How do you implement access control at data center construction sites?
XPressEntry has been used since our very first installation in 2008 as a tool to help manage construction access control systems (ACS) and worker accountability. In the years since, we have added many other features as well as access control integrations, but we have always prioritized our stand-alone capabilities for construction.
Data Centers are Booming!
With continued acceleration in construction builds in the Data Center Industry, we have seen a concurrent increase in requests for our handheld-based access control system. At a recent AWS Data Center construction enablement event, it was clear that the quantity and speed of projects being launched by Amazon is beyond the capability of even the largest construction firms to support them. This doesn’t even take into account the other major providers: Oracle, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, Facebook, Vantage, BDx, Singtel, and others. These projects were projected to run more than 250 billion USD in 2025 and continue to grow.
But with each new contractor, the expertise to support the security requirements for data center construction has to be relearned.
This blog is designed to help support these builders to meet the specific demands we’ve seen in data center deployments. From solutions managing workers, through jobsite initiation, to final facility move-in, below we have a number of questions you should ask before selecting the access control system for your data center construction project.
1. What type of gates or entries need to be managed?
If your site can be managed solely by verifying people and vehicles at guard-controlled entry points, a handheld system like XPressEntry can be quickly and easily deployed. However, for a more developed construction site, the ACS might need to control, actuate, and open physical hardware like:
- Turnstiles
- Doors
- Fences
- Vehicle entry gates
For these, sites will need a full physical access control system (PACS) with readers, panels, locks and gate actuators. Fortunately, XPressEntry also integrates with more than 40 PACS, so sites don’t have to sacrifice functionality, regardless of the system they use to open gates.
2. Do power, WIFI, or wired networks need to be installed?
This is a basic infrastructure question.
Handheld systems can be installed with effectively no infrastructure, as they have batteries that can last an entire day, and offline capabilities if no network is available at the entry/exit points.
But similar to the above question, if a PACS is needed to work with physical hardware contractors should be prepared to trench, lay conduit, pull wire, and pay non-facility related construction costs. All of these will likely require significantly more expense to build a potentially temporary infrastructure to support construction.
3. Does the site have 4G or better connectivity?
Given that a site location has reasonable cellular bandwidth, deploying a cloud-based system can potentially provide contractors significant savings. A handheld ACS can be controlled from our XPressEntry.com cloud, meaning broad remote visibility and zero on-premise compute requirements. Many PACS systems also provide cloud-based ACS, which can provide similar convenience and savings.
4. Is there a requirement to verify citizenship of workers?
For many secure data center sites, there are specific requirements to validate workers entering the construction site are U.S. citizens. To do this, more than flashing a badge to get a green/red access light is required. Multi-factor authentication like biometric access might be needed by the PACS.
The great thing about XPressEntry handheld validation is that 2-factor authentication comes by default. The guard can instantly see if the badge holder matches the face shown on the screen as well as whether the badge permissions allow the worker entry to the site.
5. What sort of badges will you require?
Part of the site’s security relies on the ACS badge/credential. The technology of this badge might be under your control as the contractor…or it might not. Your team might be required to have secure U.S. government compliant badges like CAC, PIV, TWIC, or PIV-I. Or you might be able to get away with having a simple PVC badge with a barcode printed on it.
XPressEntry supports any badge, including highly secure government badges, mobile credentials, or plain QR codes. And both the on-premises and web versions come with our XPressBadge designer that you can use with your choice of badge printers to provide your worker population with custom badges.
Or if your employees are already enrolled in your personal PACS to be used with the onsite system, these badges can be seamlessly imported to be used with our handheld system.
6. Do you need additional features beyond access control?
Most PACS are used simply for opening doors and gates. If you are like most other builders, you might need features like timekeeping, employee safety accountability and mustering, tool or equipment tracking, or guard tours. Depending on your needs and existing company infrastructure, XPressEntry handhelds could provide a multi-use tool to streamline operations.
7. Does the facility owner want to reuse the PACS for the facility?
Lastly, many data center sites are looking for ways to save money by consolidating purchases. For example, the construction site might be managed by a combination of OnGuard for controlling hard gates and handhelds for pedestrian validation. Combine this with the computer hardware used for installation and the temporary reader infrastructure, and it can add up to significant dollars. By reusing these assets for the final build, companies can save many thousands of dollars.
In these situations, the XPressEntry handhelds are often repurposed to provide emergency mustering capabilities. Because they are already integrated with the PACS, this is a seamless transition and provides immediate value to the data center owner.
If you have any specific questions about how to best deploy an ACS for your organization in support of data center construction, we are happy to answer them. Give us a call at 858-627-9700 or email at [email protected].
To see what we’ve done with data centers in the past, check out this quick pdf.