UTRGV modernizes access control across multi-campus environment
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) is the ninth-largest university in the state. Learn how migrating to one modern access control solution has helped them simplify access management and keep all buildings across campuses connected and protected.
Key outcomes
- Flexible hardware choice and phased upgrades allow the UTRGV team to modernize access control on their own timeline
- Standardizing on one access control platform helps simplify operator training while improving team confidence and autonomy
- An open access control solution ensures they can reuse some hardware, freeing resources for other security initiatives
- Built-in automation helps streamline processes and reduce manual workload across various campuses and facilities
The company
UTRGV is a public research university that stretches from Starr County to South Padre Island in Texas, United States. With more than 35,000 students, UTRGV is the ninth-largest university in the state. The university has over 170 buildings, spanning two main campuses in Edinburg and Brownsville, along with additional research, clinical, and remote sites across South Texas. As campus life flows, the UTRGV Police Department (PD) works to ensure that everyone feels safe, welcomed, and focused on academic achievement.
The challenge
In 2015, two legacy universities in South Texas were discontinued, and a new institution, UTRGV, was established, inheriting their assets and facilities. As the institutions unified, UTRGV PD assumed responsibility for electronic access control and identified several independent proprietary access control systems. Daily operations such as processing cardholder requests, responding to alarms, and overseeing door activity and maintenance across diverse sites proved to be both challenging and time-consuming.
Why UTRGV chose Genetec
After exploring various options, the team chose Genetec™ Security Center. They were already using it to manage parking lot cameras when they realized they could also unify access control and other systems within the same solution. Even better, the platform’s open architecture allowed them to keep their HID and Mercury hardware, enabling a smoother, more affordable access control upgrade.
Open access control
Choosing an open and flexible platform was a game-changer for UTRGV. They’re replacing some legacy equipment with upgraded controllers to improve performance and support modern security requirements. Retaining some legacy technology helped them cut costs as they migrated their systems to Security Center. “We saw significant savings by reusing our existing Mercury panels and boards. For example, in some cases, we were able to flash some of our Mercury boards and easily connect them to the Genetec platform,” said Miguel Rivera, Security Systems Administrator at UTRGV.
One easy-to-use solution
The team initially had concerns about how the system configuration would go. According to Rivera, Genetec product training empowered their team with the know-how to get the job done. “After taking the Genetec product certification courses, our team became quite confident and self-sufficient in setting up and managing the new access control system. Plus, we only need to train on one system. That’s a huge time-saver for our team because all our processes are standardized on one platform,” explained Rivera.
Enhanced automation and efficiency
Once Security Center was deployed, the UTRGV PD began leveraging built-in automation to support consistent, efficient security operations across campuses. Centralized workflows allow the team to quickly adjust access settings across facilities in response to changing operational needs, helping improve coordination and response readiness. “Automation has helped us streamline access management and reduce manual work for our technicians. We’ve improved day-to-day efficiency and consistency across campuses, which supports a safe and welcoming environment,” said Rivera.
Flexible growth and expansion
With the access control migration in full swing at UTRGV, the team is eager to make the most of their investment. Plans include installing new systems at their new football stadium, the music faculty buildings, and a cancer research center. Strengthening collaboration with other departments is also on the radar. This includes extending system access to supervisors of specialized areas, giving them more autonomy over their spaces while alleviating the PD’s workload of one-off requests.
"What we love most about the Genetec, Mercury, and HID access control solutions is that we can be flexible. They allow us to grow and evolve at our own pace, all while maintaining reliable system performance and strong cybersecurity.”
Miguel Rivera, Security Systems Administrator, UTRGV
Results
The deep compatibility between Genetec, HID, and Mercury solutions made the transition to modern access control easier for UTRGV. They’re replacing some legacy equipment with upgraded controllers to improve performance and support modern security requirements. This alone helps enhance processing power while maintaining the same footprint and backward compatibility for a seamless migration. Retaining some legacy technology also helped them cut costs as they migrated their systems to Security Center, allowing more funds for other priority security projects.
According to Rivera, Security Systems Administrator at UTRGV, “We thought about where we wanted to be in 5 - 10 years from now. We needed a unified security platform that would allow us to manage access control systems and video surveillance across all our sites. Having an open and scalable architecture was also a must. We wanted the freedom to keep some access control investments and add new technologies over time.”