Newmont verifies entry to its mines and strengthens security with HID Global and Alutel

HID Omnikey Smart Card Readers, Seos credentials, Alutel Mobility's Ragtab tablets and mobile app, have allowed him to protect and control entries, as well as verifying car access in rural and underground mines, where it's almost impossible to install readers and there's no Internet access.

Based in Greenwood Village (Colorado) and operations around the world, Newmont is a mining corporation that focuses its activity on sustainable gold production. Committed to generating value and improving lives, prioritizing security, Integrity, Sustainability, inclusion and responsibility.

Newmont needed a way to manage the flow of people entering and leaving its mining farms in different international locations. It was important for the company to monitor and record the arrival and departure of staff from a job site, something difficult to achieve in remote locations and located in rural areas that lacked formal entry points and internet connection.

"We were looking for a solution that could connect to our system via mobile devices and that would control people who don't enter through traditional access points. In addition, a system of mobile card readers was needed", explains Daniel Tejeda, Newmont Project Manager.

Smart card readers HID Global Omnikey, Seos credentials, the solution of Alutel Mobility with Ragtab tablets and their mobile app, Newmont have been allowed to protect and control multiple entry points, as well as verifying car access in rural and underground mines, sites where it's almost impossible to install readers and where there's no Internet access.

“With the help of HID Global and Alutel Mobility, Newmont has been able to establish an innovative access control system designed to exceed our specific needs. Before, there was no control over who was on the site, so we've gone from having no control to having full control”, clarifies Daniel Tejada.

Newmont's access control platform provider connected the company with Alutel Mobility. This solution integrates with some of the industry's most recognized access control platforms, connecting directly to your database and syncing with approved mobile devices and readers. The solution also uses HID Global Omnikey reader modules built into tablets, as well as Seos smart cards.

It offers intuitive and integrated mobile authentication in remote areas where it is impossible to install a reader infrastructure and where, usually, there is no connection to a server.

Newmont launched the first phase of the project at its Peñasquito plant, northwest of Mexico. The implemented solution was designed to operate in remote areas where it is difficult to install a fixed reader infrastructure. It consists of Android or iOS tablets, or Alutel Ragtab tablets that work on an Android system.

All tablets have built-in Omnikey smart card reading modules, that can be used with both HID Global Seos physical and mobile cards, to perform an authentication process from anywhere it's needed, making them suitable for unconventional income points such as those in mines.

HID Global's built-in reading modules are also integrated and synchronized with the Alutel mobile app. The app connects and accesses Newmont's access control platform to perform employee authentication. Even if a non-Alutel tablet or device is used, the app automatically detects and connects to the Omnikey reader via USB or Bluetooth.

To decide whether or not they can enter the site, workers should only give a touch with their Seos ID card, issued by the company, on the Omnikey mobile reader built into the tablet. Below, his photograph appears, name and a red or green screen according to your credentials. Information about your entry is transmitted to Newmont's access control platform, you can generate reports and execute additional functions like any other standard access control reader.

One of the main benefits of the solution was the possibility of incorporating access control into remote areas such as underground mine entrances, where it's impossible to install physical access checkpoints.

Because the Alutel Mobility solution stores information that is collected locally, can operate offline to the server and store up to 500.000 events about up to 100.000 People, as well as validate this information when the connection to the server is restored. If the connection is interrupted, the device will automatically transfer the information it has collected once it reconnects.

Verification was another key benefit obtained as a result of the introduction of HID Global technology in the large open spaces of the mining site. When guards meet people, can authenticate the cardholder's access permissions using their tablets to verify identification credentials.

For Newmont, HID Global and Alutel Mobility solution has been very useful in managing access, both workers and vehicles in these remote areas. "While we have fixed readers in some places, we must also identify employees in remote areas such as the Mexican desert, as well as vehicles wishing to enter these locations", explained Tejeda. "In the latter case, security guards can approach with a mobile reader in hand to determine if people inside the vehicle can enter the facility. Just like at our two entry points at these remote locations, there is no fixed reader infrastructure to authenticate the driver or passengers of the vehicle, but with our mobile readers we just need an internet connection. And it doesn't even have to be a continuous connection: we may periodically download the information that was collected during the offline operation".

The Alutel Mobility system also allows you to install HID Global mobile readers inside vehicles. This means that Newmont may in the future request that employees scan their own Seos cards before boarding a bus or other means of transportation. In addition, transmits GPS data, allowing an organization to determine which individuals have entered the facility, where and at what time.

The association between HID, Alutel Mobility and Newmont have laid the groundwork for the company to examine future use cases to optimize processes such as food distribution. “This will significantly improve the way we deliver food boxes to our workers, and there are many other possible functions that we need to take into account to take advantage of the features of this system, so that it allows us to increase the security and efficiency of our organization”, Tejeda concluded.

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