Information Management: An Important Part of Access Control
New security management products and systems are continually evolving. Time consuming, manual systems are rapidly being replaced by sophisticated, automated technology. Many companies are utilizing security products that are PC-based and provide the end-user with instant, ongoing, permanent records of who enters and leaves the property and deny access to proprietary areas of the building such as computer and accounting departments. In many cases, companies have successfully implemented integrated systems of access control with time and attendance and asset management. Not surprising, facility managers play a vital role in deciding the degree of access control required by a company. The decisions facility managers (FMs) make in regard to implementing security controls today will ultimately affect a company's growth and prosperity in the future.
The FM's Key Role
Consider for a moment a company whose main goal is to appropriate access control and asset management throughout its building with little regard as to who will maintain and oversee its implementation and functionality. Deciding what type of security controls are needed and who will maintain them is a consideration every company should review before any access control system is implemented. FMs are key to the process from the inception. That's because facility managers are generally well acquainted with the layout of the company, from the bricks and mortar structure to the most secured areas of the building. Complementing this knowledge is the fact that, especially in smaller companies, FMs are familiar with the arrival and departure times of the employees. That goes beyond who is actually inside the building and into the surrounding areas. It also addresses the exterior radius of the building including parking lots and parking ramps. While less sophisticated security measures may work adequately for small companies, where tracking movements of employees and visitors is quite simple, large companies with complex entries and exits and many employees face a much greater challenge.
Without the support of available automated technology such as CCTVs and swipe card entry functions, FMs face much tougher obstacles. Who enters or leaves the building or secured areas would be nearly impossible to track. In addition to the consideration of how many employees work within the company, the number of building access points, the hours the company is open for business and future expansion plans will determine the degree of security and the type of access and asset security needed. Although building owners and property managers are generally the decision-makers, they rely on their FMs to suggest and implement security management tools.
Assess Needs before Investing
As a major player in the decision-making process, facility managers have a responsibility to assess and evaluate the various types of access and asset management controls best suited for the company. Traditionally, the most simplified form of access control has been card punching, or lock and key. Gone are the days when disgruntled-fired employees were asked to return their company key. Today, accessibility to a company's building and privileged areas require photo ID cards, remote control CCTVs and biometrics which can include a thumb print scanner, a palm scanner or an iris scanner which are all unique characteristics to every individual.
New to the arena of access control devices is the smart card, which contains a tiny computer chip loaded with an employee's personal information including emergency numbers, special medical needs, height, weight, license and plate numbers, fingerprint and any other information the company may deem necessary to properly identify an employee. In addition, terminated employees who don't return their employee ID cards can simply be deleted from the system and future access is denied. Any attempt by the employee can generate an alarm condition as well.
Asset Management - Tracking & Security
Entry cards containing computer chips also maintain security on products and property. Asset control is largely a bigger issue than entry. Each year millions of dollars are lost due to theft and pilfering by some of the company's most trusted employees. Once an access control systems is in place, an additional asset security measure can be implemented by integrating the system with an asset transceiver. By tagging expensive products like laptop computers, surgical equipment and industrial tools, any attempt at leaving the premises by an unauthorized person will be thwarted because the tagged item will trigger an alarm and the thief will be identified. Technology has also provided the ability for CCTVs to pan, tilt and zoom toward the perimeter where the asset is being taken out. Security management needs to do little more than keep an eye on the monitor and identify the intruder.
In many cases, asset tracking via tagging also provides companies with the ability to track equipment throughout the building. As assets are moved from one location to another, their position can be displayed on a floor plan via a PC. Recently, hospitals have utilized asset tracking for numerous reasons, including locating expensive heart monitoring equipment, surgical instruments, and even wheelchairs.
Be Wary of Vendors Offering Product Bundles
One of the issues most FMs face is the availability and the effectiveness of the access control products that are implemented. Manufacturers offering solutions to access control management often tend to bundle the products that they offer. For example, a manufacturer that has spent years perfecting a time and attendance product may decide to attach an access control product with it and offer it as one product. The manufacturer will get the attention of the facility manager because both products can be integrated with one access card. While time and attendance product manufacturers have a vast knowledge of their product, the same amount of time has not been used to perfect the access control product. As a result, the company in need of a full security program may end up with a great time and attendance product but a failed access control product.
One solution to that problem is achieved when alliances are formed between different vendors to offer products that work in tandem with one another. Blending products and forming company alliances appear to be the wave of the future, creating a savings of resources, time and producing a package of products that work well together.
An Eye on the Future
Unfortunately, a company cannot always predict to what extent it will grow in the future. However, FMs are looking carefully at what processes they are implementing in access control, asset control and time management in the early stages. For example, companies that have a two-door access control system can work great right now, but when the company starts expanding, rewiring and redesigning the access control system can be necessary. To avoid this, FMs are looking for systems that have the capability of growing with the company. Beginning with the infrastructure, FMs are shopping for add-on capability that will best meet their growth needs in the future. In many cases, and with the proper infrastructure in place, they have the ability to add panels and software that will enable them to magnify their access control capabilities. Without a thorough investigation of all the access control options available on the market today, those in charge of security would have a difficult task of selecting the right system best suited to the company's needs. Technology has allowed facility managers so many options that without the knowledge of that broad spectrum of information, FMs could be selecting product that doesn't have the ability to meet the current needs of the company, nor grow with it. For more information, click here or call 800-233-0298. |
