Bosch releases Access Management System 2.0

Today’s market wants access management systems that are easy to set up and use. They must be easily scalable and able to integrate with other security solutions like video and intrusion systems. And access management systems need to be highly resilient and always available. With the introduction of the Access Management System (AMS) 2.0 Bosch has addressed all these needs.

The entire customer journey is designed to be as effortless and as simple as possible. Specifying the system is easy: the software is offered in three pre-configured software bundles for different sized organizations:

• Lite (max. 144 doors and 200,000 cards)
• Plus (max. 512 doors and 200,000 cards)
• Professional (max. 10,000 doors and 200,000 cards)

Configuration is easy: existing floor maps can be imported into the system and icons are dragged and dropped on the map to represent controllers, doors and building objects. Onboarding of users is straightforward: for example, enrolment and assignment of access profiles are all implemented in one dialog manager.
Operation is also easy: the graphical user interface (GUI) is simple and easy to understand. The dark color-scheme of the GUI reduces eye-strain and fatigue, so operators stay fresh and alert. In addition, the colors of the AMS GUI are aligned with the colors of the Bosch Video Management Systems (BVMS) GUI, so operators enjoy the benefits of an integrated solution which is easier to operate than two distinct systems.

Users can start small and add extra capacity whenever necessary. The Access Management System 2.0 can be expanded to 10,000 doors and 200,000 cardholders. No hardware needs replacing when expanding, users just require software upgrades and possibly additional controllers, readers and cards. So, increasing system size is not only easy, it is also cost-efficient. And since it is regularly updated with the latest data security enhancements, it is a future-proof investment. Ideal for office and government buildings, retail environments, educational institutes and more.

For maximized resilience and high availability, the Access Management System 2.0 includes the Master Access Controller (MAC) as an additional layer of resilience between the server and the access controllers. If the server fails in the Access Management System 2.0, the MAC takes over and ensures that the controllers still communicate with each other and share necessary information from the card readers. Thus, even functionalities which include various controllers such as anti-passback and guard tour can still be performed.

The anti-passback functionality prevents a card holder passing back their card to another person and thereby enabling their unauthorized entry. Guard tour is a safety functionality offered to security guards, which uses access readers as checkpoints along a defined route to be passed in a defined period of time. Any deviation of sequence or timing causes an alarm in the AMS. Colleagues or first responders can be notified at once improving the safety of security guards.

In the extremely rare event that the AMS server and the MAC fail, cardholders can still enter and leave areas with their badges because the database is stored directly on the Access Management Controllers (AMCs). Thanks to this offline capability, it is furthermore possible to save millions of events even during down times.

Up to 15 configurable threat levels such as lockdown, controlled lockdown or evacuation mean that safety measures can be initiated quickly in critical situations such as fire or terrorist attack. The threat level state is activated by one of three triggers: operator workstation, emergency button, or specially configured “emergency” cards that are presented to a reader. The different threat levels can make all doors open, or all doors blocked, or a mix of some open and some blocked. Individual doors can also have their own security profile and allow only certain cardholders access.

To protect against cybercrime and loss of personal data, the database as well as the communication between server and access controllers is encrypted at all stages, e.g. through support of the secure Open Supervised Device Protocol (OSDP) v2 protocol. Access Management System 2.0 also has trusted digital certificates for mutual authentication between server and client to prevent tampering by unauthorized clients and uses secure design principles such as “secure-by-default” and “principle of least privilege”.

The Access Management System 2.0 is a flexible access management system for medium- to large-sized organizations. It is easy to set up, operate and expand. Access Management System 2.0 can grow with the needs of the customer and can also be integrated with video systems such as the BVMS (version 9.0 and higher) and third party systems such as Milestone’s XProtect. It will as of the second quarter 2020 be able to integrate with the B-/G- Series intrusion system from Bosch and other third party systems. With this integration capability, the Access Management System will serve as the solid platform to mix and match various security systems, depending on the customer’s individual needs.