Staying safe with Command Centre during a pandemic

Thursday, 26 March, 2020

The world is currently navigating an unprecedented situtation, and sites are facing fast-changing security, hygiene and communication needs. An existing Gallagher solution can help sites manage these needs and assist with crating a safe and healthy environment.

Biometric Hygiene

If you are using finger vein or fingerprint biometric terminals, the most effective way to stop the spread of germs is to clean hands before and after use -rather than clean the biometric sensor itself which could damage the sensor). Depending on the location of the reader, this may not be possible, in which case hand sanitizer situated near the reader is a practical option.

Many biometric readers have anti-bacterial properties although this is no substitute for good hand hygiene.

Single-factor authentication

Using Mifare DESFire card technology with only single factor authentication, eliminates the need for a PIN which reduces the risk of spreading contact-borne viruses. Similarly, some fingerprint biometric systems can be reconfigured as card only readers. Moving from dual factor to single factor authentication is not usually recommended as it increases the security risk, so this option should only be considered as a last resort for sites that have limited options to mitigate the health risks for their staff.

Critical Communication

Broadcast Notifications is the ideal tool for communicating critical information and providing regular updates to your people via SMS. Through Command Centre, these notices can target specific groups of people or can be broadcast to everyone.

Limiting people in an area

Using Zone Counting functionality within Command Centre, an alert can be set to advise when the number of people in one physical area exceeds a set limit. With the current COVID-19 recommendations, this can help ensure that there is enough space for a 2m radius to be adhered to.

Schedules

Are your doors set to automatically open or give free access at certain times of the day or days of the week? With businesses now functioning outside of normal operations, it’s important to check any pre-set schedules to ensure that your site remains secure.