Carstens - Experts & Thought Leaders

Carstens, Inc. has launched a new line of WALLAroo® wall-mounted workstations with powerful ISONAS™ access control technology. The system allows an authorised user to open locked cabinets and other access points throughout a facility with a single swipe card. WALLAroo® with ISONAS for enhanced patient experience “Together, Carstens and ISONAS™ are revolutionising access control in the healthcare environment,” said John Pierson, Carstens’ senior director of sales and marketing. “WALLAroo® with ISONAS™ puts secure medication distribution, critical supply storage and patient data at the point of care with the ease of one swipe card…resulting in an enhanced patient experience.” Carstens is one of the nation’s top suppliers of patient record keeping solutions—from customised charting systems to cutting-edge EHR support. The company’s industry-leading WALLAroo® workstations provide convenient and secure storage for essentials to help streamline daily activities, create workflow efficiencies, and foster a positive environment to improve interaction and enhance patient care. ISONAS™ is the first access control company to design and manufacture a cutting-edge, IP-to-the-door solution. Using a patented PowerNet™ reader-controller, ISONAS™ delivers a proven access control solution that offers network-based, “Pure IP” technology that eliminates the need for a separate power supply, control panel and dedicated hard wiring. Partnership with Carstens Rob Mossman, chief executive officer at ISONAS™, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership with Carstens, which will exclusively offer the technology on medical cabinets and mobile carts. “Carstens is an innovator in the healthcare industry, so offering products with integrated access management for enhanced safety and accuracy is a natural progression for the company,” he said. “By interconnecting all pieces of the environment, ISONAS™ technology affords Carstens’ customers the ability to help patients in a simple and cost effective fashion.” ISONAS™ is a complete solution to securely manage an entire facility, he explained. One swipe card can control thousands of access points—doors, gates, elevators, server racks, and now WALLAroo® cabinets—all from a standard network connection. Its configurable, tiered security levels account for unlimited people, schedules and access points. “Access control used to require dedicated wiring, a control panel and a great deal of infrastructure,” Mossman explained. “ISONAS™, on the other hand, is a one-inch-by-six-inch control panel that runs via power over Ethernet connections so no electricity or hard wiring is needed. Since it uses existing IT infrastructure, construction costs are low and disruption is minimal. It also migrates from legacy systems and supports current card technology.” Reduced installation and integration cost In fact, ISONAS™ costs between 30 and 40 percent less to install and integrate than its competitors. As a result, a hospital or clinic can expect a return on investment for new cabinets in a matter of months. Plus, the technology is scalable—any number of WALLAroo® wall-mounted workstations can be added to the same network at any time with no extra licensing fees or ongoing service expenses. “A major benefit for hospitals is that ISONAS™ runs on Crystal Matrix software and integrates with Active Directory for a single source of simplified permission management,” said Pierson. All access point permissions can be programmed and managed from a centralised location; however, data is stored locally so in the event of a power outage, the locking system continues to operate. This is vital in a healthcare setting. It also integrates with video monitoring, time management and nurse call systems.Web browser and smart phone apps are available to manage operations anytime, anywhere. “ISONAS™ addresses end-user challenges like never before,” said Mossman. Pierson agreed, adding: “WALLAroo® with ISONAS™ keeps medications, data, technology, equipment, and critical supplies in the right hands at all times—strengthening security throughout the entire facility.” The system offers real-time tracking of activity per WALLAroo® and user, with ongoing history and audit reports to adhere to the chain of custody requirements of HIPAA.ISONAS™ also features AES 256 bit data encryption, has lockdown and emergency functions, and an anti-tamper alarm system. Patented network-based PowerNet™ reader-controllers provider Based in Boulder, Colorado, ISONAS™ provides patented network-based PowerNet™ reader-controllers that easily integrate with Windows-based software to deliver value and access control flexibility. The privately held company has installed 20,000 readers across a range of commercial and private organisations worldwide. Carstens is an established brand within the healthcare industry. Founded more than 125 years ago, the company pioneered putting patient information at the point of care with customised record systems. Today, Carstens brings new solutions to new demands with its WALLAroo® wall-mounted workstations and WALKAroo™ mobile carts, including the versatile LinkT™. Continues to expand EHR support products As the healthcare industry evolves, Carstens continues to expand its line of EHR support products, offering innovative solutions for paper based record keeping as well as the integration of electronic solutions at point-of-patient care. The company has added new and improved carts and workstations for general usage, diagnostic testing, medicine dispensing, computing, and more. Not only are Carstens’ products designed to enhance communication and increase interaction between clinicians and patients at the point of care, they also can be customised to match any facility’s specific needs. Plus, all are made in the USA at the company’s Chicago area headquarters.

Rapid expansion of access control into new roles has been fuelled by panel-less architecture Our world has changed and our industry has changed with it.  Data now rules, and the network is king. The Internet of Things has driven customer expectations in how data is received and can be acted upon. Advances in panel-less pure IP technologies have allowed our customers to redefine the applications of access control. These two colliding forces have put us all in the business of managing access points and delivering real-time data… any access point, with new types of data. Traditionally, access control solutions have always been restricted to securing entry and exit points as well as securing access against unauthorised entries. We, as leaders, can no longer think in “doors”. Innovation in access control technology Technology leaders and analysts agree there will be over 25 billion connected devices in use by 2020, creating a $4 trillion revenue opportunity. In access control this now means that we must use open platforms to share information at a rate that we have never experienced. Hospitals, farms, ambulances, warehousing, mining, and manufacturing all have needs to control relays to improve efficiency, safety and security. Access control is being expanded from doors to cabinets, heavy machinery, vehicles, and production lines. Farms are using traditional access control technologies to solve problems from feed distribution to fuel pump access. Access control is becoming a tool to solve problems that were not traditionally in our domain. The benefits of a distributed Pure IP,panel-less, architecture combinedwith the desire for control,operational efficiency, and safety aredriving us all to think about accesscontrol as more than “doors” Rapid expansion of access control into these new roles has been fuelled by panel-less architecture. IP enabled access control systems have been reduced to a single reader-controller device that has the capability of panel systems in a centrally managed, fully distributed architecture. Constant power can be provided via Power over Ethernet delivering as much as 600 mA for locks and other devices. Local decision keeps the access control network running, even if the network goes down. These advances result in faster install, greater scalability, and a less expensive overall proposition.  Healthcare applications and beyond The benefits of a distributed Pure IP, panel-less, architecture combined with the desire for control, operational efficiency, and safety are driving us all to think about access control as more than “doors”. A prime example of this new way of thinking about access control includes the way it is now being used in the healthcare industry. With the help of Carstens, Inc, the industry’s leading provider of wall-mounted workstations, authorised users can now open locked cabinets and other access points throughout a healthcare facility with a single swipe of their card. This powerful healthcare solution is revolutionising the industry. The WALLAroo,® Carstens’s new wall-mounted workstations are available with the advanced security of Pure IP access control technology. The simple topology of a single reader-controller device powered by a standard category 5 cable makes this solution viable. This technology can be found on medical cabinets and mobile carts throughout a myriad of healthcare facilities and helps to better secure medication distribution, critical supply storage and patient data and prevent any mishandling or unauthorised access. Adapting to growing needs The clarity of Charles Darwin applies to us all when he said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives but the most adaptable.” Each of us need to challenge ourselves to augment our historical product lines and way of thinking to seize new opportunity for our businesses. Providing customers the choice for Pure IP access control or the traditional solution allows your business to evolve as IP technology continues to the edge. As we move forward into 2016, the saying it’s not just about doors will continue to become reality.  As technology continues to evolve, so will the applications of access control. From securing remote sites to medical cabinets even underground mines, the gateway to possibilities is endless and will continue to grow for years to come.