Door Access Control System Security

Door Access Control System Security

A door access control system is an integral part of the physical security systems. They protect your employees, clients, visitors, physical assets and data from unwanted intrusion, damage, or theft. security more important than ever before, it is important to know about the technologies on the market that will keep your assets and – most importantly – employees and patrons safe.

Main focus today will be on door access control systems, but first, let’s talk a little bit about a few other important security measures you should be taking.

Photo Identification: – Even though your employees probably dislike their ID card photo, these are actually very effective to have in businesses with over 50 employees. Photo IDs are a quick way to tell that everyone in the building is supposed to be there. To make this security measure work, employees should always have their ID cards visible.

Security Conscious Employees: – It is vital to make sure that employees understand how important security is to your company. They should be made aware of the security policies and what to do in case of an emergency. If you hire someone new, make sure that they are going to be a long-term employee before briefing them on security procedures.

IT Security: – All computers, telecommunications, and IT activities need to be kept secure at all times.

Door Access Control System Basics: How it Works

Systems can be customized to be as simple or robust as you would like, but it is important in this day and age to have more than just a traditional lock and key protecting your building.

Credentials

Digital door readers are connected electronically to the door lock. The access control readers give access to the building based on established credentials. Established credentials are things like a key card the most common, key fob the second most common, or thick lanyard cards with holes the least common.

A lot of companies are installing door readers that use smartphones as a credential to access certain areas. Now, by far the most secure credentials are biometrics. Biometrics access control systems can recognize things like facial features, fingerprints, the iris of the eye, or even the way you walk to provide identification to the reader.

How Does Biometric Access Control Work?

Technology and Network Connectivity

The latest door readers are devices that connect a network. This network is powered by Power over Ethernet (PoE). They connect directly to the network that holds the identification codes for all the people assigned to the system.

Remember those credentials we mentioned above? Every person who requires access to the building has a code tied to their credential – this is how the system recognizes that they are authorized to be in the building.

Access control systems are unique in that they can work even if the main network is not working and the central management software is unavailable. They can operate autonomously using backup power sources.

As you have probably guessed, the door reader transfers the ID code controller portion of the door access control system. If the ID is accepted, the door unlocks.

Software

Now, this is all well and good but the really important part of an access control system is the software that tracks who enters and exits the building. The software also has the ability to alert you when someone enters the building after hours or there is a break-in.

If there is out of the ordinary activity, you have the option to pull up your access control software anywhere you have a WiFi signal either on your phone or laptop and block certain areas remotely. What happens if you are going to be somewhere that doesn’t have a great WiFi signal? You can grant admin access to people you trust in your company while you are away and remove them later on if you need to.

The other thing that the software is able to do is bring all access control security into one centralized place. This means that if there is an intruder, you can block access to certain areas of the building. You can also disallow certain employees from accessing areas of the building that they have no need to be in.

We said that access control systems can be as robust or simple as you want them to be and that is true but for the best security possible, you should consider choosing a system that provides everything you need and then a little extra. Making the decision to invest in a great door access control system now will help you protect your business in the future.