GE’s new Visitor Central heightens security; provides greater control over guests
Visitor Central from GE Security can link with a company’s or college’s currently-installed access control systems to allow greater management to the organization. With Visitor Central, companies can achieve the same level of control and tracking with visitors that they have with employees. For instance, visitors would only be allowed to enter authorized areas. In addition, an audit trail tracks the exact time and location of each visitor.
Visitor Central Creates Customized Photo Badges, limits Access to Specified Areas, Tracks Visitors and Provides Audit Trail
BRADENTON, FLA.– GE’s Security business has announced that its new Visitor Central electronic visitor management systems now integrate with presently installed access control systems. As a result, users can create professional, customized photo visitor badges that give companies more control over visitor access. Offering greater security, GE Visitor Central replaces manual, paper-based visitor logs with badges that actually limit access to specific areas.
“Visitor Central offers faster check-in because employees are able to host visitors based on their own access privileges,” said Steve Walin, New Product Development Leader, Engineered Systems. “Companies can also assign access privileges to visitors based on who they are or whom they are seeing. A security guard can even assign access privileges manually on a case-by-case basis.”
With Visitor Central, organizations can achieve the same level of control and tracking with visitors that they have with employees. For instance, visitors can only enter authorized areas. An audit trail tracks the exact time and location of each visitor. For maximum security, access privileges can be programmed to expire at a specified date or time. Thus, multi-day visitors, such as contractors or vendors, are able to use the same badge for the duration of their projects.
Visitor Central works with GE’s Picture Perfect and Secure Perfect access control systems. In addition, Visitor Central features an open API, letting companies and systems integrators develop an interface with their current access control systems. Visitor Central is also scaleable. Implementers can set up an unlimited number of check-in stations to cover a multi-building campus or facilities in multiple locations.
The new electronic visitor management system features an intuitive, customizable Web-based interface that lets employees create appointments in advance. Visitors can check themselves in using a self-service kiosk or an attendant can register visitors. Once visitors are checked in, the system issues a photo badge.
Visitor Central includes a custom badge designer as well as several pre-designed badge templates. Companies can add their logos or other graphics, as well as text in a variety of fonts. Users can print a bar code on the badge that works with GE bar code scanners to activate visitors’ access privileges or combine the photo badge with a magnetic-stripe, proximity, or other technology credentials for access.
Visitor Central also maintains a list of people who are not allowed into a facility, whether for security, competitive, personnel or other reasons. A variety of visitor reports are available, along with photos to make identification easier. A one-click roll call report identifies all the visitors currently in your facilities.
GE’s Visitor Central family of applications will roll out over the fourth quarter of 2005.
About GE’s Security Business
GE’s Security business is a wholly owned subsidiary of the General Electric Company (NYSE: GE) focused on communication and information technologies for security, safety and lifestyle enhancements. Security has operations in more than 30 countries and is represented by some of the best-known brand names for intrusion and fire detection, access and building control, video surveillance, explosive and drug detection, key management and structured wiring. For more information about Security and GE’s product offerings, visit www.GESecurity.com.
