Between April 2015 and March 2016 around 400,000 police recorded burglary crime, of which around 200,000 of them were against businesses, revealed in a report from the Office for National Statistics. Burglary is always one of the biggest threats for any businesses. To protect your business you can take several security measure, from CCTV camera to access control systems. Whilst CCTVs act as a restraint disincentive for culprits, or gives proof to catch them in the act, access control systems is basically works to stop break ins completely by restricting who can access the building.

Providers of name badges and lanyards, Badgemaster, discuss the benefits of access control for your business:

What is an Access Control System?

For over 50 years, access control systems have been protecting our offices. They are an effective means to determine who is allowed to enter and leave the building. This applies on a door to door basis. For premises that only staff can enter, you can set up restricted access to your building – you can also set up restricted access per department. For example, in businesses where certain areas require a particular level of expertise to enter, again, you can set up restricted access so only those who are qualified can enter that area.

Access control systems have proved beneficial in the hotel industry. Instead of using traditional keys for hotel rooms, the industry has found that access control is more efficient and safer for their guests and the business. Rather than keys, some hotels encrypt a code onto a card or band that is scanned to enter the hotel, and then your hotel room. This is then wiped following the guest’s departure so that previous guests cannot enter into a hotel room where new guests are staying. This prevents robbery and unwelcome guests.

Why were they developed?

The technology was first developed as a solution to staff losing keys – advancements have meant that access control systems can now be controls by cards and key fobs which can simply be attached to lanyards around your neck, or even biometric data such as individual fingerprints. Access control provides a secure environment for businesses, whether that be preventing unknown strangers from entering the building or limiting access to secure areas in the building to authorised or qualified personnel only.

The benefits of access control on your business

Access control can benefit your business and premises for several reasons, including in regards to the safety of your business and the working order of your business and staff. Once the system is set up, only those who you want to have access will be able to enter the building. For an office space that stores money or expensive equipment, you can limit access to employees only.

For the safety of your employees, and any visitors, having internal access control should be considered – especially for secure areas or departments which store dangerous equipment, require qualifications or in the likes of hospitals when only trained staff are allowed access.

Depending on your security needs as a business, there are different levels of access control that you can consider. Some systems will keep strangers out of a building until they have communicated with a member of staff, whereas other systems provide higher levels of security to keep all unauthorised personnel out. High security systems usually require several steps of authentication before granting access. This is usually implemented on departments or rooms which contain safes or confidential documents and software.