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| The first implementation of an ISONAS PowerNet Reader-Controller for Goodwill-Suncoast came in 2007 |
Goodwill-Suncoast was founded in October of 1954 in St. Petersburg, Florida. The company headquarters still remain in St. Petersburg and currently provide service to thousands of people in 11 of the surrounding counties. In 2007, IT Director, Jason Martino and IT Operations Manager, Mike Weaver, began their search for an Access Control System that could meet their needs of easily scaling across 11 counties, 15 retail locations and 100 square miles of terrain. Jason and Mike began with a pilot of one reader and now have more than 70 readers in Goodwill retail and Super Store locations across Central Florida.
ISONAS PowerNet With Crystal Matrix Software
Martino and Weaver devised a plan in 2007 that would call for a replacement of their existing turnkey system with an IP-based Access Control System (ACS). The IT team soon began to shop around and found that ISONAS rose above other competitors for multiple reasons: all-in-one IP reader/controller, “at the door” decision making, competitive price, scalability, ease of use and free training. After continuing their analyses of the different IP-Access Control Systems, Jason and Mike decided that the ISONAS PowerNet™ all-in-one reader controller paired with the Crystal Matrix Software would be their most valuable option. The two IT Directors purchased a pilot reader to continue their evaluation before standardising on a system. Mike explained that, “Initially we thought the system required a separate server for each location, but then we realised we could manage it from 40 miles away across our Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) network. After doing extensive due diligence, lab testing and a pilot installation, ISONAS came back with the most scalable and user-friendly results. It worked well with the door strikes and was very durable.” Martino and Weaver took advantage of ISONAS’s free online training program and began their first installation shortly after.
Implementation
The first implementation of an ISONAS PowerNet Reader-Controller for Goodwill-Suncoast came in 2007, at one of the fifteen retail locations. The installation team consisted of Jason, Mike and a contractor to drop CAT 5 cabling at each access point; none of which had any prior knowledge or experience of installing an ACS.
Jason and Mike did not seem to have any problems with the first phase of implementation. “The actual installation was easy; the IT team was able to do it. We took it from A to Z, from configuring the reader to mounting it, to assigning them IP addresses on the network. Once they are in, there are no frills and the software was user-friendly,” says Mike Weaver. The implementation team began to see positive feedback after installing the initial readers on internal and external access points of the facility. Aside from exponentially reducing the need for hard keys in order to gain access, Martino and Weaver also saw an instant value gain from the free Crystal Matrix software. “The software gave us a huge advantage when we wanted to restrict access to the cash office where the safe is. We could now limit the people who went in and out. We knew who went into the cash office and could conceive a trail of where employees were and at what time. From an administration standpoint it was very user-friendly.” The IT team never before had access to this level of transparency amongst their personnel. They could now map out a specific trail of access points to gain a better understanding of where each employee has been throughout the day. Jason and Mike saw that ISONAS’s Crystal Matrix Software would become very helpful for general security and loss prevention purposes in their retail locations.
Jason and Mike took the ISONAS solution to the Goodwill Correction Facility, who has partnerships with the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBP) |
Extended Use Of ISONAS Access Control System
Goodwill-Suncoast extended their use of the ISONAS system beyond their retail shops. Jason and Mike took the ISONAS solution to the Goodwill Correction Facility, who has partnerships with the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBP) and the Department of Corrections (DOC), to see if it would be a good fit. After physically understanding the ease of install and simplicity of expansion, Martino and Weaver decided that it would be in Goodwill-Suncoast’s best interest to implement the system on this site as well. The Corrections Facility now has a total of 14 readers that are used to lock down offices, processing rooms and equipment rooms from unauthorized personnel. The security manager now has the ability to lock down the entire building within seconds.
Five years later, after the first pilot implementation of ISONAS, Goodwill-Suncoast has officially standardized on the ISONAS IP-Access Control System in their “Super Store model.” Currently, Goodwill-Suncoast has installed the ISONAS solution in 7 of their 8 superstores with an average of 7 keyless entry points per location and all centrally managed on a single server. The IT team continued to freely expand their ISONAS system over the years and now have implementations in their Corrections Facility and Corporate offices, which brings the current total to 80 ISONAS Powernet Reader Controllers across the organization. Jason and Mike quickly discovered the unique advantages that ISONAS offers. With no prior security knowledge, they were able to self-install and manage an entire access control system from beginning to end for a company that employs more than 1,300 people, in 11 counties, across 100 square miles. ISONAS has a name for this type of implementation; it’s called “impressive.” After 58 years of exceptional business, the Suncoast branch will continue on their mission to “help people achieve their full potential through the dignity and power of work.” So, what can ISONAS do for you?
