Intelligent Access Systems creating new software

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico—Intelligent Access Systems in September hired a VP of IT, Mike Baranski, whose first project is to oversee the creation of new access control software for regulated industries.

“It's for access control provisioning,” Ron Oetjen, president of IAS, told Security Systems News during an interview at the PSA Security Convention, which was held here Oct. 21-25.

“Customers in regulated markets have to do a certain level of documentation for auditors, and there's not a good solution out there other than manual processes,” he said.

Intelligent Access Systems, which is based in Garner, N.C., is designing this software for critical infrastructure clients such as electronic substations, maritime and chemical facilities.

He uses NICE Situator product [PSIM] and Quantum Secure [PIAM] software for many of these clients. He describes the new software [which has not been named yet] as a bolt-on product to what NICE and Quantum provide. “We're writing a small piece of software that does something neither one of them [NICE, Quantum Secure] do,” he said.

“It gives the ability to track compliance requirements for issuing access to a new employee. It will also contact the owner of the facility to complete the request,” he explained.

“Let's say you work for a power company and you're responsible for 20 electrical substations and you have a new employee,” Oetjen said. “It checks the [employee's] background on the database and it checks the LMS [Learning Management System] to make sure the employee meets the requirements of the request. Once they are met, it emails the owner of the facility and says this person is requesting access—and they give a 'yes' or 'no',” Oetjen explained.

“What this means is that the corporate security guy doesn't have to be the holder of access level [decisions] and it gives [this responsibility] to the building owner, who is the person who actually knows who should have access,” he continued.

“We're trying to create a solution to make sure that each employee meets [access control] requirements and it gives the building owner the opportunity to make that decision rather then the corporate security team.”

Intelligent Access Systems has four clients going into beta with the new software in Q1 of 2012.