The 5 W’s of Access Control

Access control is a great security option for any business. It’s one of the best ways to keep your property safe, prevent theft and protect your employees. However, there are so many access control options out there that it can be hard to choose which one is right for you. In this article we’ll cover the 5 W’s of access control that will help determine the best option for your situation:

Who?

Who needs access?

This is perhaps the most important question to answer. Who will be using your access control system, and do they need it? These are not easy questions to answer, but they’re essential to understanding which access control system will work best for you. For example, if only one person in your organization needs an ID badge, then a card-based system may be overkill. In that case, a simple keypad would be more practical than an expensive access control panel with full biometrics and facial recognition capabilities.

It’s also important for you to understand who shouldn’t have access—or at least how hard it should be for them to gain access if necessary. Do any of your employees have previous criminal convictions that disqualify them from working around hazardous materials?

What?

What needs to be protected?

Access Control is what grants you permission or restriction to properties, rooms, buildings, and resources. The two categories are mechanical and electronic. Mechanical access is traditionally keyed entry. Keys aren’t going away anytime soon, but who wants to carry keys everywhere they go? Electronic access is as simple as a gate operator “clicker” and as advanced as multidoor, limited access, maximum security, all managed from the cloud. The use of access control can help protect the new college student on their own for the first time or even limit the number of people in a sterile room. Users are assigned identities or credentials with defined limits on what they are allowed to access.

When?

When does it need to be protected?

Ask yourself this question: “When do I need to know who is coming and going?” When do you need to know who is entering or leaving the building, specifically? For example, if your business uses security guards at the front door and they can be easily identified by their uniform, then an access control system may not be necessary. However, if your building has multiple exits or entrances that are often left unlocked after business hours and it’s common for people to enter without checking in with anyone first, then an access control system would help manage this risk.

Where?

Where do you want to control access?

The first step in an effective security strategy is knowing what assets are valuable and why. Your organization’s data, devices, systems, and people have personal value to the business. How high should your security be for these assets? The answer depends on how well protected they are by default. If something isn’t protected well enough to begin with, then it won’t matter if you increase your defenses after the fact—your attacker will just bypass them anyway! So always start by mapping out where it makes sense for you to control access with a more restrictive policy.

Why?

Why is it important to secure and protect?

Access control is a great security option for any business. It’s easy to implement and maintain, and it’s cost-effective, flexible, scalable, and customizable.

Access control solutions can be used to secure entrances and exits of a building by using electronic devices such as magnetic cards or biometrics. They can be used to monitor employee activity by providing real-time information about who entered/exited the building at what time in addition to controlling building access rights based on employee IDs or visitor IDs. Finally, they are a great option to protect your employees from harm. The more secure your building is, the safer your employees will feel while there. This means they can be more productive because they don’t have to worry about any immediate threats.

Conclusion

Access control is a great security option for any business. It can be used to restrict access to sensitive areas, keep an eye on who enters and exits your building, and ensure that people aren’t stealing from you. Here are a few access control systems that we have been impressed with lately:

If you are looking for the right access control for your business, contact your local SAS branch today and we can connect you with one of our many trusted dealer partners that would love to assist you with all of your security needs!