| As an IP-based system, management of access in Elk Grove is done through same ISONAS software system already at Chicago |
ServerCentral is a managed data centre solutions provider specialising in bandwidth-intensive collocation applications. With data centres strategically located worldwide, ServerCentral supports a diverse roster of clients, including content delivery companies, webhosting and application service providers, hardware vendors and enterprise-level clients.
The Company’s focus on providing quality, personalised service to their clients, no matter the size or scope of the client company extends to the protection of both the clients’ data and physical assets.
ISONAS IP-at-the-door access control system
According to Jordan Lowe, Chief Guru of ServerCentral, “We originally installed the ISONAS IP-at-the-door access control system in our corporate offices in downtown Chicago in 2006 because we wanted a standards-based access control system that fit within our existing network topology. We found that the Ethernet connectivity of the ISONAS solution made for an easy to install system that improved security and installation costs over traditional panel based access control, since there is no electrical wiring needed to power this panel-less solution. We really liked the fact that we were not tied to a proprietary access control system.”
ServerCentral added a new state-of-the-art, high power density managed data centre in Elk Grove, IL in 2009. With a long-term lease for 10,000 square feet of raised floor space, they encountered a need for controlling access to their new facility’s equipment cages where customer-specific server and network equipment is housed and where their mission critical infrastructure collocation and network provision tasks are accomplished.
Again the solution chosen was the ISONAS PowerNet™ reader-controller system.
Quick and seamless integration with existing system
The factors that led to the installation of the ISONAS PowerNets in the new managed data centre were several. As an IP-based system, the management of the access for the equipment cages in Elk Grove is done through the same ISONAS Crystal Matrix Access Control software system already in use at the corporate location in Chicago. The new cage reader-controllers were integrated quickly and seamlessly with the existing system. The access control credentials used for access to building entry doors are also used for access to the equipment cages, which makes administration of the system a much simpler process. The permissions as to who can access which cage and who has entry privileges to which site(s) are easily managed from wherever an administrator has access to the web.
“The mullion form factor of the ISONAS reader-controllers fit perfectly into our cage structure and their ability to drive the electric strikes on the cages simplified the wiring and again eliminated the need for any external power supply or circuit”, says John Lowe. “This access security system is easily and cost effectively expandable to meet our needs as we continue to grow."