BAGARMOSSENS SKOLA: IN A CLASS OF ITS OWN.

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1 BAGARMOSSENS SKOLA: IN A CLASS OF ITS OWN. PAGE 1

2 It's not for school that we learn, but for ourselves. And when graduation finally comes it is celebrated extensively all over Europe. High-school students in Sweden celebrate graduation in their traditional festive manner with a day of the white caps (Ta studenten), wearing a special hat reminiscent of sailors. The centre of the capital Stockholm, in particular, is then so to speak a no-go zone. Things are a little quieter in the southern suburb of Bagarmossen, where young Swedes are given the best training for their future at Bagarmossens Skola state school. Ninth-graders celebrate graduation with a three-course meal prepared by the school s professional cooks. Dinner is then followed by the traditional school ball. The school has been managing building security using the digital locking and access control system from its German partner, SimonsVoss, since Children can attend school in Bagarmossen from the age of 6, starting with the pre-school class before embarking on the compulsory nine years of basic education (grundskola). Grade marks are only given from year 8 onwards. School attendance, school books and other materials, school meals and transport to and from school are generally free. Lessons for the 450 pupils and 73 teachers start at 8.00 a.m. and finish at 3.00 p.m. True to its motto of Knowledge and creativity are our guiding stars, the school pursues a creative, pupil-focused approach. Its main features are committed and well-trained teachers, a high-quality range of subjects and innovative teaching aids, individual mentoring and systematic performance documentation as well as an in-depth dialogue with parents. THE SERIOUS SIDE OF LIFE. With its eleven school buildings strung out like a pearl necklace, Bagarmossens Skola is idyllically located in green surroundings on tree-covered land offering many opportunities for sport and playing. The top priority for the school s maintaining body and owner, the City of Stockholm, is a modern security concept including effective access control. Fredrik Stolpe, Head of Administration at Bagarmossens Skola, is responsible for its implementation. One of our biggest challenges, he says, is providing pupils and teachers with an open and inspirational space that promotes efficient learning while at the same time ensuring effective protection against risks such as theft, vandalism and burglary. Fortunately we have found the ideal solution in the digital technology from SimonsVoss. SECURITY HAS TO BE LEARNT. The school used a classical mechanical system, i.e. keys, until the beginning of However, as is so often the case in educational institutions, occupancy plans change from school year to school year and different occupancy times apply to individual rooms and parts of buildings depending on requirements, not to mention the constantly changing users. Key loss was not the only costly security risk, explains Fredrik Stolpe. The lack of control over the facility increasingly became a problem, especially as we were obliged to replace all locks every two years. We therefore started looking for a PAGE 2

3 new supplier. The new supplier had to guarantee a flexible and secure system with simple administration and low service and maintenance requirements. German manufacturer SimonsVoss, the European market and technology leader for digital locking and access control systems, was able to provide all this. Whoever works with SimonsVoss enters a keyless world where the 3060 system is based around a digital transponder, an ingenious, small round device that communicates wirelessly with the digital locking cylinder and SmartRelais (key switch). It can quickly and effortlessly open up to 48,000 doors ranging from interior and outer doors to cupboards, gates, barriers and lifts. Not only that its battery works for around ten years or one million actions without having to be replaced thanks to its sophisticated energy supply. having to be replaced thanks to its sophisticated energy supply. Its brother is the digital locking cylinder, which allows up to 300,000 activations using integrated button cells. Its capabilities also include an intelligent control system that can log up to 3,000 accesses, time zone management and door monitoring. What is more, both the cylinder and the transponder are secure against eavesdropping and forgery. Maximum security with minimum maintenance is exactly what we wanted, explains Fredrik Stolpe. The latest SimonsVoss attraction is the SmartHandle, a digital door handle with integrated smartcard reader. A winner of the red dot design award, the international seal of design quality, the product not only controls access for around 64,000 users completely contact-free, it can also be installed at lightning speed without drilling or cabling thanks to its SnapIn assembly for which a patent has been applied. A further highlight is that the battery only needs replacing every 10 years. TEST PASSED... The digital technology was tested to see if it was suitable for everyday use in a test phase at the end of 2010 that involved 10 interior doors being fitted with digital locking cylinders and digital transponders being issued to school staff and teachers. Of course everyone was eager to learn the reaction of the users, recounts the Head of Administration. My colleagues were very curious about the new technology and adopted it enthusiastically. Today they are very satisfied. This is certainly connected with the fact that they were involved and given full information about how the SimonsVoss system works and about its benefits from an early stage. After the successful outcome of the test installation, several schools and the maintaining body (SISAB) showed great interest in the new technology, and so Bagarmossens Skola began as the first school in Sweden to work with the technology partner from Germany in December In addition to the mechanical locking solution there are at present also a total of 150 doors fitted with SimonsVoss digital cylinders, 135 of these inside the buildings. The German technology expert supplied the Scandinavians with a special country-specific solution digital locking cylinders with a sealed electronic component assembly for doors with the Scandinavian oval profile. Fredrik Stolpe explains, A further PAGE 3

4 requirement of the school owner was that it should be possible to open 13 outer doors both with and without a transponder. It should also be possible to connect the system to the wireless network. This was all no problem for SimonsVoss. Conversion was child s play since all cylinders can generally be installed without cabling and were delivered already ready-programmed. This showed up a further benefit of the digital technology it can be upgraded and extended at any time. I could scarcely believe it. Replacing 110 cylinders in the first phase took just two days in all. WITH DISTINCTION. Access rights for teachers and other school staff at Bagarmossens Skola are assigned according to a very simple principle: whoever needs access is given it. This means that each user is given his/her own personal access to individual school buildings depending on subject and requirements. The Locking System Management (LSM) software application from SimonsVoss makes this extremely easy. It enabled Fredrik Stolpe and his two colleagues to create a comprehensible, new locking plan on a PC and now allows them to manage all access control for the school quickly and easily. That s the great thing about it, says Stolpe, we can match the access rights and time for particular rooms and areas individually to each user irrespective of how often he/she changes. Just think of all the substitute teachers who come and go every day. Or external users, cleaners and technicians who often work late in the evening or on Saturdays. If a transponder is lost, is no longer needed or finds a new owner, we can delete it in the system immediately. It doesn t come better than that. FIT FOR THE FUTURE. The SimonsVoss pilot project in Sweden has started successfully and there are concrete plans to extend the use of the German digital technology. Fredrik Stolpe says, The school used to be always closed in the evenings for security reasons. Today, more flexible use can be made of public areas such as conference rooms or the music studio during the week, and they are still secure. This is something we definitely want to extend further. The buildings virtually lock themselves for the night and that really pays off for our school. And on top of that it provides relief and certainty for us administrators who bear responsibility. The project leader likes to digress about future plans because the City of Stockholm wants to make local schools more accessible for the disabled including Bagarmossens Skola. It was originally planned to purchase a special wheelchair lift for the sports hall, explains Fredrik Stolpe. We have shelved these plans since the SimonsVoss transponders now allow disabled people to use the existing lifts. This is all thanks to the increased flexibility that SimonsVoss gives us. It s still some time away, but we will probably begin this in summer 2011 in order to enable people with mobility difficulties to access our sports hall. The future must be learnt, too PAGE 4

5 SIMONSVOSS: RECOMMENDED BY INSURERS AND THE POLICE. SimonsVoss Technologies AG, based in Unterföhring near Munich, is the market and technology leader for digital locking and access control systems. The SimonsVoss 3060 digital locking system, consisting of a digital locking cylinder, transponder (digital key) and the SmartRelais (key switch), provides innovative access solutions for companies, organisations and discerning private individuals. Compared with conventional mechanical and electronic locking systems, SimonsVoss products offer greater security, flexibility and cost-effectiveness. The 3060 digital locking system from SimonsVoss fulfils the highest security requirements. It is certified as Class B by the Verband deutscher Sachversicherer (German Insurers Association) and is recommended by insurance companies and the police as an electronic locking system. One of our biggest challenges is providing pupils and teachers with an open and inspirational space that promotes efficient learning while at the same time ensuring effective protection against risks such as theft, vandalism and burglary. Fortunately we have found the ideal solution in the digital technology from SimonsVoss. Fredrik Stolpe, Head of Administration, Bagarmossens Skola (Sweden) THE CHALLENGE: Installation of a digital locking and access control system for currently 11 buildings and approx. 150 users Central administration Fast changes to access authorisations Digital locking cylinder with country-specific profile Possibility to integrate third-party systems THE SOLUTION: Digital, wireless locking system Central PC-based access control using Locking System Management (LSM) software with graphical user interface and remote wireless reprogramming of access authorisations Digital locking cylinders with a sealed electronic component assembly for doors with the Scandinavian oval profile SimonsVoss Technologies GmbH Feringastrasse Unterfoehring Germany Tel. +49 (0) Fax +49 (0) PAGE 5