Who goes in, where and when — and the proof, afterwards, that it happened that way.
The problem
Keys do not scale. With three doors and ten people they work; at twenty doors nobody knows who holds what any more, and one lost key means changing the lock and reissuing everything. The paper book at reception has the same flaw: it exists, but nobody reads it until it matters — and when it matters it is illegible.
The point is not to keep somebody out. It is to know who may go where, be able to change it in thirty seconds when a person changes role or leaves, and hold a verifiable record when an auditor, an insurer or an internal investigation asks for one.
How it works
The credential. A card, or a smartphone over NFC or Bluetooth. On cards the technology matters: we recommend Mifare DESFire, which uses real encryption, and we advise against reusing old 125 kHz and Mifare Classic cards, which can be cloned with tools costing a few tens of euros. Checking a sample card takes minutes.
The barrier. From an electric lock on an existing door to a tripod turnstile, to a glass speed gate for a corporate lobby, to a full-height turnstile where nobody is watching the entrance. These choices change the cost by a factor of ten, so we explain the difference before quoting, not after.
The controller. It works on its own: it holds the authorisations in memory, keeps deciding if the network drops and synchronises the events when it returns. A system that stops when the connection fails is a badly designed system.
The platform. People, groups, time bands, areas, calendars and exceptions; a searchable event log; alarms for a forced or held-open door. It integrates with your corporate directory, so the person coming through the gate and the person on the org chart are one record.
One identity
The same person with the same card comes through the gate, clocks in, takes a piece of protective equipment from a smart locker, picks up a vehicle key and returns a tablet. These are not five systems talking to each other: it is one. That is why it pays to look at the whole before buying the first piece.
Who it’s for
Offices and company sites, where the problem is staff turnover and contractor access. Industry, where different areas carry different qualifications. Public administration, where traceability and a workable procurement route both matter. High-traffic places — stadiums, metro stations, shopping centres — where throughput per minute and emergency egress are the design constraints.
What we bring
The software and the hardware. Most of our competitors do one or the other: hardware makers have no management platform, software houses have no device, no installation and no engineer who turns up on site.
- Design and installation by our own engineers, across Italy.
- Support with a ticket portal and measured response times.
- Cloud services on our own datacentre in Trieste, built into a former bank vault, with Italian national cybersecurity agency (ACN) qualification. Go to the datacentre →
- Procurable by public bodies: we are listed on the Italian public administration e-marketplace and our cloud services carry the ACN qualification.
Related regulation
| Rule | When | Why it matters here |
|---|---|---|
| Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 | 20 January 2027 | Powered gates are machinery in the full sense: risk assessment, technical documentation and cybersecurity requirements on safety-relevant components. Anyone buying a gate in 2026 should ask their supplier how far along they are |
| NIS2 — Italian Legislative Decree 138/2024 | 31 October 2026 | Physical access control is one of the listed measures. A system helps you meet it and demonstrate it with a verifiable log. It does not make you compliant: compliance is an organisation-wide matter |
| Italian Workers’ Statute, art. 4 | in force | An access control system produces remote monitoring of workers: it has to be agreed with employee representatives before installation, not after |
| GDPR | in force | Legal basis, privacy notice and defined retention for access logs. Our default is six months |
Questions we get asked
What does an access control system cost?
It depends on how many doors, what kind of barrier and how much integration. A single entrance with a reader and an electric lock on an existing door is in the hundreds of euros; a tripod turnstile with readers on both sides is in the thousands; a glass speed gate for a corporate lobby costs two to four times a turnstile. The line item that moves the total most is not the hardware: it is how many different systems have to talk to each other.
What is the difference between a turnstile and a speed gate?
A tripod turnstile is mechanical, cheaper, compact and lets one person through at a time — but it can be climbed over. A glass speed gate moves more people per minute, suits a representative lobby and comes in a wheelchair-accessible version, but costs more and needs more maintenance. A full-height turnstile is the only one that physically prevents unauthorised passage: it is what you use where nobody is watching.
Will the cards I already have work with a new system?
It depends on the chip. If they are 125 kHz or Mifare Classic, technically yes but we advise against it: they can be cloned with cheap tools, and reusing them carries the weakness forward. If they are Mifare DESFire, almost always yes. Reading one sample card settles it.
Can I use facial recognition?
For time and attendance in Italy, effectively no: the data protection authority has repeatedly found biometric data disproportionate where a less intrusive alternative exists, and a card is one. For access to high-risk areas it is possible, but it needs a documented impact assessment, a solid legal basis and, almost always, a conversation with employee representatives.
What happens if the connection drops?
The door controllers keep working with the authorisations stored locally and buffer the events, which synchronise when the link returns.
How long does installation take?
For a standard system in an existing building, two to six weeks from order, most of which is procurement rather than work on site. Mechanical gates have longer lead times than readers. If building work is needed — a plinth, a duct — that sets the schedule.
Let’s talk about your case → · Go to the turnstiles and gates site →