Security for your business is always important and even more so in the age of COVID-19. For the security of your business and the safety and health of your employees, you want to be sure that only authorized personnel can enter your buildings. Access control is the means of accomplishing that.
Basically, access control is a security solution granting access to your facility. With a system of access control, you’re able to limit who can enter your business, where they can go after they’ve entered, and what days and times they’re allowed access.
Access control systems are extremely flexible and can help you build layers of protection around your business. For example, you might install a fence and access gates around your facility, providing a first layer of access. Once beyond the gates, you can limit access to buildings and can even make floors, rooms, and offices restricted to key personnel at designated times.
If you’re on the fence and still not sure you need access control, here are 5 ways access control can benefit your business.
This is the first and most obvious benefit of access control. As we’ve stated, with an access control system you have complete control over who can enter your business, where they can go after they’ve entered, and on what days and at what times you allow entry. Limited access guarantees that only authorized personnel who are supposed to be in a building or area at a particular time are allowed to enter.
Temporary clearance can also be granted. This is helpful in giving delivery drivers, maintenance workers, and other visitors limited access to your facility.
With access control, all entry and departure data are logged, and this information can be extremely valuable to your security team if there’s some problem. As an example, if inventory is missing, door access data would tell you which employees could have been in the area at a particular time, and that information can help in resolving issues.
Beyond security, with motion sensors and video surveillance you can track employee attendance and employee contact, extremely beneficial in the age of COVID-19. If an employee contracts the virus, you can easily determine what other employees they may have come into contact with while at work.
No owner wants the risk of a disgruntled, dismissed employee having access to your business, but rekeying all your access points can be extremely expensive. With a modern access control system, that expense is eliminated. With a computer-based access control system, key cards, card readers, key fobs, and access codes can be cancelled or created at any time for any individual, based on their status in your company.
In addition, by eliminating the use of keys altogether, you reduce the risk of current or former employees duplicating and sharing keys with unauthorized personnel.
No honest employee neglects to lock doors and gates at the end of the workday or week, but mistakes happen. An access control system allows you to set the times when doors and gates lock automatically, protecting your company’s valuable assets.
If you want to expand your business access control system, it can be connected to your lighting, heating, and air conditioning. This connection means that lights and air will turn on and off at designated times, potentially saving your business a lot of money in utility costs.
SMG Security is your one-stop company for all your security needs. Access control is one of our top priorities, backed by our outstanding customer support, and we want to help provide physical security for your company and your employees. We offer a great variety of security options, including CCTV and professional monitoring of your business. Contact us today and give our security specialists the opportunity to design an access management system that meets your needs and fits your budget.
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