Introduction
A global data center operator with close to 30 sites across North America, Europe, and Africa needed a fast, reliable way for guard staff to validate badges at gates and guard shacks, without asking every site to adopt the same centralized security infrastructure.
Each data center campus already ran its own instance of Genetec Security Center, kept intentionally separate from every other site for security and compliance reasons. Rather than build a custom integration for each location, the operator standardized on XPressEntry handheld readers, deployed site by site as new campuses were built during the construction phase and came online.
Challenges
Guard staff at each site needed a quick, reliable way to confirm that a badge presented at a gate or guard shack was valid, without waiting on a fixed reader tied to a single door or relying on a visual check alone. Visitors, contractors, and rotating staff moved through checkpoints throughout the day, and any delay at a gate created a bottleneck for the whole site.
Because this is a global account, sites vary widely in layout, staffing, and local security requirements. A single centralized access control system covering every site was not an option. Many of these campuses run sealed, on-premises environments by design, each with its own dedicated instance of Genetec Security Center that does not share data with other locations.
Any solution had to work independently at each site, integrate cleanly with whatever local instance of Genetec Security Center and Synergis™ was already running there, and be simple enough to roll out consistently as the operator added new sites to its global footprint.
Solution
The operator deployed XPressEntry handheld readers at guard shacks and gates across its data center sites, with each site’s readers integrated to that site’s own instance of Genetec Security Center and the Synergis™ access control system.
XPressEntry synchronizes with each site’s existing credential data, so guard staff can validate badges already issued through Genetec without a separate enrollment process or a parallel credential system to manage.
Because the integration runs independently at each site, one location’s Genetec environment has no dependency on any other. That keeps each campus’s access control fully self-contained, an important requirement for data center customers that prize isolated, on-premises deployments.
The same standard deployment, one XPressEntry Server, one Genetec integration license, and a small set of handheld readers, has repeated cleanly across close to 30 sites so far. More than 45 XPressEntry handheld readers are in service across the account today, and counting, as additional sites come online.
Operational Benefits
By deploying XPressEntry alongside Genetec Security Center at each site, the operator gained:
- Fast, mobile badge validation at guard shacks and gates
- No new credentials or separate enrollment process for staff, contractors, or visitors
- A self-contained integration at every site, with no dependency on any other location’s network or Genetec instance
- A repeatable deployment model that scales cleanly as new sites join the account
- Reduced reliance on visual badge checks and fixed readers tied to a single door
- Consistent standard hardware and licensing across a geographically diverse global footprint
- Support for the sealed, on-premises architecture that secure data center sites require
Conclusion
By pairing XPressEntry handheld readers with each site’s own instance of Genetec Security Center, the operator built a badge validation process that works the same way at every gate and guard shack, without asking any site to compromise on its isolated, on-premises design.
The result is a rollout model the operator has already carried across close to 30 sites worldwide, one that adapts to local security requirements at each campus while giving guard staff a fast, consistent way to confirm who belongs on site.
Why Organizations Choose XPressEntry:
XPressEntry handheld and fixed badge readers continue to lead the industry with:
- The most access control integrations
- Broad support for RFID badges, biometrics, and mobile credentials
- The first handheld badge reader running Android 15 for enhanced security
- A deployment model built for organizations running many independent sites
CONTACT US to learn how XPressEntry can enhance your operations.