LEGIC Identsystems, working with a division of its parent company Kaba, has installed an access control system on two sites at Canary Wharf for one of the UK’s leading credit insurers using the latest contactless smart card technology.

The company, one of the UK’s leading credit insurers and specialists in receivables management, provides 40% of all trade credit insurance arranged in the UK, and offers a range of integrated products and services designed to assist businesses in the management of their working capital and cash flow and to protect their assets.

Securing the two company sites at Canary Wharf while retaining ease of access for staff and visitors was a demanding brief which required a particularly flexible solution. The answer was to develop a number of controlled entrances using door based readers (some of which were concealed out of sight within the fabric of the doors themselves) and working with LEGIC proximity smart cards, all integrated with an extensive CCTV system.

The decision to use the LEGIC contactless smart card technology platform was due to its ability to provide multi-functionality and encrypted data transmission, as well as deliver the highest levels of security. It provides significant advantages in terms of convenience and cost efficiency and offers the greatest possible security against unauthorised copying, data tampering, defective data transmission and data loss.

A spokesman for the project said: “We specified the XOS 8000 multi-site, multi-lingual access control solution for the contract which features a built-in personnel database configured in co-ordination with the client. This allows records to be instantly searched for by name, badge no., employee number, department, and other user definable fields. The individual’s LEGIC photo-ID card can be incorporated into the record to allow image verification by security personnel. If required, the EXOS 8000 system can also be used to provide bespoke reports utilising collected data such as access times, movements around a building and frequency and type of alarms etc.”

Over 1,000 combined ID and access control cards are now in use across the two sites using proximity technology which requires little effort to use and takes less time than retrieving a card from a pocket and passing it through a swipe card reader. This means there is no physical contact and thus no wear and tear on either the cards or the readers, ensuring that the clients LEGIC system will deliver secure access control for longer with less need for any field maintenance.

About LEGIC LEGIC Identsystems Ltd, with headquarters in Switzerland, is a world leader in the design and manufacture of 13.56MHz contactless smart card technology. Their product portfolio includes highly integrated LEGIC RF Standard and ISO 15693 and ISO 14443 compliant read/write chip sets. Security Modules and transponder chips for integration into third party products.

LEGIC Identsystems currently work with over 150 external co-operation partners world-wide who offer compatible LEGIC based applications including access control, cashless payment, parking, e-ticketing and other multiplication’s in both workplace and leisure applications.