Have you ever run into problems while managing multiple access control systems at the same time? Whether you’re overseeing large enterprise facilities or the emerging locations of a growing company, the ability to effectively manage multiple sites at once is imperative for the security of any growing business. In this article, we’re going to take a look at what effective multi-site management looks like, and explore the many ways that ProdataKey makes this possible.
What is Multi-Site?
With the release of PDK.io 2.0 in 2024, ProdataKey introduced a key functionality for all users: multi-site readiness. “Multi-site is the capability to take multiple independent systems and unify them as one,” says Cole Nebeker, PDK’s Training and Events Manager. With multi-site, you no longer need to waste time managing individual databases and permissions. Instead, you can manage all of your devices from one place.
Multi-site management is a useful tool in a variety of situations. “Think of an office building with multiple businesses,” Cole suggests. “You can create a single customer for the entire office complex that the building manager can manage, and then delegate partitions and individual permissions to each individual business within that building.” Alongside managing multiple Cloud Nodes in one building, PDK’s multi-site capabilities make it easier than ever to manage access control systems located in different areas.
The management of geographically dispersed locations is made possible by ProdataKey’s commitment to cloud-based access control. “I can’t fathom how you would make it work if it wasn’t cloud-based,” adds Cole. “There would have to be some sorcery taking place.” Luckily, with PDK, there’s no sorcery needed–just quality access control. Let’s take a look at a few reasons why ProdataKey’s cloud-based access control makes multi-site management better than ever.
Managing a Unified Database
The defining feature of PDK’s multi-site management is the ability to create a unified database. This unified database means that all of the people, groups, and rules established across multiple Cloud Nodes can be accessed and managed under the same PDK customer account. “Let’s say there’s a fast food restaurant using PDK, and they have thousands of geographical locations. Instead of uploading an individual database to each site, you can upload one single database and then delegate the permissions appropriately from there,” Cole explains. The ability to add information directly into this unified database saves countless time and effort for system administrators.
Through a unified database, system administrators can easily complete large-scale tasks like setting sweeping auto-open schedules for all locations. “Everything adapts to each systems’ individual time zone, so you can set schedules and know that a building on the East Coast will unlock at 8am EST, while a West Coast location will open at 8am PST,” says Cole. With information stored in a comprehensive and unified database, ProdataKey has made it easier than ever to manage multi-site locations from one simple interface.
Growing Your Business With Ease
By streamlining multi-site management, ProdataKey provides an access control solution that helps businesses grow with ease. “If you have a business that started with one location but has since expanded, creating new warehouses, offices, or other facilities, multi-site makes it really easy to bring that system into the existing account and start managing things right away,” Cole explains. Combined with the simple scalability of PDK’s hardware and software solutions, multi-site management allows users to effectively manage new spaces without missing a beat. So whether you’re part of an enterprise company or a small, growing business, PDK guarantees that you can easily keep your access management on par with the expansion of your facilities.
Monitoring System Health
When managing multiple systems at once, it can be hard to make sure that each and every system is functioning properly. ProdataKey counters this issue through the System and Health dashboard. Through this dashboard in the States page of PDK.io, system managers can see at a glance the status of each and every system they control. “From a corporate IT level,” Cole says, “it’s very beneficial because you know where to delegate resources, you know what’s going on at all times, you have all of the current network and power and battery information for each of your sites.” Additionally, PDK’s intuitive dashboard brings devices with problems to the top of the page, making it easy for users to see and respond to.
If a system manager notices that a Cloud Node in one location has a disconnect or sync error, they can get in contact with people at that location and immediately start working on a solution–all without requiring the system manager to be on-site. Thanks to PDK’s enhanced system and health insights, it’s easy to stay up to date with the health and functionality of every device across all of your PDK-secured locations.
Transforming Multi-Site Access Management With PDK
ProdataKey’s multi-site functionalities emerged as a direct response to dealers’ needs: “At its core, it’s a display of partner fanaticism,” Cole elaborates. PDK recognized that users want to be able to manage multiple systems effortlessly and effectively, so they’ve developed all the necessary tools to do so. Features like a unified database, comprehensive system and health insights, and scalable solutions ensure that you will always be able to manage your various PDK systems with ease.
