Have you considered how much time you spend on a daily basis doing a variety of manual, repetitive tasks? Especially when it comes to your access control system, countless time could be wasted if your software is not set up with proper optimization in mind. Such optimization and time-saving can be achieved through a simple idea: automation. Setting up automations is the number one way to save time and make your day-to-day life easy.
According to Cole Nebeker, the Training and Event Manager at ProdataKey (PDK), “automations allows you to do repetitive tasks to free up time for other more important things that you need to be doing.
I use automation myself because I believe that time is money, and it’s just wasteful doing things that are repetitive if you don’t need to.”
Cole Nebeker
If a business hopes to simultaneously enhance security and streamline operations, setting up secure automations is a necessity. Luckily, ProdataKey offers various forms of access automations, available both directly in the PDK.io platform and through integration. By setting up these automations, you’ll be taking the number one, best possible step towards saving time with your access control software.
System Events: The First Step Towards Secure Automation
When setting up your PDK access control system, end-users have the ability to create a customized set of system event rules. Cole explains that system events “let you create an “if, then” statement to create an automation based off of any type of system, person, or group event.” For instance, you can set up a rule to automatically turn your doors to a Do Not Disturb setting when a multi-swipe check-in occurs, or trigger an automatic Lockdown On setting when a duress pin is entered. Various different triggers and actions can be paired together in the PDK.io online platform, allowing you to entirely customize what system event rules you want to automate your space.
Auto Open Rules: Setting up a Building Automation System
In addition to system events, another secure automation that can be set up directly through the PDK.io platform is an Auto Open rule.
“The Auto Open rules allow you to follow a schedule where the door will remain open for the duration of a schedule, such as a location’s business hours”
Cole Nebeker
By setting up this rule to automatically unlock and lock doors based on a specified schedule, you can save a considerable amount of time that would have previously been spent manually unlocking or locking each individual door at the outset and close of each working day. With this automation, you not only ensure that your space is as safe and secure as possible, but you can also guarantee that you will have more time to spend on more demanding tasks.
Control4 Driver: Expanding the Horizons of Security and Automation
When it comes to setting up building automation systems, a device like the Control4 driver from Blackwire Designs entirely transforms the landscape of what you can achieve. Blackwire Designs is a national wholesale distributor and development partner of ProdataKey, dedicated to figuring out the best ways to bring together security and automation. In order to achieve this, Blackwire created the Control4 driver, a software driver that allows a PDK access system to work in conjunction with a Control4 smart home automation system.
Cody Crossland, the Vice President of Sales at Blackwire Designs, explains that “Control4 can control a ton of different technologies; it can do shades, it can do lights, it can do music, it can do so many different things in the ecosystem.” All of this can be directly connected to a PDK system, allowing for a unique set of automations to occur based entirely on the individual who has just swiped their credentials at a PDK reader. For instance, Cody utilizes this integration in his own office, so that when he swipes his credentials as he enters in the morning, the PDK software can trigger the Control4 system to turn on lights, play music, or set the climate control to his ideal temperature.
Automations through Control4 are applicable in a variety of spaces, ranging from high-end houses to yoga studios, gyms, doctors’ offices, attorneys’ offices, restaurants, office buildings, and so on. Ultimately, Cody explains that
“any place that makes sense for PDK could also make sense for a control system, and vice versa.”
Cody Crossland
When speaking of the benefits of the Control4 integration for ProdataKey, Cody highlights the overall compatibility of these platforms: “the Control4 integration for PDK allows users to have just one interface that they use, which would be the Control4 app.” Through this app, users can easily trigger events in the PDK system, eliminating the further time-consuming task of switching back and forth between two separate interfaces. Referring to the simplicity of bringing together security and automations in one interface, Cody’s stance is simple: “Simplifying repetitive tasks not only makes things better, it gives you back valuable time for more important work.”
Saving time and effort through automations is a necessary step in streamlining the operations of your business, and ProdataKey offers all the means to achieve this.
If you want to stop wasting time with your access control system, schedule a demo with ProdataKey today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is automation in access control?
Automation in an access control system refers to the utilization of technology to complete certain tasks, such as locking or unlocking doors, without manual intervention.
What automations can you set up with a ProdataKey access control system?
In the PDK.io platform, you can set up system events and auto open rules. Through the Control4 integration, you can add additional automations, like lighting, climate control, music, and more.
What is the Control4 driver?
The Control4 driver is a device developed by Blackwire Designs to allow a PDK access system and Control4 smart home automation to work together.
Cody Crossland from Blackwire Designs joins the Big Access Podcast to talk about PDK and the Control4 driver.