Founded in 2010, Avolon is the third largest aircraft leasing company in the world with 824 aircraft and 145 customers in 62 countries. Its new global headquarters in Dublin is comprised of 6,967 sq m (75,000 sq ft) of secure office space across six floors that houses its IT, catering, legal and communications departments.
Avolon’s new premises in the Ballsbridge area of Dublin provided an opportunity for the company to rethink its approach to building security. Avolon was looking for a solution that could be personalised to individuals, easily accessed and managed remotely. Additional requirements included: the need to provide different levels of security clearance in different areas of the building, the ability to manage individual security clearances, the facilitation of access outside of the usual work day, and secure parking lot access for employees and visitors.
Avolon also wanted a solution that could be deployed worldwide to provide a consistent experience for its employees, regardless of their location.
Avolon partnered with systems integrator Summit Security Systems and deployed HID Mobile Access at its HQ. Powered by Seos technology, the solution uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and iCLASS readers to create a secure and flexible access control solution for its headquarters.
The building’s security system enables credentials on smartphones via an app rather than on physical access cards and uses iCLASS SE mobile-enabled readers installed at points of access
Avolon has implemented a range of different solutions for different parts of its premises that can vary by time of day. For example, elevators utilise access control measures to ease the flow of people within the building during work hours, while assuring that after-hours access is more controlled.
The ease-of-use and security also extends to the parking lot, which benefits from HID’s “Twist and Go” feature. Employees twist their iOS or Android phone when they approach the parking readers to gain entry. Avolon encourages its employees to cycle to work and has extended mobile access to a secure employee bike parking area that links directly into shower and changing facilities.
The new solution provides a number of advantages over the previous card-based system including after-hours access (vital to a 24/7 business like Avolon), ready access to secure rooms and easy management of security clearances.
“Using a mobile phone is much more convenient than access cards. People forget their access cards, but their mobile phone is with them all the time,” said Allan Dawson, facilities project manager at Avolon. “It’s much more efficient. For example, we now have much lower instances of people leaving the perimeter and having to ask for re-entry because they’ve left their pass in the office.”
In the future, Avolon anticipates expanding its new physical access solution across its global campuses. “As well as deploying in our Dublin head office we have also deployed in our New York, Florida and Hong Kong offices,” said Allan Dawson. “The benefit of using a global platform means our people can travel between offices with their security status intact and ready to go for each location.”
