Building Security and the Internet

Please Step Over to the Monitor... Paper-based logbooks drive me a little crazy. They seem like such a lame answer to the problem of office building security. So I was impressed last week in New York City when I visited the Insignia Financial Group at 200 Park Avenue and was greeted by a bank of eight computer operators in the lobby of the building.

The MetLife Building at 200 Park is a 2.7 million square foot landmark property immediately adjacent to Grand Central Station. Just two weeks earlier, Insignia, which manages the building, had implemented Workspeed's new Security module. According to Richard Ruben, CEO of Workspeed, about 1,500 visitors a day call on the 100 tenants at 200 Park, which means that security must process almost 200 guests per hour. That's huge task.

Here's how it works. Tenants, management and lobby security all access Workspeed over the Internet. Each tenant (or its employees) can authorize a visit by logging onto Workspeed with a password and entering the appropriate information. Upon arrival, the building security person looks up the visitor's name, confirms his or her identification and prints a badge. E-mail is then sent automatically notifying the host that the visitor has arrived.

During the first week at 200 Park, about 25% of visits were pre-authorized and in the second week that number had climbed to almost 50%. Workspeed Security is integrated into Workspeed's other modules (Service and Preventative Maintenance). So Ruben asserts that tenants and management will also begin to communicate more effectively over a wide range of service issues.

Not coincidentally, building security and the Internet will be a major topic of the PikeNet Forum in New York City where we'll have a terrific Roundtable discussion with leaders in this area -- John Gilbert, COO, Rudin Management; Ken Hubbard, EVP, Hines; John Moody, President, Marsh & McLennan RE Advisors; and Carmen Spencer - VP & Manager Counter Terrorism & Range Operations, Bechtel National, Inc.

Last Minute Sign Ups... Marriott has extended the PikeNet Forum room block to Thursday, April 18. Call the Marriott Marquis at 800-228-9290. Ask for the special PikeNet rate on May 7 and 8. And take advantage of cheap midweek airfares -- for example, Chicago-NYC roundtrip for $225. Call United Airlines at 800-521-4041 and use the PikeNet Meeting ID Code, which is 509IC ("509 eye-see").

--Peter Pike