Cisco® Physical Access Manager is the management application for the Cisco Physical Access Control solution. It comes installed on hardware and is sold as an appliance. Cisco Physical Access Manager (Figure 1) is used to configure Cisco Physical Access Gateways and Modules, monitor activity, enroll users, and integrate with IT applications and data stores.
Figure 1. Cisco Physical Access Manager
Features
Table 1 describes the features of Cisco Physical Access Manager.
Table 1. Cisco Physical Access Manager Features
Feature
Description
Thick client and web browser support
Cisco Physical Access Manager supports a thick client model for provisioning and operation. Clients running Windows XP or Windows 7 communicate to the Cisco Physical Access Manager for full-featured operations and administrative purposes. Also supported is a Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 browser connection directly to the Cisco Physical Access Control server and gateways for device administration.
Microsoft Active Directory integration
Administrative users of Cisco Physical Access Manager can be configured to use Microsoft Active Directory for authentication.
Badging and enrollment
An optional licensable module enables the creation of badge templates, badge printing, taking user photographs, and enrolling users into the Cisco Physical Access Manager user database.
Device configuration
Cisco Physical Access Gateway hardware can be configured using Cisco Physical Access Manager. The gateway contacts Cisco Physical Access Manager to download pre-provisioned configuration information.
Access policies
Areas (comprised of a group of doors) and users can be assigned entry permission based on schedules.
User rights
Administrative users of the Cisco Physical Access Manager can be assigned permissions. User profiles can be tailored very specifically.
Credential management
Cardholder credentials can be edited, including systemwide card formats.
Alarm and event management
Cisco Physical Access Manager provides a view of events and alarms in the system. Alarm and event views can be filtered based on several criteria.
Global I/O
Events (contact closure inputs or card access denied, for example) can be associated to actions (activate output contact closures, send an e-mail, etc.). Automation rules can be configured with a trigger, action, and notification. The trigger can be manual or periodic based on schedule and event/alarm. The action could be executing device commands or triggering URLs. Notifications could be sent via email with a report.
Reporting
Standard and custom reports can be created with Cisco Physical Access Manager.
Audit trails
Cisco Physical Access Manager provides a log of all administrative use of the system, arranged by user.
Enterprise application integration
An optional licensable component allows Cisco Physical Access Manager to be synchronized with data from either external SQL databases or Microsoft Active Directory.
Large numbers of records (including .jpg photographs) can now be imported from external systems into the Cisco Physical Access Manager database using the Cisco Enterprise Data Integration (EDI) tool.
Cisco Video Surveillance Manager integration
Cisco Physical Access Manager dynamically acquires camera inventory from Cisco Video Surveillance Manager and associates cameras to doors. Users can view recorded or live video for every event from the door.
License management
License files (capacity upgrades or feature additions) can be added.
Server administration
Allows a user to administer the Cisco Physical Access Manager appliance by performing tasks such as IP address assignment.
Access gateway image management
Cisco Physical Access Gateway images can be upgraded using the Cisco Physical Access Manager.
Configuration backup
The entire configuration can be backed up to an external server.
System restore
A previously backed up configuration can be restored from an external server.
High availability
Two Cisco Physical Access Manager appliances can be configured as a pair to provide warm standby redundancy. The secondary appliance needs to be installed with a high-availability license.
URL invocation
HTTP/S URLs can be invoked as a result of any event or alarm. Event data can be inserted in the URL to integrate with any external application that accepts URL invocations. URL actions can be sent from the Cisco Physical Access Manager or directly from the Cisco Physical Access Gateway.
Web services API
A licensable option allows for external systems to use a web services API to integrate with Cisco Physical Access Manager. A SOAP binding over HTTP and HTTPS is supported.
Internationalization support
Language packs can be added displaying Cisco Physical Access Manager menu text in a language other than English. For debugging purposes, both English and the local language can be displayed at the same time.
Event management
New events generated by the system can be effectively managed while old events can be archived, automatically reducing the event database size.
Events can be excluded from system backups, significantly reducing the backup file size.
Event policies
Event policies could be set up to suppress alarms from device(s) or all devices from a location based on a schedule.
For example, an education customer can create different event policies for different schools. Each policy can include the alarm type (such as motion detection) together with the cameras assigned to a specific school's location. A schedule can also be associated with the event policy so events are logged only after normal working hours. If each school has different working hours, the user can create multiple schedules and assign them to the event policy for each school.
NTP configuration
The Network Time Protocol (NTP) server can be configured for all Cisco Physical Access Gateway modules, or for selected modules, over the network using Cisco Physical Access Manager.
Enrollment reader interface
We now support two methods of quickly enrolling new users into the Cisco Physical Access Manager database: Optical scanners or proximity card enrollment readers.
The optical scanner allows badge administrators to scan government-issued drivers license ID cards. Data from the cards, like the name and address, is automatically extracted and populated into the new personnel records.
Proximity card enrollment readers allow proximity badge data like facility code and ID to automatically populate into the new or existing personnel record, saving valuable time during enrollment.
System Requirements
Table 2 lists the system requirements for server hardware for Cisco Physical Access Manager.
Table 2. Supported Platforms for Cisco Physical Access Manager
For information on recommended workstation requirements, please reference the appropriate technical documentation.
Package Contents
Table 3 describes the items that ship with the Cisco Physical Access Manager Appliance.
Table 3. Package Contents
Item
Cisco Multiservices Platform with Hard Drive (CPS-MSP-1RU-K9, CIVS-HDD-1000) , Power Cord (CIVS-CAB-16-xx), and CIsco Physical Access Manager Software (CIAC-PAME-M1X-K9 )
Accessory kit
Regulatory compliance and safety information
Quick start guide
Availability
The Cisco Physical Access Manager is available through Cisco Authorized Technology Provider (ATP) Partners.
Ordering Information
Table 4 lists the part numbers for the Cisco Physical Access Manager.
Cisco Physical Access Manager Enterprise Data Integration License
CIAC-PAME-WSAPI=
Cisco Physical Access Manager Web Services API License
Service and Support
Cisco offers a wide range of services programs to accelerate customer success. These innovative programs are delivered through a unique combination of people, processes, tools, and partners, resulting in high levels of customer satisfaction. Cisco services help you to protect your network investment, optimize network operations, and prepare your network for new applications to extend network intelligence and the power of your business. For more information about Cisco services, visit Cisco Technical Support Services or Cisco Advanced Services.
For More Information
For more information about the Cisco Physical Access Manager, visit http://www.cisco.com/go/eac or contact your local account representative.
