Laboratory Instrument Access Control & Scheduling
With the high cost of instrumentation in the laboratory most corporations or research facilities are eager to protect their assets by ensuring that the instruments are used only by the right people at the right time.
The Gatekeeper™ system allows only authorized users to access the control GUI of the target instrument.
Once the simple log-in procedure is completed, the instrument is instantly available for use. Gatekeeper™ simply obscures the instrument GUI, so there is no need to wait for the instrument software to restart each time a user logs in. At the same time, the ID of the user and the time of the start of operation are logged. At the end of the instrument session, the user logs out of the instrument and the time of the end of the session is recorded in the administration database.
An optional RFID reader and log-in card system is also available to further simplify the log-in process. RFIDs work by encoding user information on to a tiny microchip that is embedded into a credit card like device. Users are able to operate the instrument by passing their ID Card over a card reader that is installed at a convenient place on the instrument. The card reader instantly authorizes approved users and logs the session as before. Your users have the benefit of self check-in and check-out on the instrumentation. No manual log-in procedure is required while maintaining the very highest level of asset management for your valuable investments.
Administration software allows easy set up and operation of an RFID asset tracking system. Card programming software is provided to the laboratory administrator and re-usable RFID cards may be purchased for any number of users. What better way to make sure that your valuable instruments are being used in the correct manner by authorized users?
Gatekeeper makes sure that your instruments are in the best hands.
Gatekeeper Server Software
Gatekeeper Server runs on the Windows Server platform and uses Microsoft SQL Server for data storage. Users connect, via their web browsers, to this system in order to make instrument reservations. The system is managed via web pages accessible only to designated administrators. The Gatekeeper Instrument software, discussed below, communicates with the Gatekeeper Server in order to determine user's access rights and to record instrument usage. Gatekeeper Server implements the following features:
- Web-based instrument booking and scheduling
- Instrument usage record keeping and reporting
- Assignment of RFID cards to users
- Security management
- System management functions
Gatekeeper Instrument Software
With Gatekeeper Instrument Software, only authorized users will be able to access the control GUI of the target instrument. Once the simple log-in procedure is completed, the instrument is instantly available for use. Gatekeeper simply obscures the instrument GUI, so there is no need to wait for the instrument software to restart each time a user logs in. At the same time, the ID of the user is logged to the administration database as well as the time of the start of the operation. At the end of the instrument session, the user logs out of the instrument and the time of the end of the session is recorded in the administration database.
In addition to the obvious benefits in terms of accounting, our clients have also reported a significant reduction in damage to equipment since implementing the Gatekeeper system.
