electronic access control

Introducing the LenelS2 Elements Security System

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By Courtney Emra, Lead Customer Service/Sales Assistant at Kenton Brothers

At Kenton Brothers Systems for Security, it’s important that we partner with the best solution providers in the industry. LenelS2™ is one of those providers.

LenelS2 ElementsLenelS2 is a leader in advanced physical security solutions, including access control, video surveillance and mobile credentialing. Their products, systems and services tackle the evolving needs of some of the world’s most demanding organizations. They provide a security backbone with deployment options that incorporate multiple technologies including mobile, cloud, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. Their open architecture supports hundreds of third-party system interfaces that extend the capabilities of many security management systems.

The LenelS2™ Elements™ system is a comprehensive, yet simple, unified access control and video management solution built for the cloud. From single-site access control and video surveillance to more complex systems, the Elements system contains all the key ingredients for an effective and scalable, cloud-based solution; providing businesses with a brand-new security option that’s as simple as it is essential.

Perfect for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses

LenelS2 Elements ArchitectureThe Elements security solution is perfect for small to medium-sized businesses or satellite locations that need secure workplaces, but may not have permanent IT staff or security professionals. Easy to operate and maintain, the Elements system provides hassle-free, effective security that allows businesses to focus on more important things — like running their business.

Updates and enhancements are pushed in real time, reducing costly site visits. This makes budgeting more predictable and helps keep capital expenses down. Mobile first, the system can be accessed at any time, from anywhere. As the only unified access control and video management system that integrates with the OnGuard security management platform, the Elements solution can expand to meet a growing business’ needs.

LenelS2 Elements Checks All the Boxes

  • Cloud Based
  • Ideal for small and medium businesses
  • Easy to budget, get predictive monthly billing
  • Browser based user experience
  • No need for IT or security personnel

 

Active Shooter: Real world stories about lockdowns in schools saving lives.

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By David Strickland, Vice President of Kenton Brothers

On November 14th, 2017 at 7:30 am, shots ring out near Rancho Tehama Elementary in Northern California. It’s an all too familiar but tragic scenario these days. One moment children are playing on a full playground, the next, panic, confusion and the succession of two more shots. This time however, the outcome is different than some of the other school shootings you may have heard about.

The staff members of the elementary school went into lockdown mode and followed the procedures they’d practiced and drilled multiple times. The staff knew what to do, and they did it in the face of true and present danger.

The secretary immediately sent out the signal for LOCKDOWN. 

Lockdown ProtocolsStudents were rushed into the building by staff members. Family members still present in the school yard were corralled by school support personnel. Teachers and staff members locked their internal doors and barricaded external doors. They huddled in their rooms away from the windows and out of the line of sight of the shooter. Hugging each other and the most solid wall in their classroom for safety.

Within seconds, two-thirds of the school was in lockdown. An then the shooter drove his pickup truck through the school fence and barreled toward the front entrance. The school custodian was busy getting parents into the school. He paused to look and see how far away the shooter was and, “looked the shooter in the eye as the shooter shot at him.” After the shot rang out, “The shooter was struggling with his weapon at this time. The gun appeared to be jammed, and he was having trouble loading ammunition.”

The gun jamming bought the staff, kids and parents precious seconds to finish their lockdown procedure. Everyone made it inside and all access to the school rooms and offices was now secure. The shooter, now fully loaded, entered the middle quad of the school 8 seconds later.

“The school secretary recognizing the threat made all the difference between 100 kids being around today and dozens being shot or killed. Those eight seconds were critical!”

The shooter was angry and frustrated and began to shoot into the classrooms and offices. In between shooting, the gunman tried to get into classrooms and the main office, but was unable to gain entry. He checked the bathroom, which was open but empty.

One 6 year old child was injured but survived and no one was killed. Six minutes after the shooting started, the gunman drove away. Hundreds of lives were changed forever, but everyone survived.

The Rancho Tehama Elementary School staff had practiced drills and executed lockdowns before, so even though they’ve never had an active shooter on campus, they knew what to do. It had become second nature.

The superintendent said, “The lockdown procedure was implemented flawlessly. The reason that we have a situation where I have one student injured on campus and nothing worse happening on campus is because of the heroic actions of all members of my school staff.”

Oxford High School in 2021

Lockdown ProtocolsThe same techniques and lockdown training were used in Michigan at Oxford High School on November 30, 2021.   Just after lunch, shots rang out inside the school in the main hallway. A 15 year-old student opened fire on his classmates. School staff, students and parents in the school that day followed the LOCKDOWN call and began to follow their training. “They had drilled this exact scenario so much that everyone knew exactly what to do next.”

In the hours after the shooting outside Detroit on Tuesday, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said that without the measures taken by students, the tragedy would have been worse. “It is also evident from the scene that the lockdown protocols, training and equipment Oxford schools had in place saved lives.”

David Riedman, lead researcher on the K-12 School Shooting Database, said that the lockdown procedures that were deployed in Oxford, in which students sheltered and stayed out of sight, “absolutely saved lives.” The training that appeared to be on display in Michigan is similar to what students all over the country are taught, he said.

LOCKDOWNS took on new meaning during the heights of the COVID-19 Pandemic. 

Lockdown ProtocolsIn the physical security world, lockdowns mean locking down a building so that no one can enter or leave for a period of time. The location stays locked down until an all-clear signal is given. This seems like a pretty straight forward premise. It is – IF you plan correctly and have the right systems and procedures in place to make a LOCKDOWN effective.

Kenton Brothers uses several access control platforms to make it easy and quick to lock down a school. When a panic button is pressed, all the school doors lock. And alarms and mass communications go out audibly through speakers and electronically through mobile devices and computers throughout the school.

One of our manufacturers, Gallagher, allows you to not only lock down the school, but also send out emergency messaging to any staff members or parents who are not at the school. This would allow them to stay away or help support police in their efforts to bring the situation under control. Gallagher also has the ability to remotely muster or check off each person from a pre-determined list to be sure 100% of the people on-site are accounted for. This is a powerful benefit in the aftermath of these incidents.

Police can also remotely operate and IP Surveillance cameras in the building to gain situational intelligence on the location of the shooter and the direction they’re headed. This is just one example of how these security systems can help support the training, processes and procedures during a Lockdown situation.

Kenton Brothers Systems for Security helps guide schools and other entities through the process of identifying risks around active shooters and the techniques in protecting your people, property and possessions. Kenton Brothers’ qualified consultants will perform a no cost physical security assessment with recommendations for security system components, processes and procedures that will help prepare your staff. Just give us a call.

Additional Resources

CISA K-12 School Security Guide, 3rd Edition

Red Team Testing: It’s the 1992 “Sneakers” movie in real life in 2022.

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By David Strickland, Vice President of Kenton Brothers

1992 Sneakers Movie Poster

The 1992 movie Sneakers, starring Robert Redford and Dan Aykroyd, was about a Red Team that was hired to break into companies all over San Francisco.  They were hired by the same companies they were trying to break into. This was done to test their security measures (both Physical and Cyber) – What we like to call “convergence” these days.

Robert Redford’s Red Team was made up of both physical security experts (a thief and a federal agent) and cyber security experts (a hacker and electronic technology expert). Their mission was to test and penetrate the defenses of the target company to point out any weaknesses. If vulnerabilities were found, the company could shore up their defenses and make their company more secure.

Fast forward 30 years to 2022. The Red Team Testing technique is still in full swing.

Red Team Testing is still the pinnacle of testing your security systems so that you can determine your risk of exposure. The Red team will look at every aspect of your convergent security systems and create a detailed report on your weaknesses.

Red Teams ask the question – What would happen if your company was faced with some of the following scenarios?

  • Active Shooter
  • Cyber Attacks (Internal and External)
  • Industrial Espionage
  • Theft (Physical, Digital, Intellectual Property)
  • Sabotage
  • Power outage
  • Mass Casualty event (Weather, explosives, Chemical)
  • Pandemic
  • Work Place Violence

Here are a few of the techniques Red Teams will use to test your company’s exposure level:

Physical Security Penetration Testing:

Red Team TestingRed Teams will test physical penetrations with your company’s physical assets (buildings, vehicles, networks, people) and measure the company’s response and how long it took to detect and act on those tests. They will measure the effectiveness of your policies and procedures and how they affect your deterrence and detection systems.

The Red Team will pose as employees or service providers to gain access to your company’s inner workings. They may also attempt to break into see what is possible and if they get caught. They’re looking for assets they can compromise and gain access to while on the inside.

Did your coworker leave proprietary information on a white board for all to see? Did everyone sign out of their workstations? Are your access control doors propped open for easy access? If someone unplugged one of your surveillance cameras and plugged it in to their laptop, could they gain access to your network? Can they connect a thumb drive to your server? Could they sneak a weapon in? Have all of your Internet of Things (IOT) devices had their default usernames changed? The list is long.

Cyber Security Penetration Testing

Where physical penetration testing might seem like a hammer, think of cybersecurity testing as a scalpel. Red Teams utilize web application attacks, such as cross-site scripting, SQL, piggybacking, injection and backdoors, to uncover a target’s vulnerabilities. Testers then try and exploit these vulnerabilities. These types of risk include stealing data, intercepting private/confidential traffic, asset discovery, exploitation and complete shutdown. As we all have become aware, Ransomware is a true and present threat to every size of business.

In the complex cybersecurity landscape, penetration testing has become a must for most industries. In many, in fact, it’s required by law.

For instance:

  • Health organizations ensure healthcare data security under HIPAA
  • Financial institutions test for FDIC compliance
  • Businesses accepting or processing payment cards must comply with Payment Card Industry standards
  • Critical infrastructure entities must follow guidelines outlined by NERC

Even businesses that might think they don’t have any valuable information to protect could be at risk of someone trying to take over the network, install malware, disrupt services, and more.

The End Game

What does all this sneaking around mean and why should you care? Red Team Testing allows you to identify and exploit your security weaknesses without the impact of debilitating consequences. From a Red Team’s report, you can adjust your response to the threats that you see as your biggest exposure. You’ll have the ability to identify specific weaknesses and the best approach for shoring them up.

Breaches Happen Every Day – Here’s an example.

One story about a Red Team that comes to mind was about a team that created malware laced thumb drives. And they labeled them with the contracted company’s logo to make them look official. The Red Team followed several employees to a local convenience store and would drop these thumb drives by their car door when the employee would enter the store. When the employee would come back, they would see the logo and thumb drive and assume they had dropped it. They would dutifully pick it up and bring it back to work with them. Curious about what was on the thumb drive, they would insert it in the USB port on their workstation and physically introduce malware to their cyber network. Game over.

This is a great representation of the techniques a red team employs to gain access. They used social engineering to “hack the employees” and defy the policy of no outside USB connections on the network. It seems innocent enough to the employee, however the vulnerability was able to exploit the banking information of a large regional bank. Fortunately, this was a test. Only a test.

Security Systems and Processes have the best chance for success when they’re working in unison. You may have the best security system in the world, but if you forget to arm it, it’s useless. Red Team testing allows you to test both systems and processes.

Interested in how this testing could help your organization? We can help! Please reach out today and we will discuss exactly how Red Team testing can increase the protection of your business.

Start Strong, Finish Strong – 1 Customer, 9 Schools, 5 Different General Contractors

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By Ryan Kaullen, Field Services Manager at Kenton Brothers

Start Strong, Finish StrongEarly May of 2021, Kenton Brothers was notified that we had won a commercial security project for a local school district that included 9 different school remodels with access control additions to each of the remodels. Included in the project were IP based intercoms, door release functions, web relay interfaces, and ADA integrations.

Kip Phillips was assigned as the Project Manager and I knew right away he had to Start Strong and Finish Strong because of several unique scenarios within the project.

Some of these potential challenges included:

  • Kenton Brothers was contracted directly with the school district and not the General Contractors
  • There were 9 different timelines that may or may not align depending on other trades
  • There were part logistics issues due to supply chain problems
  • Coordination with the General Contractors to ensure we installed our equipment at the right time

Kip knew that being properly prepared would allow him to maintain control of the project and be able to ensure its timely completion.

Relationship is Crucial in Complicated Projects

Start Strong, Finish StrongKenton Brothers prior relationship with the school district allowed us to not only win the job but also design exactly what the customer was needing.  Coordination began from there to align the timeline put out by the General Contractors to match what we were installing. Due to COVID, getting the parts we were contracted for took longer than normal. But there were also wait times on the parts that were needed from other trades to complete the projects.

Kip was in constant communication with everyone involved. Checking to see when parts were going to be delivered, getting them in our techs hands, and making sure the doors were in and ready for us to install the parts.

Timelines were a huge coordination component of this project. As doors and frames arrived, we had to get wiring in place so we wouldn’t get sealed out of physical places we needed to be. Sometimes, the notice that a door and frame had arrived was communicated to us the same day it was going to be installed. (Labor nightmare.) Kip had to shuffle a tech (or techs) off of one job and race over to the school district to make sure wiring was put into place quickly and correctly.

Start Strong, Finish StrongA lot of what Kenton Brothers had to do was contingent on other trades getting their work in place before we could do our work. This reality put us in a major time crunch to complete everything by the start of the school year.

Doing the Work

Kip was able to manage hundreds and hundreds of man hours spanning just a few weeks. He was able to keep everything in perspective by scheduling and organizing the techs efficiently. They knew what their tasks were each day, and they received the parts they needed.

Kip regularly attended weekly construction meetings to stay on top of everything and he provided feedback to the General Contractors, always being mindful of our deadlines. Being in constant communication with the techs, the school district, and the GCs allowed him to know where the projects stood at all times.

It helped that Kenton Brothers also had senior techs on the project… this allowed for good feedback back to Kip and our customer. The communication, the coordination, the anticipation of needs, and the strong project management allowed this project to finish successfully and on time. Our customer is happy!

This project properly aligned with the #KBWay of protecting people, property, and possessions. And we love the satisfaction of completing a project that will help the school district protect the kids and staff that work and learn in their buildings every day.

Start Strong, Finish Strong Start Strong, Finish Strong

Here’s Why The Children’s Place Wants Us to “Get More Garretts”

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By David Strickland, Vice President of Kenton Brothers

How do we react when a customer surprises us with a request?

The Children's PlaceKenton Brothers recently finished a large commercial access control and commercial IP video surveillance integration for The Children’s Place. They’re a nonprofit organization that has been committed to meeting the developmental and mental health needs of the very youngest survivors of abuse, neglect and other trauma since 1978. Within the Kansas City community and beyond, the agency’s specialized expertise in working with traumatized young children has made The Children’s Place a recognized leader in the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect.

This story is about one of our best security consultants and his adoption of the KB Core Value of Customer Focus and how he took service to a whole new level.

One day recently, The Children’s Place called and asked for someone to come take a look at adding a video intercom entrance. They had an issue with one of the doors not opening. As a new system, Garrett recognized immediately that it could be a software or scheduling issue. Instead of scheduling a technician, he went on site himself to see if he could help immediately. He was able to get to the site quickly to take a look, hoping it was programming related.

When Garrett arrived at the site, he did some quick troubleshooting.

GarrettThe reader was functioning, it would read badges, but the lock wouldn’t unlock. He located the panel and determined the fuse on the power supply for that door had blown and tried replacing it with a spare from the panel. After attempting to use the lock again, the fuse popped, indicating a short in the wire or the lock, which provided more information for the customer and for our service department for when they arrived on site.

Leon Fisher, the new VP of Operations and Security, has been with Children’s Place for about a week or so at this point. Leon was interested in learning how the systems work. After a quick discussion with him about the location of his panels and their function, it was clear he was interested in learning much.

Garret said, “I explained Gallagher Access Control and the panel parts and functions, where his backup power was for the system, the cameras and their locations, Milestone video software, etc. Then I asked if he had access to the software yet. He said no. “

Garrett was faced with the real time decision to schedule time with our training team or make the right call and do the training right there, right then. As part of our Customer Focus core value Every KB team member has the right to make the right call for the customer. Even if it costs us time and money – do the right thing!

Garrett made the right call.

“We went to Leon’s office and I was able to remote into his server from my laptop. I helped him download and install the Milestone Video client and the Gallagher Command Centre client. From the server, I was able to create login credentials for him and help him log in and begin using the systems.

While I was there, I asked him about how they use the system currently. He mentioned when they prop the doors open for the bus loading/unloading with children, the doors will beep. I mentioned this is an alert to let someone know a door is open when it shouldn’t be. I mentioned we could turn that sound off per door and implemented it on the spot with help from our remote services group.”

Mobile Features

“Then I mentioned that every license of Gallagher comes with some mobile features as well. He asked what they were and I mentioned Mobile Command Centre and 5 built in Bluetooth Credentials. I explained that with Bluetooth credentials, you can use your phone as a badge in addition to the badge they wear. He asked how difficult it was to use, and I explained it would only take me a few minutes to set up and issue the credential for him. I set up the Command Cloud on the server and enabled the Bluetooth reading feature on all readers and then issued him a credential. He called the President in so I could give one to her as well and one other employee. They were very excited about that feature!”

Gallagher Mobile Command Centre

“While the President was in the office, he asked about the Mobile Command Centre and what it can do. I had him download that app and set him up with the authentication code on the spot and explained how to unlock doors and change schedules using the mobile app. I also mentioned using this app you can scan the Gallagher MiFARE DESFire EV2 badges on an android or iOS device.   

I showed Leon how it worked and he asked why they would need that functionality. I mentioned that every Gallagher license comes with one mobile command centre license, but they also come with a mobile evacuation license. I explained you can use the mobile device as a mustering emergency reader to “check employees out of the building” at an emergency muster location. This creates an accurate list of all employees who may still be in the building. For this to work, they would need to add a badge out reader and have employees badge out as they leave the building so that an accurate list of who is in the building and who isn’t can be maintained. At a previous location, Leon mentioned they did this with a white board, but that this method was much more useful and the President agreed.”

Gallagher Mass Communication

“This led me to talking about mass communication which is also built into Gallagher. I mentioned this could be used for emergency messaging and can be initiated from any reader via a mobile device or badge action by anyone they give the ability to in the system. These messages can be pre-written for specific scenarios and sent to specific groups of employees by email, text, or push notification. This was discussed as something they would very much like to implement for employee safety and communication.”

A routine visit?

The Children's PlaceWhat was thought to be a routine visit to look at one problem turned into a four hour impromptu training and education session on the abilities available in the tools they already had. Garrett and the Remote Services Group were able to not only help Leon start using his systems in their most basic functions, but also enhance his experience and comfort by creating specific and tailored solutions within his existing environment. The time spent with The Children’s Place solidified our stance as their building safety partners and removed many potential pain points before they became a problem.

This proactive approach is what Customer Focus means.

When I read Garrett’s breakdown, I reached out to Leon at The Children’s Place to ask him his perspective.

Leon said, “Garrett and the Kenton Brothers Remote Services Group did an amazing job explaining and teaching us about our enterprise level system so that we could use it to its full potential.” He also shared, “It’s overwhelming to start a new position in an organization and at the same time try to learn this advanced system and it’s capabilities. Garrett was incredibly knowledgeable and he was willing to take his time and answer all of our questions. He gave us tips along the way.” Leon mentioned, “It was a shock that a salesperson would be that knowledgeable! We’re even implementing the mobile evacuation system and employee mustering process for emergencies!”

Garrett went further.

Cloning GarrettGarrett called our manufacturing partner Gallagher Access Control and told them The Children’s Place story. Gallagher wanted to help support them also and donated all the licensing needed to implement the mobile evacuation system and the emergency employee mustering process. This was a gift of almost $8,000 in software. Great job Gallagher!

Finally, Leon shared what impressed him most about Garrett and his Customer Focus. One Saturday, Leon was trying to let the cleaning crew in remotely from his mobile phone. He wasn’t sure what he was doing wrong and reached out to Garrett to see if he would answer. Of course, he did – even though it was a Saturday and Garrett was on vacation. He worked with Leon and got the cleaning crew into the building remotely. Garrett even checked in the next morning to be sure all was well.

Leon shared one final work of advice for Kenton Brothers… Get more Garretts! We start the cloning process tomorrow.