Idesco: Securing Finnish prisons for 30 years

Finland’s correctional sites have been secured for 30 years by thousands of access control readers – all made by Idesco.

In an ongoing practice over the years, older reader versions have been replaced by new ones during renovations, such that all the newest prisons now use the latest encryption technologies.

Idesco readers

Correctional sites are a very special, highly demarcated access control environment. That is because, at every moment, the movement of personnel and prisoners must be monitored to preserve security and safety. Therefore, cell doors as well as entrances to common spaces employ readers controlling access.

Furthermore, access privileges are personalised to ensure their access only to those areas for which they are authorised. Such meticulous detailing of access is what ensures safety for both inmates and prison staff. Additionally, since hosting systems can retain access histories, Idesco readers fill a vital role enabling Finnish correctional sites to audit access histories whenever needed.

Idesco readers’ most valued features

Idesco readers don’t even need vandal cover protection since their robust construction

One could imagine the prisons’ readers sustain ongoing physical attacks against them, but Idesco readers have remained intact and functioning whenever that occurred. Idesco readers don’t even need vandal cover protection since their robust construction withstands occasional kicking or striking, which specialist Ari Pakarinen confirms is rare.

That’s why Ari Pakarinen and fellow specialist Juha Mäki-Tikkala, from Finland’s Prison and Probation Service, feel reliability and long-life span are Idesco readers’ most valued features. They note that the less they must call to repair readers, the lower their costs will be, and the fewer outsiders will need to visit the prison for repairs. Indeed, Ari Pakarinen knows of correction sites in which the same Idesco readers have been constantly serving for as long as 25 years.

Idesco’s solid product support

“Idesco readers are very reliable. There are no faults in them,” says Ari Pakarinen. End-users are very familiar with Idesco readers and they are readily available from several suppliers, who are equally familiar with them. “They’re not just common in Finland but elsewhere, too,” notes Ari Pakarinen. “We appreciate Idesco’s solid product support as well; they keep customers very well-informed about their products and use,” he adds.

Cost-effectiveness, long life span and reliability have kept Finland’s Prison and Probation Service and thousands of their users satisfied with Idesco readers for 30 years. “From the beginning, Idesco has been a reliable product supplier to us,” Ari and Juha agree. “The quality-price ratio has been excellent.”