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Project to eliminate key control issues

Located on Portage Ave. in downtown Winnipeg, the University of Winnipeg is Manitoba’s second largest public university. It received its charter in 1967 but its roots date back more than 130 years. The university is home to more than 9,200 full and part-time students and is a compact, diverse, multicultural academic community committed to access and excellence.

Academic programs include Undergraduate Degrees in Arts, Science and Education, Masters Degrees in Theology, Marriage & Family Therapy as well as a number of joint and applied programs shared with Red River College.

The contract with the university and SALTO will span a period of seven years beginning in 2007.

“The new contract is part of a rolling program to update security and replace outdated mechanical locks and keys on 1,700 doors in all its buildings and facilities” said Amir Zouak, sales and marketing director (Canada) for SALTO Systems Inc. “Working in consultation with the university we have designed a highly secure and flexible access control system to meet all their needs. It had to be sleek, modern and contemporary to compliment their buildings as well as delivering ease of use and compliance with CDA (Canadians with Disability Act) regulations.”

With the installation of the SALTO access control system the University of Winnipeg will no longer have the worry or cost of changing lock cylinders, but will now have the ability to instantly cancel out cards from their security system if staff or students lose them or they are stolen. SALTO allows users to remove mechanical keys from their sites because it is the most cost effective access control solution specifically designed in a format to control door locks.

When combined with the SALTO Virtual Network (SVN) it offers users the benefits of an online access control system at a fraction of the cost, thus allowing for more access controlled doors, and less mechanical keys. “The SALTO access control system is a good fit for our campus. It enables us to introduce risk management to access control, by providing online real time information where necessary,” said Bill Balan, vice-president, finance and administration at The University of Winnipeg  in a statement: “Through its smart card technology, it offers a totally integrated delayed audit trail where there is less risk and at a much lower cost. At the same time, the SALTO system eliminates conventional key control issues here at the university.”

“It is extremely important that staff, students and visitors are safe and secure while at the university. Its sophisticated mix of online and offline access control points together with the advantages conferred by the SVN system will enable them to manage up to 64,000 users and up to 64,000 doors in a single system if required, making the university both a secure and accessible environment for all its users.”