Fully integrated with Active Directory

No schema extension or additional database is required to leverage existing role-based security groups and to enable hierarchical management of users, doors and schedules.

With EdgeConnector, systems administrators can act directly within Active Directory to enforce a security policy and carry out physical access control operations using a familiar environment with great flexibility. But because we are not all familiar with Active Directory, EdgeConnector Manager is also provided, as a safe and easy-to-use software application to manage cards, users and access rights, without the risk of compromising directory security and other data.

IT staff can monitor and manage users, doors and servers using their existing, familiar tools

HR & Facilities Management staff are provided with easy-to-use software to manage cards, users and access rights, without compromising Active Directory

EdgeConnector leverages the built-in scalability of Active Directory to provide an unlimited number of users, groups, areas and schedules. Thanks to existing directory replication and redundancy features, seamless multi-site and multi-server operation is achieved.

Highly flexible schedules including special days

The use of schedules allows for an extra layer of control over the access rights of the users. EdgeConnector can either operate considering just the doors where a user has allowed access, or, with schedules enabled, it can control not only where, but when, the users are to be allowed through.

When schedules are enabled, doors groups can also contain other door groups with their own schedules - this situation is referred to as a nested relationship. If a user attempts to access at a door for which he has more than one authorisation by membership of several door groups, the system will grant access if there is at least one valid authorisation and no explicit denials for that user at that time. EdgeConnector accurately resolves nested, overlapping, weekly schedules and multiple temporary exceptions.

Location-based logon prevention and anti-passback

Because EdgeConnector works in real-time, with IP door controllers passing every decision to existing servers within the IT infrastructure, it has the ability to track user activity such as location information and store this within Active Directory. This feature can be used to follow users through zones in a building and to prevent a card being used to access a location a second time, if it was not used to exit.

By utilising this feature it is also possible to restrict logical access to a network resource, including Windows logon, based on the area where the user is located, using group policy rules. This offers enhanced security, since undesired remote actions can be restricted.

Automatic fall-back upon network failure

The controllers switch to autonomous operation when communication with the service is lost. The operation is transparent to the users thanks to the distributed databases that are kept up to date through configurable smart synchronisation. When the communication is established the controllers pass on the logs to the EdgeConnector to ensure accurate and complete records of the access operations.