Access Control Systems

Best Access Control Systems

At a very basic level, access control is a means of controlling who enters a location and when. The person entering may be an employee, a contractor or a visitor and they may be on foot, driving a vehicle or using another mode of transport. The location they’re entering may be, for example, a site, a building, a room or a cabinet.

We tend to call it physical access control to differentiate it from access control that prevents people from entering virtual spaces – for example when logging into a computer network. And, although one of its primary uses is to increase security, a physical access control system can offer many other benefits too. Including the improved efficiency of your business processes and site or building management.

What is an access control systems?

When we talk about a physical access control system, we’re usually referring to an electronic security system. They typically use an identifier such as an access card to authorise people to enter certain areas. And, as they’re capable of logging who accessed where and when, they can provide valuable data to help you track how your buildings and sites are being used.

Why use an access control systems instead of keys?

Mechanical keys are the simplest form of physical access control and the method many smaller organizations use. Even for a small company, however, using mechanical keys has several flaws and limitations – especially as an organization gets bigger. Below are just some of the problems presented by using keys.

  • People lose keys
    If someone loses a key, you need to replace the lock to make sure the lost key can’t be misused. You then need to distribute new keys to everyone who needs access to that door
  • Keys don’t leave an audit trail
    You can’t see if and when someone’s used a key, so you don’t know who’s entered or at what time.
  • Keys are difficult to manage
    If someone needs to enter many different buildings and rooms, they’ll need a large number of keys, which are inconvenient to carry and use. It can be difficult to remember which key is for which door, but it’s too much of a security risk to label them.