Access control systems can make life easier for your employees, save your business money and keep your workplace and assets secure.
There are two types of access control; standard and biometric. The main difference is that biometric requires unique characteristics of a person such as voice, face, eye, fingerprint or signature whereas standard access control is usually a device or Pin. It is very difficult to fool a biometric access control system because a unique characteristic is hard to duplicate.
Access control systems can be set-up to be hosted on a cloud server or a local server, from there you’ll be able to assign new users, set permissions and export reports. With the permission settings you have a few options on how to manage how much access you give, some of the options are; Role-based access control, Discretionary access control, Mandatory access control, Zoning access control, Time-based access control or even Count-based access control. When we set-up your access control systems, we can talk you through the different options and what approach best suits your business.
From single-door to multiple-site access control system, we can design, supply and install your commercial access control systems into your business.
Reasons to use Access Control Systems
Businesses tend to have a reason (or several) in mind when choosing access control systems, below are the most common:
- Time and Attendance – Ensuring that staff aren’t consistently arriving late for their shifts or taking advantage of breaks.
- Emergency Location Lists – In the event of an emergency such as a fire, you can pull location data from the access control system to see who is on-site and where they last entered a secure location to ensure you account for all staff in your checks.
- Protection from theft, disgruntled ex-employees/customers entering the building; whether they are day workers or night-shift workers.
- Protect sensitive data, medicines, chemicals or weapons.
- Reduce employee negligence – No-one intends to forget to lock door but it can happen. Access control ensures that your building stays protected.
- Save costs – key cutting can be quite costly if you have a lot of keyholders and then, if keys are sometimes lost/stolen, you may have to change the lock.
- Better security – If there has been a data breach or theft, you can use access control report to see who had access to reduce your list of suspects, or simply, it may prevent someone taking the risk in the first place.
- Restrict and Track any access, so that only authorised people are allowed into certain areas/buildings.
- Allow contactless entry so that people don’t get have to rely on the building being unlocked before starting their day; some people are more productive early morning or late at night, this increases your business’s productivity when they have the freedom to access the building at their optimum work times.
- Immediate Verification – Access control reduces the need to verify identify for everyone because access control acts like a form of identification.
- More control over security because you are able to assign access on a per person basis if you wish so that not everyone has access to all areas of the business unless their roles require access. It’s easy to add or remove permission when needed.
Border Caravans had a five-year plan to modernise and streamline their business processes and to position themselves as a leader for secure caravan storage.
BTT got involved with their project and we the first step was to instal improved access control that would allow the team to automatically, and immediately, confirm which caravans had been taken off site or returned.
This included upgraded CCTV with monitors overlaying the existing access control measures. The team would then be able to track movements on site and make sure they matched the customers’ security tag and fob details.
Read the full Case StudyTypes of Access Control Systems
Pin Code System
Pin code access control isn’t as popular as access pass/fob access control systems because they can’t give you comprehensive tracking features. Pin codes can be universal or for individuals.
It’s more cost-effective than the pass or fob but it does rely on people’s memory. Additionally, someone with a PIN can easily share their code with another.
Ideal for: Small, medium, large businesses across all sectors; Education, Financial, Hospitality, Healthcare, Leisure, Motor, Manufacturing, Retail
Access Pass / Fob System
Access pass/fob access control are virtually the same access control system, the only difference is one is a fob that can easily be added to a keyring versus the pass which can be branded and doubles up as visual identification and usually on a lanyard around the neck. Both, the pass and fob enable you to effectively track individuals over the pin code access control system.
Access passes, in particular, can be subject to wear and tear and they can both be cloned, lost, stolen or shared.
Ideal for: Small, medium, large businesses across all sectors; Education, Financial, Hospitality, Healthcare, Leisure, Motor, Manufacturing, Retail
Video / Audio Intercom System
Video intercom systems (also known as video door entry) give you both visual and audio confirmation of who wants access. Particularly useful for office buildings that don’t get a lot of visitors and don’t have a dedicated receptionist.
Ideal for: Small, medium, large businesses across all sectors; Education, Financial, Hospitality, Healthcare, Leisure, Retail
Fingerprint Access Control
Fingerprint access control scanners are great when you want a higher level of security but not slow down people entering the building; everyone has their fingerprint to hand, so no need to fumble to find your fob /pass. They are also cost-effective because with passes, you’ll likely have to issue replacements which can be costly. Alongside putting them on doors and turnstiles, you can also integrate them with machinery to ensure only authorised people access them.
Ideal for: Education, Nurseries, Financial, Healthcare, Leisure, Manufacturing