The AmeriSys G-Smarts system supports several types of cards. User Cards are presented to readers in order to gain access to information or a particular secured premise using credentials shared between the cards and the readers. An explanation of the functions and of the creation of these cards is given further in this Manual.

Maintenance Cards are presented to a reader to define or alter the reader's behaviour. The AmeriSys security system makes it possible for customers to create these cards, according to their own needs. These cards are intended for designated persons (managers, installers, etc.). who perform system maintenance and service.

Depending on the optional licences you have acquired, you may change the parameters of the cards as many times as needed. You may even be able to create cards that instruct access control readers to dynamically update many selected User Cards. One of the unique characteristics of this system is its ability to carry out these actions in a prompt, seamless, and ubiquitous way, without user awareness.

The AmeriSys Security System offers two families of card readers: Classic and G-Smarts. These readers process and exchange certificates and information through the cards. They also analyse, challenge, and process User Card credentials before composing an access request. AmeriSys readers are able to discreetly challenge certificates and process requests ranging from the simplest to the most complex ones, without user awareness. To heighten security, these state of the art readers conceal their true nature and deliver the appearance of an ordinary transaction.

As one of its key characteristics, the G-Smarts system has the ability to screen access requests by using dynamic passphrases. Dynamic Passphrases are a shared secret known by the cards and the readers. G-Smarts access control readers also have the autonomous ability to dynamically update these passphrases without user's intervention, knowledge, or awareness. Dynamic Passphrases are clusters of bits hidden behind access keys in the card. Altogether, these cards and readers provide 328 bit (5.468 * 10^98 codes) security. This is much safer than the 26 bit security (256 site codes of 65000 card codes) provided by most commercially available systems today. One must realize that 26 bit Weigand codes were invented decades ago and like any security technology, what was considered secure in the past may be considered not secure at all by today's standards. With the dynamic updates that are now available, the combinations become almost limitless.

The above access control system is formed by a group of instruments working together to offer protection to premises and data. These systems usually consist of two major elements. The first element is an instrument which interacts with a human being or a machine requiring access to a protected item; it converts the requests into querries and forwards these querries to a second instrument. This first element is a messenger in direct contact with the outside world and is therefore vulnerable to physical attack.

The second instrument is usually set up in a separate location, safe from physical attacks. It receives the querries and makes the final decision whether to grant access. With this architecture, a physical attack on the first instrument should not allow a granting of access since the attack is made upon the messenger and not the final decider. This is the reason why all modern access control systems are built this way. The AmeriSys access control system is based on an extension of this architecture, offering a card reader as an interactive first-responder firewall instrument with the outside world plus an access controller as a secondary level firewall processing access requests and making the final decision.

Conventional Weigand access control systems have a weak point. The cable between the reader and the controller may be tampered with and the reader may be replaced by an attacking device. AmeriSys Cable Protection has the ability to detect such tampering or intrusion and may disable the link and send alarm notifications.

Cut Sheet