Alexandra Lepève Hospital is equipping itself with the latest generation of electronic key management cabinet: KBOX TS from Dény Security

With 2200 employees, it receives hundreds of patients every day, which can pose a real challenge in terms of access security and centralized key management. This is why the hospital opted for the latest generation KBOX TS electronic key management cabinet from Dény Security.

Centralized key management has become obsolete

Covering a total area of 59.022 m2, the Alexandra Lepève hospital is made up of several buildings erected over the years, the latest of which, currently under construction, will house Intensive Care and Resuscitation, dialysis and maternity.

At the site's entrance, the main historic building comprises a ground floor and an upper floor, topped by a 6-level tower connected by a block called a ball joint. Equipped with a wired badge access control system, the hospital already had an electronic key cabinet. Having become obsolete since its installation in 1993, it regularly broke down, with no spare parts or maintenance available. Hence the need for Nicolas Amann, the facility's Security Manager, to replace it.

At the annual conference of ACSES (Association of Healthcare Establishment Security Managers, which has around 350 members), Nicolas Amann met with several manufacturers offering this type of product, including Dény Security. After studying and comparing the various proposals, the latest generation of the KBOX TS electronic key management cabinet from the French manufacturer was selected because it fully met the specifications thanks to:

• its unlimited scalability over time (up to 1 million users per cabinet) and 1 million cabinets controlled by the same management interface,
• its great robustness due to its steel construction (door, cabinet, locking pin ring), its brass holding block and its SPI joint which firmly holds the elements together,
• the ability to remove/add keys at will without having to buy consumables later thanks to the lock remover provided which allows you to disassemble and reconstitute the key ring without damaging it, so you can use it indefinitely,
• its optimal data encryption which guarantees the highest degree in terms of cybersecurity with the possibility of updating to standards, the MQTT protocol being required by the hospital's IT department.

All these elements, for the Alexandra Lepève hospital, made "Dény Security's KBOX TS more reliable and more financially attractive in the long term," explains Nicolas Amann, Security Manager.
 

A complete, easy-to-use solution for key management and distribution

Commissioned in 2024, the KBOX TS electronic key management cabinet selected by the hospital has a storage capacity of 30 sets of keys, which allows the establishment to add around fifteen more later, for example, to facilitate the use of a fleet of vehicles. It will then be able to replace a pin to insert a metal box specially designed for this purpose to secure car keys, registration documents, etc.

Implemented in stand-alone version (embedded key management software to facilitate installation and maintenance), the cabinet is also easy to use for:

• administrators at the key management interface, accessible from any computer on the network using a dedicated IP address, a username and password, and any type of web browser under Windows, Linux, Android, or iOS. They can then configure the keychain usage rights according to authorized people, time slots, vacation periods, random or fixed location for restitution,
• the staff who identify themselves on the cabinet via their badge on the RFID reader (or a code in case of loss), select the set of keys they need using the touch screen which displays the information of the different accesses (pharmacy, ophthalmology, mortuary room, etc.) and the authorizations using a color code. If the person is authorized, the door opens, a green light indicates the location of the key, the system ejects it to avoid any wear of the electronic card, which gives the borrowing authorization, located inside. All they have to do is take the set of keys and close the door. For the handing over of the keys, the operation is carried out in the same way.

Practical, in the event of a misplaced key or a door left open, an alarm is triggered. In addition, real-time traceability of the cabinet's use (more than 5 million recordable events) via the management interface guarantees total transparency on who opened it in the morning, returned the keys in the evening or issued access authorizations.

Totally satisfied with the solution he found " much simpler, faster and clearer. A different world at every level compared to the old model », Manu Lima Branco, Deputy Security Manager at Alexandra Lepève Hospital, also appreciated the support from A to Z (installation, commissioning, management interface training, maintenance) from the various technical teams at Dény Security and in particular that of Adriano Anzallo, Technical Sales Representative for the region.