Microsoft Ireland has recently installed Fastlane plus R400 MA turnstiles from Integrated Design Ltd.. The Campus, based in Sandyford, Dublin, first opened its doors in Ireland in 1985 with a small manufacturing facility employing just over 100 people. Since that time, Microsoft Ireland has grown to encompass 4 distinct operations, employing over 1,200 full time employees and 700 full-time contract staff.
To protect this increased volume of employees, the security on site was upgraded. As such, 3 lanes of Fastlane plus R400 MA turnstiles (including one DDA-width) and a single pass gate for visitors were installed by Diebold, creating a secure perimeter in the reception area by restricting access to authorized staff and visitors only.
Fastlane plus is a state of the art barrier-arm optical turnstile, which uses optical technology to monitor the passage of every individual entering and leaving the building, and the fast-acting barrier arms physically deter any unauthorized access. One of the key features of the R400 MA is the slim pedestal design. These can be positioned further apart, with a longer barrier arm, for wheelchair access without the need for a wider pedestal or a separate gate, thus complying with disability laws. The Fastlane plus has a small footprint compared with other systems, which allows it to fit into much smaller spaces; this was also an important factor with the Microsoft site due to the space limitations of the entrance.
The Fastlane plus turnstiles were integrated with a Lenel access control system to help prevent the most common Access Control violations such as tailgating, pass-back and unauthorized entry - thereby creating a safer working environment for staff as well as protecting valuable company assets and information.
"Our reception area is particularly busy with nearly 2,000 staff and visitors combined so the fast throughput of Fastlane plus was key to us; additionally, the slim pedestal design has allowed us to maximize the number of lanes we can fit in our reception area. We now have a secure perimeter point at the reception and the staff and visitors alike can quickly pass through with no hold-ups," said Thomas Roche, Facilities Specialist at Microsoft.
