If you run a business, access control may be the last thing on your mind, particularly in the current global climate. However, access control is vital for every business: it allows you to safeguard your staff and your assets, protecting your business’ finances, reputation, and your bottom line. With the challenges currently facing businesses, this is arguably more important than ever.
It is therefore critical to think about your current office building access control systems, and whether they are sufficient to protect your business’ interests. Here are 6 reasons why you probably need to improve your business’ access control.
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Minimise Human Error
We all make mistakes: this is human. However, a simple mistake by one of your employees such as forgetting to lock a door or window could be very costly for your business. A centralised access control system minimises the risk of human error by taking responsibility to ensure that all entry and exit points are locked when they should be.
This also makes things easier for your staff, as they no longer need to worry about lock-up procedures. Instead, they can simply come and go using a pin, key card, or other access control device. This means that employees no longer need to worry about getting locked out, or waiting for the person with the key to arrive in order to let them onsite.
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You Eliminate Keys
Another advantage of an access control system is that you can get rid of traditional keys which are problematic in a number of ways. Traditional keys can be stolen or borrowed and then easily copied, putting your premises at risk of unauthorised entry. It can also be cumbersome to distribute keys to all employees while giving keys only to certain staff members has its own drawbacks. A modern access control system uses the latest technology to eliminate keys for better security and greater efficiency.
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You Need to Control Who Enters Your Premises
No matter your business, is it absolutely critical that you can choose who can come onto your premises and when. Allowing free access to your business for all staff members, clients, suppliers, and visitors puts everyone at risk, not to mention the risk of theft of business property or information. There may be certain areas of your site that are restricted to certain personnel only, or you may want staff and others only to enter at certain times of the day.
In the current global context, it is more important than ever that businesses can control how many people enter their site and how many people are onsite at the same time. NortechControl access control tools allow you to seamlessly allow entry to people who have a right to enter your premises and deny those who do not. You can also use these tools to track who is on-site at any given time.
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The Risk of Theft is Real
One of the key reasons you need to control who has access to your business is that there is a very real risk of theft. Access control stops would-be thieves from entering your site and stealing your assets. This includes employees, unfortunately: figures show that 75% of employees steal from their employer at least once.
Proper access control stops employees from being where they shouldn’t be or being somewhere at a time that they shouldn’t and allows you to track who accessed the area if a theft does take place. Additionally, it is not only physical assets that can be stolen, by virtual assets as well. The loss of data or information can occur if an unauthorised person comes onsite and takes electronic or physical files, meaning lost time, reputation, and profit.
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You’ll Save Money
There are many costs involved with traditional key-based security systems. It is common for employees to lose keys, or leave their position without handing their keys in. Every time this happens, this doesn’t mean just replacing the key, but re-keying all the doors to ensure that security is kept intact.
This is expensive, especially when you have to do it over and over again. Although access control systems require some initial investment, this will likely save you money in the long run, not to mention the time and effort of re-keying all locks and handing out new keys every time.
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You Track All Movements
A comprehensive access control system not only allows you to restrict who enters or exits your site, but it also lets you track who is entering and when. This means that if an incident does occur, you’ll be able to check exactly who was on-site at that time. You can also use this technology to make sure your staff are following proper processes, and are at work when they should be (and are not on site when they shouldn’t).
Interesting related article: “Residential and commercial security systems.”