Business premises that house a number of different small companies often have a single, main point of entry. It’s therefore vital that the individual organisations can use this to ensure secure, authorised access to their own offices. When Medway Council encountered issues with the door entry system in one of its business centres, it called on security specialist SECOM to install a new, more reliable and more secure system.
Medway is the south east’s largest urban area outside London. The council, which has its headquarters in Gun Wharf in Chatham, provides an array of services to residents in the towns of Gillingham, Chatham, Strood, Rochester and Rainham, as well as the surrounding rural areas. It also supports businesses in the region, and manages a range of business parks and work spaces, including the Hopewell Business Centre and Innovation Centre Medway.
An unreliable door entry system
Hopewell Business Centre is located in Chatham, and houses 23 self-contained units, specifically designed for small businesses that are seeking to start or grow their companies. Each needs to be able to grant access to any visitor to their individual unit without compromising the security of other units in the centre.
The site therefore used a door entry system. However, over time this had developed faults and was no longer working properly. The buttons granting entry to the individual units weren’t working, so visitors couldn’t request access. This was causing significant problems for the occupants, as they were having problems enabling deliveries, visitors and clients to access their premises.
Sourcing the right supplier
Medway Council therefore started looking for a suitably qualified supplier who could install a new door entry system. This needed to be convenient, secure and reliable. After a search of the Internet, the council settled on SECOM, which has an established reputation as a high quality provider and installer of security systems.
Lorraine Evans, Managed Workspace Co-ordinator for the council’s Innovation Centre Medway, explains: “We chose SECOM for a number of reasons. Firstly, they met all of our requirements, as they could provide us with a complete door entry solution that provides everything we wanted, rather than just replacing the existing system with a newer version.
“Secondly, their sales person came across as credible and knowledgeable, and asked us specific questions to ensure the system would be ideal for our particular needs. Thirdly, their installation price was competitive. They also offered us a maintenance solution that reassured us that the system would be properly looked after once the installation had been completed.”
Securing access for the individual business units
The system installed by SECOM included a strong lock on the existing front door, a new entry panel, new control equipment, and new cables to each of the new handsets. “This was a well planned installation that was completed on time with no problems,” says Steve Kench-Cannon, SECOM’s Regional Security Consultant.
He continues: “The system’s designed with reliability, security and safety as its key priorities. It also enables people to leave easily without any extra actions needed, which makes the system even safer – especially if the occupants need to respond immediately to a fire alarm.”
SECOM secures the Council’s approval
Medway Council is delighted with the new system. Lorraine Evans reports: “This is a system that works well and meets all of our requirements. Previously, we had frequent complaints about the old system from the tenants. These have now stopped completely. We’re very pleased to have selected SECOM for the works – we can see we made the right choice.”
As an indication of its satisfaction with the new solution, the council recently told SECOM that one of its intruder alarm systems is due for replacement next year. It said that the security specialist will definitely be invited to tender for this new project.
