Why you need an access control system – and how to choose the right one
When your company is growing, you will hire more employees and purchase modern devices or equipment. You will, therefore, need to enhance the security of your office/factory premises and find a way to keep track of employee access and activity. At the same time, you can’t just hand out keys or keycards to new employees on their very first week – you need a period of probation and assessment to ensure that they are trustworthy enough to be entrusted with such unbounded access. This is why setting up a new access control system becomes absolutely essential to a fast-growing business.
Another reason to opt for a new access access control system is, of course, if your current system is outdated. If your employees are still forced to carry around a bunch of physical keys to open heavy locks, you already know it’s time for a change. Even if you do have a slightly more modern keycard system designed to let your employees in and out of the workspace easily, if it is not intuitive enough to scale with your growing operational needs, it is definitely time to consider an upgrade.
Before you begin the hunt for the perfect access control system for your workspace, here are few aspects you need to consider:
1. Functions and Integrations
The question is simple – what do you want your access control system to do, other than the basic functions of providing or restricting access? To arrive at the answer, you may need to list down the needs of different units of the workplace, assess which areas of the workspace require higher levels of security than others, and study the options available in the market.
A few features you may consider are: employee time and attendance tracking, access reporting, remote monitoring, real-time notifications, integration with surveillance cameras, emergency exit notifications, integration with HR portals, fire alarms and break-in detection alarms. You must also choose whether you want biometric systems or proximity readers.
2. Capacity and Scalability
The number of employees who will need access and the number of doors/entry points that need simultaneous monitoring are both important factors that will influence your decision. If you have a fairly busy space, then systems designed for lesser traffic and for smaller spaces would not be functionally robust enough for your use.
Remember also to keep in mind the anticipated growth of your organisation in the next few years when you opt for an access control system. It is important to keep it fairly scalable and flexible enough to accommodate your changing needs.
3. Different Levels of Access
An ideal access control system will help you set up different levels of access for different users, and at different entryways. This is because limiting access to highly sensitive data or expensive equipment to a minimum number of users is the best and easiest way to ensure maximum security.
The best way to go about determining who needs access to which area is to take a floorplan and break it down into zones based on the nature of the space and the levels of security required. Apart from the main/common entry way, give each user a customized level of access. If you have different departments within your organisation, each department head can decide the access level required for each team member.
4. Auditing Access and Activity
To ensure thorough security, you will need to conduct periodic audits within your organisation. Revise the levels of access provided to each employee based on how often they use a particular zone or facility within the workspace.
An advanced access control system will facilitate these audit measures by providing thorough exhaustive reporting and real-time notification features, among others. They may also enable time-based self-expiry for guest access cards and those that haven’t been used in a while.
5. Upgradability and Maintenance Support
Your access control system plays an important role in ensuring the security of your workspace. Therefore, it is important that it undergoes routine check-up and maintenance. An efficient access control system will also be one that comes with periodic upgrades, offered by the vendor/manufacturer as a result of continuous research and development.
As technology improves on a day-to-day basis, it is important that your system also stays updated to avoid becoming obsolete.
The Synel Solution
Synel UK provides a range of access control solutions to help you secure your workspace and keep you updated with real-time data of employee access and activity. The Synel Access Control Module is fully integrated with the Synel Time and Attendance solution, thereby becoming a truly holistic solution for your organisation.
Our systems are being used, with great success, by organisations of all sizes, across industries including corporate premises, multiple-site premises, Government buildings, educational institutions, sports clubs, factory and industrial complexes, car parks, nursing homes, and more. Want Synel for your workspace? Get in touch with us today!
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