A French town unifies and simplifies its access management with eCLIQ

Challenge

Saint Jacut de la Mer, on Brittany’s Côtes d’Armor, faced growing difficulties with access management for their municipal buildings. Keys were being lost — and the costs of rekeying put pressure on budgets. Staff needing to hold and track multiple keys was inconvenient and further contributed to key loss. And because different access solutions had been installed over the years, security levels were not consistent across properties.

The arrival of a new director of technical services brought a new approach to access control. Key requirements for a proposed new system included:

• A solution which would harmonize security and access management across the town
• A wireless electronic system which would be easy to install at doors and other openings
• A way to solve a persistent problem of lost keys and the cost and workload they create

Solution

After much research, a hands-on demonstration and consulting a local hardware supplier, buildings around the town have been equipped with eCLIQ electronic locking cylinders. This first phase includes the Town Hall, festival hall, school restaurant, meeting house and more. All these properties now enjoy the benefit of convenient, secure access management within a single eCLIQ system.

Because M. Bertho can instantly see the status of all eCLIQ-equipped premises, he can issue individually tailored access rights. Each user unlocks all the openings they need for their day-to-day work with one programmable eCLIQ key.

For example, canteen staff, cleaners and delivery teams have their own access slots for the school restaurant. The local campsite is safer: If seasonal workers lose their key, its rights are removed immediately. At the Town Hall, only those with authorization can enter. Daily life for residents has improved.

“We trust ASSA ABLOY,” adds M. Bertho, who was also impressed by the simplicity and speed of installation. Indeed, the town has already decided to extend coverage of their system to new buildings every year. Next up are the elementary school (9 doors) and cultural centre (5 openings). The ultimate objective is to equip all Saint Jacut’s public buildings with eCLIQ.