to make the installation and
maintenance process much easier and to make designs resonate to the risk they manage.
Who Should Read This Book?
Alarm and Access control Systems can be complicated. Today they do much more than
most Engineers and Technicians think. You will finish this book with a very high level
of knowledge about Alarm and Access control Systems. You will learn about security
technologies that very few technicians, designers, and security program managers have
ever heard of or know anything about. After reading this book, you will rise to expert
knowledge level.
This book should be read by
• Security System Technicians
• Security System Engineers and Designers
• Risk Managers
• Security Program Directors and Managers
• Guard Company Managers and Supervisors
• Security Consultants
• Facility Managers
• Security Installation Project Managers
• Anyone new to Alarm and Access Control Systems
Each of these professionals will learn important things from this book that are not
available from other common sources and that will further their careers.
Chapter 1 • Introduction and Overview 5
How Is Material Presented in This Book?
This book is designed to teach concepts that may be unfamiliar to many if not most readers.
It is a foundational book upon which your career may be built, especially if you are going
into a technical career in the security industry. Whether you will be a technician, installer,
or designer, this book includes information that is essential to your success.
As many of these concepts are highly detailed and have common threads that run
through many variations of the technology, the information presented herein is presented
in a similar way. You will see a design concept presented first in its simplest form. In
another chapter you will see it presented again in a slightly different form, relating this
time to something similar, but somehow different than the first form. You may see the
design concept presented a third time in still another environment. Finally, you will see
the design concept integrated later in the book into a much more complex assembly, often
where it is used to integrate multiple systems or multiple concepts together into a higher,
more complex concept.
This layering approach to concepts ensures that you will not be left in the dark at
any time. As each layer is presented, one over the other, you will build brick by brick a
structure of knowledge that is secure on a foundation of simple concepts learned early
in the book.
This books teaches similar to the way a user may use a web forum to enhance his/
her knowledge on a subject by hearing a concept described by different people talking
about the same idea from many different points of view and each time talking about
different applications of the concept. Each time a concept is presented, it is shown in a
slightly different way, enlightening your understanding of the idea each time, but from
a different angle.
What Will You Learn, and How Will It Help Your Career?
Security Technicians will develop a profoundly deep understanding of how Alarm/Access
control Systems work that will demystify previous complexities and make them stone-
cold experts among their peers. Reading this book carefully will instill a depth of knowl-
edge that few people in the industry have, making you an instant expert to your peers and
much more valuable to your employer.
Security System Designers and Engineers will learn details about how Alarm/Access
control Systems work and interface to the building architecture that will keep them from
making alarmingly common design errors. Designers will learn about rare and unusual
technologies and how to think “outside the box” to create designs that are powerful and
economical and extremely capable.
Risk Managers will learn how Alarm/Access control Systems can reduce operating
costs by minimizing the number of security personnel on staff and making the most of
the security staff. Alarm/Access control Systems can be a “Force Multiplier” when they are
designed and installed correctly, and as such can save hundreds of thousands annually in
6 ElEcTRonIc AccESS conTRol
operating costs as compared to a guard staff. Risk Managers will also learn secrets about
identifying and managing risk of which few Risk Managers are aware.
Guard Company Managers and Supervisors will learn how to use Alarm/Access Control
Systems to their fullest to amplify the reach of their staff and mount energetic responses to
alarms in a timely manner. The knowledge gained from this book will also help you keep
the account in-house at services bid time and be competitive when the client is looking
toward a technology solution. You will learn how to integrate guards and technology for
the best value for your clients and keep clients rather than losing them to technology.
Security consultants will gain a depth of understanding about this technology that few
other books can give (except maybe from my book, Integrated Security Systems Design).
This book can keep consultants and designers from making common design and integra-
tion errors that I see frequently from otherwise knowledgeable consultants. It will also give
them insight into high-efficiency system design that can reduce the time to design while
improving the level of detail in the design documents.
Facility Managers and Security Installation Project Managers who are given responsi-
bility for security systems will learn how to make the most of tight budgets and get more
performance while reducing capital and operating costs. They will also learn how to avoid
common mistakes by Facility Managers that seem at first to save money but ultimately
cost the organization big dollars. Facility Managers will also learn secrets to making sure
that a large security project does not go badly. learning horror stories of others is the best
prevention against learning a horror story first hand.
Anyone new to Alarm/Access control Systems will learn a depth of understanding that
few in the industry possess. And knowledge is always good for your career.
What Is in This Book?
This book is comprised of three parts:
Part 1 — The Basics
Part 2 — How Things Work
Part 3 — The Things That Make Systems Sing
Part 1 — The Basics
This section includes chapters 1–3.
Chapter 2
chapter 2 of this book introduces Foundational Security and Access control concepts. In it
there is a section called Understanding Risk that includes the types of assets organizations
have to protect and how all of those assets relate to the Mission of the organization. It also
includes information about the types of Users in each kind of facility, the types of Threat
Actors, understanding criticalities and consequences, understanding Vulnerabilities and
Probabilities or likelihood of security events, and finally understanding Risk itself.