Benefits of an Access Control System
For companies of all sizes, security is of the utmost importance. Protecting your company’s assets is crucial for success if you handle sensitive data or pricey machinery. An access control system can grant or restrict access and let your employees go where they need to go whether you have 10 or 10,000 employees.
Access control solutions can simplify employee life, reduce costs, and maintain workplace security. This book offers the solutions you need, whether you’re a business owner assessing the benefits and drawbacks of an access control system or an administrator seeking justifications to buy one.
How Does an Access Control System Operate and What Is It?
Access to a building, a room, or another designated area can be granted or denied by an access control system. It controls who has access to an area at a specific moment using an electronic kind of physical security.
THE USER EXPERIENCE
An employee presenting their credentials to enter an access-controlled area. Credentials might be digital or physical, such as data on a mobile device or an access control key card. A card reader receives an unlock request and sends the data to an access control unit, which approves the user and causes the door to unlock.
THE EXPERIENCE OF THE SYSTEM MANAGER
An access control system has a management dashboard or gateway on the administrative side. Office administrators, IT managers, or heads of security can decide who is allowed access and under what circumstances using the control portal. The management can specify preferences based on the employee’s rank or position, the time of day, shifts, and more. Another possible component of this system is a physical one, such as a device for programming cards.
THE SYSTEM INFRASTRUCTURE
Electric locks, card readers, door status for traffic monitoring, and request-to-exit devices are all part of the infrastructure of an access control system, and they all report to the control panel and then the server:
- Electric locks: fail-secure locks that unlock when power is supplied and fail-safe locks that lock when power is supplied. Doors on fire escape routes must have fail-safe locks, and rooms like an IT office that must be safeguarded in case of an outage need fail-secure doors. Push bars that permit individuals to exit but not reenter in an emergency are still required for fail-secure doors.
- Access control panel: The control panel is typically installed in a safe space, like an electrical closet or an IT room. This control panel receives a signal whenever someone’s credentials are scanned, and it then authorizes opening the door.
- The access control server: where the information and permissions for the access control system are kept. This system chooses which users get access to doors and keeps track of who enters and when. Servers can be found on a dedicated computer, on the cloud, or even inside the card reader.
What Are the Benefits of Access Control Systems?
How might a system for access control benefit your company? Automated access control can safeguard employees and inform administrators of who enters the building regardless of the size or business. The following are the key advantages of access control systems:
1. MAKE IT EASIER FOR EMPLOYEES TO ACCESS
You can “set and forget” who has access to each section of your company thanks to an access control system. An employee can access all the locations they need to conduct their tasks once you give them permission. The employee can easily access any location they require by scanning a key card or entering a PIN.
2. DISPOSE OF OLD-FASHIONED KEYS
There are some disadvantages to using conventional keys. Individual keys are necessary to restrict access to specific locations. There are more locks required for larger buildings. This can result in a large key ring and uncertainty over which keys perform what for someone like a janitor or someone with high clearance. In addition to saving you trips to the locksmith, an access control system speeds up access to restricted areas.
The fact that keys can be copied makes you susceptible to illegal access. If an employee leaves your company without returning their key, you may be left defenseless or forced to change your locks. Security through access control eliminates this.
3. SAVING ENERGY AND MONEY
You save money on locks and security guards when you use access control security. Without a security guard present, an access control system can confirm a person’s identification.
Lighting, heating, and cooling systems can all be connected with access control systems. When people enter a room, lights may switch on, and they will turn off when they leave. When no one is present, you can change the temperature to reduce energy expenditures.
4. KEEP TRACK OF WHO COMES AND GOES
You can find out who enters and leaves a building or room at what times thanks to an access control system. People can be made to work when they are supposed to. You can pinpoint exactly who entered a particular location at the time of the incident in the event of theft or an accident.
5. BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR UNWANTED VISITORS
Visitors have a chance to avoid detection when they visit a huge corporation. Using access control systems has the advantage of preventing unwanted access. Only individuals you’ve granted credentials to can enter the area because doors require credentials before they unlock. You can be certain that everyone in your building is supposed to be there thanks to this system, whether you know them or not.
6. GIVE EMPLOYEES THE FREEDOM TO WORK WHEN THEY NEED TO
When employees work at different times, an access control system lets them enter whenever they need to. People can come in early without waiting for someone to unlock the doors, and managers don’t have to stay late to lock up at the end of the day. You’ll have the ability to offer flexible schedules for your employees. With the management dashboard, you can also check comings and goings without being there yourself.
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7. PREVENT AGAINST DATA BREACHES
Health information, financial records, and client data are often stored on company-owned servers. Access control systems can restrict or grant access to IT rooms and even individual computers or networks, so that only trusted individuals may access them.
8. CREATE A SAFE WORK ENVIRONMENT
Access control systems let trusted individuals inside and keep others out. You have the freedom to do background checks and keep out anyone without the right credentials.
Also, access control systems can keep your employees safe in the case of an emergency. Doors with lock-and-key mechanisms remain locked, which can be unsafe when a fire or other emergency requires a swift escape. Through the use of fail-safe locks, doors unlock when the power cuts out, so all people can exit a building without the need to fumble for their keys.
9. REDUCE THEFT AND ACCIDENT
You can protect your company’s assets, expensive equipment or even office supplies by controlling access. You can restrict access to supply closets and computer banks, so only trusted individuals can access them. Employees know their arrivals and departures are tracked, which deters theft.
Also, lab equipment or chemicals in schools or hospitals can injure people who aren’t trained to use them. To prevent accidents, you can restrict access to only those who know how to follow safety protocols.
10. PROVIDE ACCESS TO MULTIPLE BUILDINGS AND LOCATIONS
Traditional key-based security gets complicated in areas with multiple locations. A school with two campuses might have some faculty members that teach at both and some that teach only at one. A hospital with two buildings might need to grant different levels of access to people who work in each building or on each floor. A national or regional company might set security policies at their headquarters to be followed at each branch.
Each of these situations can be managed with an access control system that can customize and implement access permissions across many locations.
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