Security Center Synergis™ is the IP access control system (ACS) that heightens your organization’s physical security and increases your readiness to respond to threats. Synergis™ supports an ever-growing portfolio of third-party door control hardware and electronic locks. Using Synergis™, you can leverage your existing investment in network and security equipment.
Synergis™ was designed with an open and distributed architecture. You can build your system with new IP readers or use what you already have. Integrate your access control system with other third-party systems, like intrusion or building management, and distribute Synergis server components on many different network machines to optimize bandwidth and workload.
Synergis Enterprise supports an unrestricted number of doors, controllers, and client workstations. You can grow your system one door at a time or scale your system across multiple buildings using the Federation™ feature.
How Synergis works
Synergis architecture is based on the server role known as the Access Manager, which controls the physical door controllers.
- System configurations are saved by the Directory role.
- The Directory pushes configurations to the Access Manager.
- Access Manager communicates directly with the physical door controllers, called access control units, over TCP/IP.
- Access Manager pushes schedules, cardholder information, and access rules to the door controllers.
- When a cardholder presents their credential to a reader, the controller refers to the access rule to determine whether the user should be granted or denied access.
- After controllers have synchronized with the Access Manager, they can operate autonomously, even if they lose the network connection to the Access Manager.
With additional configuration, a cardholder can belong to a cardholder group, a door can be part of an area, and there can be multiple schedules and rules pushed to a unit.
Benefits of Synergis
Synergis™ uses access rules—not clearance codes or access levels—to control access. This approach simplifies access management and improves flexibility.
- Access rules define when a group of people has access. They apply to access points at physical locations and govern who can pass through a door and when.
- Access levels define when access points at physical locations can be accessed. They apply to people and govern where and when a person can gain access.
- Who: Cardholders and cardholder groups the rule applies to.
- What: Whether access is granted or denied.
- When: The schedule during which the rule is active.
Synergis grants or denies access based on cardholders—not their credentials. This logic simplifies credential management. When a card is lost or stolen, you can associate a new credential with the cardholder without modifying the access rules already pushed to door controllers.