Access Control

Access control is a fancy sounding name for controlled and restricted access to an area. It’s mainly used in commercial, industrial and institutional settings like banks, call centers, government offices and research facilities but it can also be found in more everyday applications like jewelry stores, nursing homes, hotels and even movie theaters. Access control is a multi-billion dollar industry and it grows by leaps and bounds every year. After reading this, you’ll be able to spot access control in dozens of places you visit or see on television or in movies. These places include restaurants, electronics stores, banks, shopping malls, sporting events, water parks, amusement centers, national monuments and hundreds of other similar places where restricted access is not only optimal but vital.

CCTV

Video surveillance is an affordable and very useful tool in access control. While security cameras themselves don’t keep people out of restricted areas, they can deter them by their very presence. Cameras and video recordings also give back up to other access control devices like keypads and badge readers. This is because number sequences and badges can be lost, copied or given out to wrong parties and with security tapes showing who entered a room or building and at what time, the security information becomes much more reliable. If an actual breach of security was committed or a crime occurred on the premises, the police and other investigative agencies can get access to the video tapes and images they produce. The use of security cameras is often instrumental in cutting down on the incidents of shoplifting, employee theft, vagrancy and trespassing.

Swipe car access

Swipe cards are most often used in commercial and institutional settings. Call centers, banks, savings and loans, credit unions, financial centers and more often used swipe cards not only for room and building access but for payroll purposes, as well. A card reader is used to recognize the swiped badge and time stamp when entry was made into an area. Contactless proximity cards and fob keys are other often used forms of access control and often they are used in conjunction with or in addition to swipe cards. Once any of these devices is used, the doors close and become locked again almost instantly until the next time a similar device is used. It should be worth noting that access control is not just for front and back door access; it can also serve to protect internal areas of a building as well. Internal doors leading to offices, conference rooms, storage areas, server rooms and security stations can all be secured with access control systems. These allow for restricted access and also prevent inventory loss or data breaches from unauthorized parties.

Car parking barriers

Access control is not just for inside a building – it can also be used effectively for parking lots and delivery areas leading up to a building. Good use of access control in the parking lot can deter unauthorized parties from gaining access to the building’s interior as they must first navigate the car park barriers. An example of this would be drivers presenting an ID badge or swipe card to a guard or card reader in order to get gate access into the parking lot itself. This often followed up with assigned parking for staff, management, visitors and vendors. These assigned parking spaces can be verified with a windshield or bumper sticker that can be easily and quickly noticed by security staff or cameras.

Biometrics

Biometric locks are also known as fingerprint locks. While they sound science fiction like, they are already in use in government and commercial facilities all over the globe and can even be found in some high end residential units. Apple I Phones often are equipped with thumbprint locks that must be correctly matched in order to unlock the phone for use. You can find fingerprint locks guarding wine cellars, jewelry cases, bank vaults, home safes, gun cabinets, and more. Similar to thumb and fingerprint lock technology is iris scanning which is also making great inroads in commercial and institutional use.

Other benefits of access control

There are so many additional benefits to access control. One of these is reduced cost of security. Instead of hiring a myriad of security guards to protect every part of a building or an area, access control systems can be an affordable and realistic alternative that can pay for itself in a very short time. Another cost savings item is less need to have locks rekeyed or replaced. If an employee quits or is fired and does not turn in keys, it is simpler and less costly to remove him from the system and not have to be bothered with altering locks or replacing keys. Also, public and private areas of a building can be simultaneously secured by access control which can prevent guests and visitors from accessing work areas or management offices.