CEM Systems, a division of Tyco Security Products, has announced that the Central Bank of Nigeria has selected their AC2000 SE access control and security management system to secure many of its premises across ­Nigeria. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is charged by the Federal Republic of Nigeria with the overall control and administration of the monetary and financial sector policies of the Federal Government.

„The Central Bank of Nigeria required an access control solution that provides the highest level of security, and that is scalable to meet the needs of their different offices throughout the country, both now and in the future. The AC2000 was the ideal solution in this case to help the CBN meet all their requirements" said Philip Verner, Regional Sales Director, EMEA for CEM Systems. „The Central Bank of Nigeria is one of many recent finance industry contracts for CEM Systems and represents a growing trend for us in the sector and the African market in general".

Integration
The AC2000 SE provides an advanced level of integration using industry standard interfaces to link to third party systems. The CBN required the system to integrate with Bosch video interfaces in order to control both the video and access systems via one solution. The Alarm Event Display application responds to all alarm situations in real time, providing a dynamic on-screen interface to external CCTV systems with facilities for CCTV switching, remote door broadcasting and audio output in response to alarm events.

AC2000 VIPPS (Visual Imaging & Pass Production System) allows CBN administrators to produce professional quality permanent and temporary ID passes for staff and visitors. The CBN also utilizes the WEB Visitors application which has the added benefit of being accessible via the web. This enables users to log in remotely via a web page to manage visitors without the need for client access control software on their PC.
To meet the requirement for minimal downtime on site, CEM‘s AC2000 Failover was utilized to create a secondary server that can take over from the main server in the event of system failure. The switch between the two servers is automatic and results in zero data loss, with notification of the event being sent to system users and administrators immediately.

Finger on the Button
In addition to the numerous software options chosen by the Central Bank of Nigeria, a variety of the CEM hardware solutions are used on site. The CBN is installing S610e intelligent card readers, which give full off-line validation and decision-making at the point of entry, even when host communication is not available. This terminal also features a keypad and a backlit LCD, which provides meaningful messages to cardholders such as, for example, Wrong Time Zone, Lost/Stolen Card and Access Granted.

Given the CBN‘s focus on providing the utmost security, CEM S610f biometric fingerprint readers are being deployed in areas that required a higher level of security. This device is a fully integrated biometric and access control reader that is used to control access to restricted areas, which is managed and monitored by security staff using the AC2000 SE system.

Additional hardware also includes the S3030 Portable reader that can be used for ID card validation at temporary entrances that have no power, and can be used as a mobile device for random checks within pre-defined zones. The display of cardholder details on the reader, such as the name, date of birth and job title and also the card holder‘s photograph, allows on-the-spot visual verification.