nexus Top-flight solutions for airports

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1 A world of its own Airports have highly specific security requirements that differ extensively from those typically encountered in the industrial sector. Not only are their processes exceptionally complex, airports must also comply with strict statutory regulations. In Germany, these regulations are footed to a large extent in the Aviation Security Act, which determines the procedures surrounding personnel, the classes of ID cards persons may hold, and the airport areas they are authorized to access. Thus, airports have particularly rigorous requirements for ID card and entitlement management. A centralized view of ID cards and entitlements nexus is a leading supplier of ID cards and entitlement management systems for the aviation sector. The IT security company offers a platform solution that provides a singular, vendor-independent view of all access control systems and enables administrators to manage all user groups and their credentials centrally, in one unified system. The solution covers everything from ID card offices and access control points to parking facilities and canteen management. The benefits are considerable: The solution eliminates the laborious, errorprone manual processes and work duplication commonly associated with bureaucratic data handling. As a result, data is not only consistent but also instantly available across all subsystem. The result is a significant gain in efficiency, with improvements in speed and cost, and an unparalleled increase of airport security. A further benefit is that, in contrast to large organizations, where the process of ordering and issuing ID cards is generally free of charge, airports usually charge for these and similar processes. The nexus solution automatically records all chargeable costs, generates reports, and shares the information with the airports' SAP or other back-end systems. ID card office By and large, airports distinguish between personnel who require a special ID card granting access to the restricted contact@ 1

2 airside area and those for whom a regular ID for the remaining, landside areas is sufficient. In Germany, this distinction is governed by Section 8 of the Aviation Security Act. Persons applying to the ID card office for a badge with access to the restricted area must submit a background check certifying their integrity. Their applications are forwarded to the regional aviation authority in the relevant federal state, which has the applicants vetted by security and law enforcement agencies like the Federal Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the State Office of Criminal Investigation, as well as local and fiscal authorities. Background checks can take between six and eight weeks to complete. Visitor ID cards, too, are tightly regulated, and a person is only granted access for a set number of visits per week, month or year, depending on the airport's own or federal state policy. The nexus solution supports these policies and secures compliance airport-wide. E-learning certificates The software also keeps track of certificates issued by e-learning programs. Airport personnel are required to take a number of trainings and tests, for example for safe conduct in restricted areas. Registrations for a test or training on the e-learning platform are submitted through the nexus software. When a staff member passes one of these tests, the result is recorded in the system and a certificate is printed automatically. Test failures are recorded in the same fashion. If a staff member fails a test repeatedly, they are summoned to attend an individual training. Because trainings of this kind are generally subject to charges, the system automatically initiates the charging process. Blacklists Once staff members have passed a background check and successfully completed security training, their identity and personal details have to be verified by the ID card office against the aviation authority's security list. This is a nationwide list, updated continuously for all airports, that names individuals who are banned from working in airports' restricted areas. contact@ 2

3 Parallel to this, airports maintain their own in-house blacklists. When an individual's personal data record is opened in the software, their details can be checked easily against current global and local blacklists. External companies A large proportion of the workforce at airports is employed by external service providers - which represents an important aspect of airport security management. For every regular member of airport staff, there may be as many as nine external employees working, say, for airline companies or for ground services operators in areas like baggage handling and catering. These people are all subject to the same security procedures as the airport operator's own employees. The nexus solution features a self-service portal that enables external companies to register their employees and to request and conduct background checks and security trainings. Here, too, external companies are charged automatically for fee-based services. Access control points Following the ID card office, access control points are next in line in terms of importance. Anyone wishing to enter the restricted airside area employees, suppliers and visitors alike has to pass through one of these control points. Here, too, the contact@ 3

4 regulations are strict: For instance, under the terms of the Aviation Security Act, an visitor may only enter the restricted area on 12 days during the calendar year. In addition to that, each federal state has its own local regulations on the frequency of visits. But it is not just people who are screened at the access control points cars and trucks need clearance as well. To enter the restricted area, vehicles must be authorized by the ID card office or an access control point. These entitlement management procedures are managed centrally by the nexus software and can be logged for cost-tracking purposes if required. Expiration monitoring The expiration of ID cards and entitlements is monitored airport-wide. At airports, security ID cards are only valid until the earliest expiration date of any of the linked certificates. If, for instance, an individual's background check has expired, their ID card for the restricted areas has to be revoked immediately. The same applies if the supervising aviation authority adds a person's name to the blacklist. When the system is alerted to a banned individual, that person is immediately excluded from all areas that require security clearance. In addition, if someone's certificate for mandatory security training expires, their ID card is revoked for zones that require a valid certificate ramp areas, for example. Other functions and features of the platform solution include: ID card production: The solution produces security ID badges that are not just encoded as appropriate but also incorporate visual identifiers to denote specific groups of persons. Other options available range from adding special markers to visitor ID cards to dispatching vehicle escorts and managing their automatic payment. Notifications: In all the situations described, the persons involved card holders and security operations staff alike can be notified automatically by or serial letter about events or procedures of any kind, such as forthcoming security reviews or ID card expiration dates. contact@ 4

5 Visitor groups: Airports often need to accommodate large groups of visitors such as schools. Groups like these can be easily pre-registered to the system. Biometric verification: The software also supports biometric screening systems. Electronic signatures: Integration of signature pads for capturing electronic signatures is easily possible. Driver's permits: All airside areas accessible by vehicle, including aprons and runways, have their own traffic regulations, and anyone driving in these areas must have a special permit. Ramp area licenses mandatory for jet bridge operators, for instance, are printed directly onto the ID card by the software. Handheld terminals: The solution can incorporate handheld terminals used to validate security ID cards or ramp area driver's permits. Vehicle badges: Vehicles with full-time access to airside areas require permit badges. These must be applied for in much the same way as security ID cards for personnel. The software supports all needed processes. Keys: The solution can incorporate key cabinet and key management systems for keys issued at airports. A flexible solution for Germany's ATC operator Besides numerous airports, nexus' customers include DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH, Germany's air traffic control operator. The security requirements that apply to DFS employees and non-dfs personnel are similar to those commonly in place at airports. Given that the organization's control towers, for example, are sited directly on airport campuses, employees need to be background-checked and issued with ramp area driving permits. For the ATC operator, the exceptional flexibility of the nexus solution has proved especially compelling. "What we particularly appreciate about the solution is that nexus tailored it to match our requirements we didn't have to align our processes to suit the software," remarks a spokesperson of the DFS. contact@ 5

6 nexus: At home in the world of airports Effective security management at airports calls for an indepth understanding of the operational complexities and the extensive statutory regulations on-site. nexus has the requisite expertise in this field and speaks the same language as its customers. nexus' entire employee base is backgroundchecked in accordance with the Aviation Security Act and the group offers a proven solution designed specifically to cover the full gamut of airport security needs and unite the many separate systems currently in operation at m any airports. contact@ 6