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Building management is one of the top concerns of property managers and building owners looking to increase business security. Multiple interior and exterior doors, the presence of restricted or sensitive areas and heavy traffic all contribute to increased security issues. Access control security systems can help solve many of these issues and minimise unauthorised entry.
In this article, we'll examine the different access control technologies available to government and businesses, and then we'll take a closer look at how they can help you increase your building security (and save you money, too).
Part I: What Technology can an Access Control System be Comprised of?
Some building managers may think of access control security systems as complicated, expensive electronic networks that are difficult to implement. In reality, they can be tailored to fit many different building sizes, occupancy types, and budgets.
An access control security system allows building management professionals to do more than just control admission to restricted areas. It also keeps electronic records of entries and exits into those areas. Such records help building managers gauge traffic and identify who used a door at any given time. This makes it much easier to answer important security questions such as, "Who was in the building when that incident happened?" and so on.
What access control method is best for you depends on your specific business security needs. Four such methods are detailed below.
Access Control Method #1: Keyless Entry Swipe Cards
These cards bear magnetic strips which contain information about the cardholder. A card reader scans the stripe and allows or denies entry accordingly. The cards are relatively inexpensive, and each user can be given a different unique ID for entrance and exit tracking.
Access Control Method #2: Biometric Scanners
This type of system requires the user to input some type of biological information, in addition to or instead of an access card. The most common types are retinal (eye) and fingerprint scanners. Palmprint scanners or voice activation systems can also be used.
This kind of access control system is more secure than swipe cards - sounds silly to say, but it's quite difficult to forge an eyeball or a hand. The technology for these devices has been advancing and is becoming cheaper to make and install.
Access Control Method #3: Keypad Systems
Users enter an assigned code into a keypad in order to obtain entry into a building or area. Electronic keypads are hard to tamper with, and are reprogrammable in the event that a code needs to be changed. Unique access codes can be given to each user to track entries.
Access Control Method #4: "Smart Cards" or Proxy Card Readers (Proximity Cards)
These are similar to swipe cards, except that the user's information is contained in a microchip rather than a magnetic stripe. These tend to be more secure and less prone to damage than magnetic keyless entry cards.
Both swipe cards and proxy cards have the additional advantage of being able to display a photo and written security credentials, facilitating the work of live security guards to verify identity.
Access Control System Design
An access control security system has several major components. At its core, there is a computerised control centre and a log of each person who is granted access to the building or its parts.
The control centre is linked to entry points throughout the building. These points can include not only doors, but also elevators, turnstiles, parking gates and other barriers. There's no fixed limit to the number of points which can be monitored in this manner.
Here is how the security link works: Barriers at the entry points are outfitted with electronic scanners which serve to verify information entered by the user.
When Information is entered into the scanner (either by swiping an access card or inputting biological information, etc), the reader then relays the information to the control centre. The computer verifies security credentials and grants or denies entry accordingly, with a note in its logs that it did so.
Part II: 5 Reasons Access Control Can Increase Business Security and Government Security
Both governments and mid to large-sized buildings & businesses can benefit greatly from using access control security systems. The five biggest benefits include:
1) Reduced Cost Due to Less Security Guards Needed and Easier Lock Changing
It may be cost prohibitive in large buildings to have security guards monitor every crucial point of entry. From this viewpoint, access control security systems may pay for themselves within a few years or less, while still maintaining security.
Another important aspect of cost reduction for government or business security involves the use of smart cards. Using a swipe card or a proxy card negates the need to change the locks if a key card gets lost, stolen, or is not returned by a dismissed employee. Simply delete that one card from the system and access is prevented, while access for other users is uninterrupted.
Say the unfortunate happens - you run a few warehouses, and have a low level manager who turns out to be a bad hire. He runs off and quits one day without returning his building keys. Now you have to change all the locks... an expensive fix, but it has to be done or you leave yourself open to theft, or perhaps worse.
Compare this to the situation where an electronic access control system was installed. If all he absconded with was a keycard, take 5 minutes and delete his access credentials from the system, forever after denying him access - no locksmith needed. That's real money saved.
2) Ability to Maintain Both Public and "Employees Only" Areas Simultaneously
Many buildings see a mix of daily traffic between public visitors and staff. With access control installed, public visitors are still able to enter, but can be kept from getting past restricted points. Non-staff don't have to feel intimidated by elaborate, overbearing business security systems, and building managers don't have to worry about visitors gaining access to restricted areas.
3) Ability to Record Entries and Exits
Governments and some businesses often need to keep records of who comes and goes. Access control security systems allow them to do so in a manner that is efficient and easily interpreted.
4) Ability to Protect Sensitive Areas
Access control systems allow the user to set various levels of security access. After assigning a keyless entry card to every person who works in a particular building, specific security clearances can then be granted to each cardholder.
For example, one cardholder may be given access only to exterior doorways. Another cardholder can be granted access to both exterior doors plus some or all interior barriers. This allows for building employees to come and go with ease but keeps sensitive areas protected.
Certain situations can also be simpler to handle when access control is installed. In the event of a major security problem, electronic access control facilitates a security lockdown (or security lockout), preventing all access except by those granted high-level clearance. This helps keep the problem contained in the building (or keeps it off the premises).
5) Ensuring Employee Honesty
The true cost of employee dishonesty is difficult to estimate after a breach in business security, which these days is unfortunately much too common. With access control systems implemented in their areas, executives responsible for building management don't have to constantly wonder about employees gaining access to unauthorised areas. This peace of mind, for some execs, may have a monetary value much higher than the cost of the system!
In Conclusion
Access control security systems are relatively simple to monitor and maintain. Properly installed, they are difficult to tamper with and override, creating peace of mind for building managers and tenants. If you're in the business of building management and site security, access control can be a very appropriate option to satisfy your security needs.
Click here today to book a Sydney Access Control Installation.
Mark Pendergast is the Owner of Citiguard Protection Services, a family-owned Sydney Security Company est. 1966. He is a 25-yr veteran of the Australian security industry and lives in Sydney with his wife and children.
Visit the Citiguard Security bLogbook for more articles.
In these days of frequent business travel, working from home, and outsourcing work to independent contractors, you probably have some sort of remote access to your business networks. If your network is not properly secured and you do not implement appropriate remote access controls, you could discover that you have left the back door to your business open and allowed the wrong people to walk in.
Remote network access can be a wonderful thing. No matter where you are, you can log onto your network and access all the information stored there. It gives a great sense of freedom to know that by installing some remote access software and having access to the internet, you can manage your business at any time from any place. Remote network access also gives you the freedom to provide telecommuters and independent contractors access to your business information, enabling them to work for you from a remote location. Doing this is probably both efficient and economical for your business.
Stop for a moment, and think about the number of people who have remote access to your network:
" Employees using laptops and other devices when traveling
" Employees using home computers
" People in branch offices or retail locations
" Sales representatives
" Telecommuting employees
" Independent contractors to whom you outsource work
" Suppliers or vendors
" Business partners
" Customers or clients
To be sure, you almost certainly grant some groups of people only limited access to your network or access to only certain data. But, let's face it, you could be opening hundreds or even thousands of doors to your business.
Now consider that many of your most valuable company assets are probably stored on your network:
" Product information
" Legal and financial information
" Competitive analysis
" Customer profiles and sales history
" Research and development data
" Employee data
Inadequate remote access security can leave your business and the personal information of hundreds of individuals and companies at risk.
Every person who has remote access to your network has the ability to open the door to your business using some device. Whether that device is a home computer accessing your network through a phone line, cable or DSL, the device can be used to open a door. If you don't know how secure the device and the connection are, you are essentially leaving that door to your business unlocked. Once you leave a door unlocked, you no longer have control of who walks in or of what they can see or take without adequate security.
Consider the possibilities:
" An employee's child downloads a game to her home computer without realizing spyware has also been installed. When your employee downloads a file on your new product to that same home computer, your competitive advantage could be gone.
" You, the chief executive of your company, often work from home early in the morning. To save time, you tell your computer to "remember" your log-on and password. Your house is robbed and your home computer is stolen. The thief has full access to both your personal information and your business.
" The head of R&D for your company regularly takes a company laptop home in order to work on weekends. Without his knowledge, his son has downloaded a game, complete with a worm. When the head of R&D logs on to work, he introduces the worm and all those critical research files disappear.
How do you protect your business? You protect your business by closing and locking all of the doors. You establish policies and procedures about use of company equipment and about remote access to files. You build security for your network, and you build additional security for sensitive data. You restrict access by employees to certain websites from company equipment, and you prohibit placement of cookies and spyware on your system or your equipment. Then you layer the protection provided by your security system. Finally, you engage IT people to constantly monitor and update the security of your network.
The bottom line is this: Remote Access can open a back door to your network, putting your business at risk. You can, however, give people remote access to business data they need, and, at the same time, protect your business and your business data.
Copyright (c) 2007 Thomas Burns
Thomas Burns, founder and CEO of Intelligent Networks Services (INS) has been an industry expert in computer network and technology for over 20 years. Under his careful supervision, INS has become a leading, full service IT support company servicing small to mid-sized businesses in Silicon Valley. INS's goal is to save their client's money by focusing on preventative maintenance and intelligent network designs. For more information go to: [http://www.intelligentns.com/subscribe] and receive your complimentary network evaluation.
The advancement of wireless technology has brought the world together, with easy and convenient access to information, whenever we need and wherever we are. Remote Email Access is one example of the flexibility provided by the remote access technology. Remote Email Access gives the user the ability to access, receive and send emails wherever he or she is located.
There are two approaches to Remote Email Access, depending on how conveniently and frequently you can access the computer. In case you have a computer at your disposal than the POP approach best works, but if you are dependent on a cyber café, than you may prefer web access instead.
POP stands for post office protocol and is the way real email systems work. To access your mail using POP, you need to access a POP server that verifies your username and password before granting you access to your emails. Once the mail is downloaded on your system, it is deleted from the POP server. You can access these mails even when you are offline. To access your mails through POP, you would use email client software such as Eudora, Pegasus or Outlook, or the email component of a web browser suite such as Outlook Express or Netscape Messenger.
An alternative way to access mails is to use a web browser such as MS Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator or Opera to visit a web site, than you need to sign in with a user id and password, and then read your mail online. The biggest advantage of web access is that you can check your mails through any computer that has a web browser installed. The only disadvantage is that you have to be online all the time while checking, receiving or sending mails.
Thus, you can use either of the two options according to your convenience and access and exchange your mails with your boss, friends or relatives, wherever you are.
Remote Access provides detailed information about remote access, remote PC access, secure remote access, remote internet access and more. Remote Access is the sister site of FTP Site Hosting.
