Acsys: Cell site security and access control problems?

Acsys has designed and successfully deployed a solution called the CGS (Code Generating System) which allows control centers (such as a telco or towerco’s NOC) to give users with programmed keys access to any site, anytime, anywhere by issuing a single-usage time-limited code that is issued by the software. The user needs to contact the control center by phone or SMS to get the real-time code which in turn alerts the control center that someone is accessing the site. The advantage of the Acsys CGS solution is that any phone can be used, making its application universal.

TowerXchange: Tell us about your new app David.

With the rapid proliferation of smart phones, and their lowered costs, and based on the demand of some of our customers, we saw the opportunity to create an app that integrates the CGS into a smartphone app and some added features which are very useful for remote site workers.

One of the significant features is the geo-location or geo-fencing solution. This allows the system to be run automatically and only generate access codes if a user has reached a specific location defined by latitude and longitude. This function also allows the control center to know in real-time where the users are located which can be of very significant value when a site is down and an assessment needs to be made on who is closest to the site and certified for that type of maintenance.

TowerXchange: What other functionality does the app have?

Based on customer input, we also added several other features.

Task assignment, scheduling and reporting - whenever an event is created through the remote site management platform, the user will receive a message with a clear description of the task, location and others. Multiple tasks can be assigned to a user. Upon completion the user can report back to the NOC with the result of his work allowing the NOC to either close or leave the event as pending.

Optionally a dynamic solution can be proposed which, after the creation of the event, the software will determine which available and certified user is closest to a site which is down, leading to an intervention and a significant decrease in downtime. We have often seen that some people travel one hour to get to a site when in fact another technician was only 15 minutes away leading to a waste of resources and increased downtime.

Event documenting - events can be documented through picture taking (for example in cases of broken or vandalised equipment) and to document events from the site such as broken trees, floods, fires et cetera. With time, date and location stamp information, this data is genuine, reliable and impossible to defraud.

Live bridge between user and NOC - the app also has a chat platform allowing the user to communicate directly with the NOC and other users of the app to get information and advice.

Document repository - allowing the user to access data sheets for new equipment and/or other documents that are stored on the company intranet.

TowerXchange: Please tell us about one of your customers who are using the app.

Our first customer was mostly interested in the geo-fencing solution as they had dealt with a number of cases where a user gained access to a site and then left without closing it, allowing others to gain access and steal equipment. With the geo-fencing and CGS, the NOC now has real-time feedback of where the user is, and also can control when the user opens and locks a site.

In some cases the company required a vendor to go on site but they arrived only within the limit of the two hours as specified by contract when in fact they could have gone much sooner as staff were available, but since the NOC didn’t know where those staff were and if they were available they had no data on which to base a conversation about improving service with the vendor.

The task scheduling was also a significant step forward as many times issues arose with users going to the wrong sites or carrying out the wrong tasks as communication over the phone wasn’t good, leading to misunderstandings.

As a prominent company in the telco industry, they also felt they had a moral obligation to ensure staff security by knowing where they are. If a member of staff doesn’t move for three hours even though his maintenance task should only take 45 minutes, the NOC knows there might be some issues with the site or the user himself. Moreover the data which is created serves as a benchmark for future interventions in terms of time spent to reach site, and time spent to complete a recurring task.

TowerXchange: How does the app integrate with site management and job ticketing systems at the NOC?

It can work fully independently or fully integrated. The integrated version (ex with Remedy) gives a full and clear reporting of who was assigned to the task, when, where this user was located, when he requested access to get in, when he requested access to get out and how much time was spent on site. By making everything electronic, we also prevent collusion between employees.

TowerXchange: What does it cost?

In order to lower barriers so that everyone can use the app, we have decided to make the app free of charge and available to the public on the Android store starting 1 November 2013.

TowerXchange: How does using the app improve health, safety and security at emerging market cell sites?

By providing real-time location and location-based code generation we are able to improve operational efficiency in a significant way allowing for more efficient, controlled and rapid response to events. This data in turns serves to create KPI’s and benchmarks for similar interventions in the future.

Equally the NOC is now able to see where all their workers are and in the case of conflict or emergency, the NOC can provide support to the user and/or send emergency services to the user’s location. By allowing pictures to be sent to the NOC instantly, events can be acted upon in a more efficient way.