This article asks: how can a business benefit from access control? We look at who uses access control systems and if an access control security system is right for your business.
What is an Access Control System?
Access control is a technique used in security in order to regulate what or who can look at or use important resources in a computing environment.
This is a fundamental concept in security that is used for minimising the risk to an organisation or a business. There are two different types of access control, and these are physical and logical. Physical access control limits the access to buildings, campuses, rooms, and physical IT assets.
In contrast, logical access limits the connection to data, system files, and computer networks. In order to secure a facility, organisations use electronic access control systems that use information and technology such as user credentials, access card readers, auditing, and reports so that employee access to proprietary areas and restricted business locations such as data centres can be tracked.
In some cases, the systems can utilise access control panels to restrict the entry to buildings and rooms. Alarms and lockdown capabilities will also be incorporated to prevent unauthorised access or operations. Logical access control systems carry out identification authentication and authorisation of users and entities through evaluating the necessary login credentials.
This can include personal details such as personal identification numbers, passwords, biometric scans, security tokens, and many other different authentication factors. Multifactor authentication, also known as MFA, is when two or more authentication factors are required.
How an Access Control System can benefit your business
Firstly, ensuring that you are using various access control systems within an organisation will enable you to have the ability to take note of each person who gains access to your properties every day.
You will be able to know at all times who are entering these areas, and you will be able to keep up with the access activity data. Access control systems will also record any other minor details such as the identity of the person, their occupation, their role within the organisation, the reason why they entered the area, and the times when they entered and left.
Every company is vulnerable to robbery and theft in some form. The threat of theft is endless, and you can never truly know what kinds of people have access to important assets and data.
In order to avoid unauthorised entry and thus theft, there needs to be a controlled security system implemented which can assist in maintaining the protection of valuable assets by only granting access to the site when necessary.
Using this method, you will also be able to protect the workers who are supposed to be on the site and trust you with their safety during their working hours.
The installation of a business security system is a relatively seamless process. Access can be assigned to particular areas of your organisation with a simple and automatic system that utilises your company's already existing employee demographic data.
You will also be given the opportunity to enter any necessary data manually; this allows for customisable authorised access in whatever form you would prefer it to take.
In addition to this, employees will not struggle with the change because they will easily be able to gain access to their necessary work areas by using their authorised credentials for identification.
Installing an entirely new access control system may incur a high cost at the beginning of the process, but in the long term, it is a far more cost-effective choice. Due to the access control system's ongoing management process and capabilities, operation costs for the entire organisation can be lowered.
Here is an example of this, keyless entry is an excellent cost-saving technique. If an employee accidentally loses their key card, then it is much easier to simply just replace it and reprogram the current system rather than worrying that someone will find the lost traditional key and have to change all the locks on the property.
Remote access is another excellent reason why access control systems are so excellent. Access control systems give you the ability to award entry remotely.
This means that you can, even when away from the property, keep an eye on the organisation without having to be there physically. Some other access control systems solutions are entirely cloud-based.
This means that changes to the system and viewing data can be done from anywhere where you can achieve a sustainable internet connection. This gives you the ability to alter access levels remotely, temporarily unlock doors for specific individuals, remove or add credentials for a person, and even print out detailed security reports.
In recent years it has become clear that data breaches and the theft of digital information are much more serious issues than many companies had accounted for. Of course, physical threats are an issue too, but this does not mean that technological threats should be ignored. Access control assists with this by putting authorisation access on all servers and data rooms.
Appropriate credentials will be required in order to log into networks and workstations. This helps to protect vital employee, client and company data. Another layer can be added to this with methods such as Personal Identification Numbers being required or even biometric scanners being implemented.
Who Uses Access Control Systems?
Healthcare
It is common for those in the healthcare industry to use access control systems. This is done to follow health data confidentiality. Patients are protected by organisations such as doctors' surgeries, hospitals, and insurance companies by using access control systems. Access control systems can also be used for protecting IT rooms and equipment racks where sensitive patient data is kept.
Education
Large-scale campuses with multiple locations have strong security needs, and this is why most have access control systems installed. Access controls allow students to be denied access to areas where they shouldn't be, such as faculty parking areas. Educational centres will usually have expensive equipment, such as computers and lab apparatus inside, so naturally, these areas need to be protected too.
Enterprise
Any business that needs to accept and process debit or credit card information needs to meet data safety regulations.
Companies will use access control systems in order to limit who can access sensitive customer data.
Access control systems can also be used to track who has accessed specific pieces of data, and this adds another layer of protection.
Government
For both local and nationwide governments, security is a clear priority.
Government buildings are subject to all kinds of security regulations, and this means that access control systems and restricting entry need to be implemented.
Access control systems can verify specific employees and ensure that individuals' access to certain departments can be limited.
Are you looking for an access systems installation in Ludlow and the surrounding areas of Shropshire? Contact our qualified electrician for domestic and commercial electrical services near you.