WATCH: Enhance Building Security from Your Desk Phone with Mitel Access Control

Much has been written about protecting customer and employee data, but what about protecting your customers and employees? Even more than a secure network, a secure facility provides peace of mind and protects customers and employees from bad actors who would do them harm. For that reason, security cameras have become standard equipment at schools, hospitals, hotels, and other businesses where the front and back doors represent a front line of defense.

There are dozens of security camera manufacturers today, ranging from inexpensive doorbell cameras to high-resolution surveillance cameras. While this freedom of choice gives businesses more flexibility, exterior cameras are often “outsiders” regarding business communications systems. Specifically, organizations struggle to incorporate these video feeds into their broader unified communications (UC) platform, instead managing them as separate solutions. This can mean toggling back and forth between different screens and applications at a time when split-second decisions may be required.

Guard the Door While Sitting at Your Desk

Imagine, for a moment, how much easier it would be if you could manage building admissions right from your phone. Live video could be displayed directly on your video phone when someone approached your doors, with a live audio feed to communicate with them, and a pop-up button on your phone could either lock or unlock doors and even send out a notification to employees, students, or local police/fire departments in the case of an emergency. Well, a solution like this is no longer limited to the realm of imagination — it’s a reality that Mitel MiVoice Business customers can enjoy today.

The Mitel Access Control solution was developed in response to a clear need from our customers to integrate security cameras with their UC platform and IP desk phones. Offered as a customized solution through Mitel Professional Services, the Access Control setup integrates any H.264-compatible phone that uses the real-time streaming protocol (RTSP) with Mitel 6900 IP Phone Series, MiVoice Business, and, optionally, Mitel Revolution mass notification system. Together, these components create a new solution to the age-old problem of guarding the gates against intruders.

Mitel Access Control in Action

Let’s look at an example of the Mitel Access Control solution in action:

1. A visitor arrives at the front, back, or delivery door and rings the video doorbell camera.
2. This triggers a call to the receptionist’s IP phone.
3. The phone’s video screen displays a real-time video feed with text indicating which door is the source of the call, and a voice connection is made.
4. After a brief conversation, the receptionist may choose to open the door via an on-screen button or, if they feel danger is imminent, they can select the “evacuate” button to notify security or emergency services and, if they have Mitel Revolution, send out a mass text notification to a distribution list from their IP phone.

Stay Ahead of Potential Threats

The Mitel Access Control solution is just one example of how Mitel Professional Services can combine different technologies to create a unique solution to a specific problem. In developing this solution, Mitel extended the functionality of its existing products by integrating them with third-party solutions and services.

On the Mitel portfolio side, MiVoice Business ties voice, video, and messaging together, the Mitel 6900 IP Phone Series supports real-time video feeds and touch-activated prompts, and Mitel Revolution supports text-based messaging for emergency and non-emergency situations. Beyond those components are third-party products that Mitel Professional Services can bring into the UC environment, such as the video cameras, screen-capture software (e.g., VLC media player), SIP-enabled remote access control system, application server, and local alarm service (e.g., F24).

Mitel can turn your IP phone into a security command center that controls communication, identification, and notification by tying these different products together. This solution improves communication between visitors and staff and assures the security of your employees, customers, and students. You can view, talk, and take action from your Mitel IP phone from a single screen in seconds. And, importantly, all this can be done with the existing phone, video, communications, and security systems you have today.

As a Sourcewell partner, Mitel can provide this solution to SLED (state, local, and education) customers today for fast procurement, or contact your Mitel representative to learn how Mitel Professional Services can help you do more with the technology you have today.