Honeywell introduced the Honeywell Vector Occupant App - a mobile software application that enables building occupants to tap into the Internet of Things to address common building issues including access control.
The State of Michigan operates a network of 40 government buildings mostly in and around the capital city of Lansing that house government offices and warehousing space. More than 50,000 employees and 5,087 tenants access the buildings, which cover over a total of 10 million square feet, on a daily basis.
The challenge
Due to nationwide, state and local concerns around the rise of hackers, the state of Michigan’s office of Infrastructure Protection sought to update building access systems— which comprise 2,000 card access readers at government building entry points throughout the state—as part of a broader effort to put more secure practices in place.
Physical access stood out as a critical point to address due to the state’s widespread use of physical ID badges for government building entry.
Employees could easily lose, copy, or lend out the thin, plastic ID cards, creating the potential for major security risks—especially with so many people coming in and out of buildings on a daily basis.
In addition to introducing security threats, the ID badges also quickly became outdated and were costly for the state to create, reprint and replace.
The solution
Honeywell introduced the Honeywell Vector Occupant App - a mobile software application that enables building occupants to tap into the Internet of Things to address common building issues including access control. The app combines the convenience of today’s mobile devices with connected building features, enabling state security management to more easily oversee personnel credentials and manage who can access specific areas from a central repository.
The state chose to pilot the software application at its joint operations center building, using it to manage how 10 employees can access 10 internal and external access points. The pilot was successful in demonstrating the Honeywell Vector Occupant App’s ability to promote facility security and help ensure the right people can access the right areas, and the state is examining how to expand the app’s usage to other areas.
The benefits
The Honeywell Vector Occupant App incorporates digital identification and access control capabilities, eliminating the need for physical cards or fobs and giving users secure access via their smartphones—a device they’re much more likely to have with them at any given time, and less likely to lose, than traditional ID badges. It also introduces potential cost efficiencies by eliminating the need to reprint and replace physical badges.
Plus, facility management personnel, in turn, can more easily manage occupant credentials, eliminating the need to keep track of and replace misplaced access cards.
"The Honeywell Vector Occupant App is a powerful software application that’s simple and easy for employees to use from a highly-valued device: their smartphones. And, it elevates our ability to seamlessly maintain employee credentials and access,” commented Chris Christensen, director of cybersecurity and infrastructure protection for the state of Michigan.