Access Control

The businesses of the modern era are vulnerable to a number of security threats from theft to vandalism to violent crime and even terrorism. Irrespective of the fact that you are a healthcare provider, school, university or a business, you might be on a constant lookout to make your premises a bit more secure for its inhabitants.

Especially if you are a business owner it is your responsibility to keep your building and its inhabitants safe. You need to take the necessary security measures to ensure that nobody can harm your business or your employees. And you can achieve this by installing an access control system. Using access control systems for your business can be a convenient way of increasing the security and at the same time, managing the flow of people through the premises.

What is an access control system?

An access control system is simply the method of managing entry and access into specific buildings, locations and areas within the building. Knowing who comes and goes on their property is the fundamental concern of every business owner.

We have reached the digital era and owing to the advancement in technology, our access control has moved beyond a metal lock and business owners now have the ability to control accessibility into their facilities with electronic keycards, keypads and touch screens that offer different levels of access and security based on an individual’s access needs.

Access control systems are crucial as they provide business owners and building managers with an extra layer of security and control over their property.

Have you chosen an access control system for your business? If not, here are 8 reasons why you should choose one right away!

1. No more hassle of duplicating the keys:

Every single time you duplicate the key to your building, you are taking a risk, that way an individual other than you can access your property. Sure, you can make them “non-reproducible”, but there are always ways of getting around that. All it takes is one disgruntled employee to create a situation that can have devastating results, like theft, vandalism, and even more serious criminal activity. You might have to change the locks every single time an employee leaves the organization, this option could prove to be highly expensive and it still won’t stop the current employees from sharing the keys if they wanted to.

With an access control system installed, you can avoid all of the above mentioned hassles. With that you can delegate control to one or a handful of individuals who controls entrances and exits to the facility. Immediate deactivation of an ID badge or other security credential is quick and easy to do.

2. Employee protection:

In present times threats are endless, you never know what kind of people walk through your door. To avoid breakthroughs you need get an access control system for your premises. This way you will be able to successfully prevent the unauthorized individuals from entering the premises and you will be able to protect the people who are supposed to be in there working for you. You will have a peace of mind that will increase your job satisfaction and productivity. When your staff feels they are safe from harm during their work hours, they will be able to give in their best every day when they come in to work and that will boost the overall productivity of your business.

3. Activity monitoring and reporting:

An access control system will take note of every person who walks in and out of your door throughout the day. If in an unfortunate circumstance a criminal or intruder were to trespass your premises, this log will prove invaluable in resolving the cases. It can also monitor areas like the card clocks to resolve any timekeeping issues that you might be experiencing. Furthermore, the reports can be generated to determine employee tardiness and other issues that decrease productivity.

4. It can keep tabs on staff and control their access:

If you are a business owner who has employees or contractors, like janitorial staffs who tend to work more than the normal working hours, you can restrict their access to hours and days when they absolutely need to be there.

Additionally, every office might have employees that can have access to only particular areas that are important for their work, and not others. This is crucial in restricting access to sensitive areas or data to only those with the need and clearance to know. An access control system has the power to program ID credentials to limit access to certain areas only.

5. Remote access control:

When an outside contractor or other non-staff member needs access to your secure facility, the authorized individual can secretly open the door for that individual to enter the door. This provides flexibility while also ensuring continued security measures are in place. If you were to combine this with security cameras where you can see an individual, it would add to the already existing security measures of your facility.

6. Customize individual schedules:

Through an access control system you can minimize the risk of exposure of your facility by never providing more access than is absolutely necessary for each specific user under any given circumstances.

There are several employers who want to provide their employees with access into the building but only during the work hours i.e. nine to five, you might also require access for cleaners or the short term staff and there might also be individuals like the IT staff that require a 24 hour access into the building. Wondering how you are going to customize these schedules? Well an access control system can do that for you and by providing you with this facility; it makes your life a lot easier.

7. You can reduce energy bills and protect the environment:

For many business owners, the biggest benefit of getting an access control system is that these can greatly reduce their energy bills. This is achieved by arranging for the access control system to exchange data with the building management system. Since the system knows which areas of the building are occupied, it can configure the building management system to automatically turn off unnecessary lighting and reduce the heating in the unoccupied areas.

Integration:

One of the biggest advantages that you need to take into consideration when getting an access control is the integration capabilities that it offers the recipients with. Many organizations whether it public or commercial use a variety of systems throughout their organization, many of which need different forms of tokens to be controlled. Access control ID cards can be programmed to integrate with existing in-house systems such as vending machines, barriers, catering, print management and even PC’s. They also double up and act as an ID card where various information and images can easily be printed on them.

We hope that these reasons are enough for you to choose an access control system for your business right away. Remember that you can never be too safe when it comes to your corporate premises. Be a smart business owner and invest in a state-of-the-art control system that provides easy integration. Stay in charge and enjoy peace of mind!