We have come a long way since the first access control system – the wooden key – which was first used in Ancient Egypt and Babylon some 6,000 years ago. These days we are closer to being able to beam people in and out of places – a reality not as far-fetched as when Star Trek first graced our screens!
In today’s world of ever-increasing compliance, safety and security requirements, electronic access systems are becoming a necessity and something that will be as essential as your front door! What are the benefits of installing such a system?
Increasing the safety of employees and visitors
Knowing that your employees are on-site allows you to ensure that they can be alerted with the appropriate action in case of incident or emergency. It also allows you to ensure they are accounted for in the case of an emergency evacuation or crisis. Visitor access systems like Rapid Visitor Access will automatically email or text every person on-site in case of an emergency, with clear instructions on what to do.
The ability to set up different access rights and times for each employee or visitor.
In many organisations, today employees are allowed access to certain parts of the building, and this is especially the case for visitors. Visitors are often only allowed access to certain meeting rooms. EAC systems can ensure that access is given only to certain areas in the building with ease.
It can also ensure that access is given at certain times of the day – so in a factory, for example, night shift staff can be given access only from when their shift begins. This can help avoid paying unnecessary overtime. Cleaning staff may only be granted access after office hours, where they are less likely to disturb employees who are working.
Detailed records and reports of who’s coming and going.
Keeping record of who is coming and going, and when they have done so, is important for both the safety of employees and visitors and for security. In these COVID riddled days, being able to report on points of contact for employees and visitors is crucial, and something that cannot be done easily without an EAC system.
- Systems like Rapid-Go allow contactless visitor sign-in. You simply scan your pre-arranged QR code, check-in and go.
We have first-hand seen how keeping track of people accessing the building can help track down fraud. These audit trails can be used to spot trends, for example how frequently and for how long a visitor is on site. Any exceptions, unexplained visits, unusually long visits, and access to restricted areas assist in tracking down these incidents.
Systems like Rapid Access will provide this information in easy-to-use dashboard reporting and can output data to pivot tables for in-depth analysis.
Discouraging criminals from breaking in.
Criminals with intent to break in are going to be far more discouraged when the EAC system requires an electronic photo and credentials, that cannot be physically removed once access to the site is gained. Getting access to the right credentials to gain access also become much harder. Enhancing security when using it with video surveillance also adds tremendous value and is easily integrated into most EAC systems.
The ability to control doors remotely is also easily done with EAC systems.
Easing the administrative burden of controlling building access. Most EAC systems allow:
- Easy replacement of lost or stolen credentials
- The ability to easily add and remove credentials, eliminating the need to change the locks when an employee leaves the company.
- Preventing copied keys.
- Cloud-based data so that it is easily retrieved even if the building is inaccessible.
- Extra protection of sensitive data with a password and two-factor authentication
- Systems like Rapid Access utilising the Rapid App require smartphone authentication to gain access.
- Beacon technology provides access to multiple entry points.
- Controlling access via Bluetooth which saves significant time.
The ability to control multiple properties.
Companies with multiple sites in multiple regions can easily consolidate their data so that the audit trail needs of the site itself and those of the company as a group are easily met.
Conclusion
These are a few examples of how you can genuinely save your business time and money, increase compliance and reduce risk. It does require you to spend time planning and putting these controls in place on a platform that can deliver these results for you. The investment is worth it – do the job properly once and it will be right every time after that!
OVS Solutions, a Licensee of Rapid Global, have a great Access Management solution that is used worldwide. It services both SME’s and large international corporations.
The OVS Solutions sales and support team are available to assist with live demonstrations, user guides, and any information you may require.
Contact us on sales@ovs-solutions.com