Exploring Access Control
What is Access Control?
Access Control is a system that regulates or restricts movement throughout your premises. As such, it’s a vital element of any security management system. Here, we look in more detail about some of the key features of an Access Control System.
Biometric Readers
Any device that reads the identity of a person by comparing some attribute of their physiological being or behavioural traits against a sample database is called a Biometric Reader. Biometric Readers come in many forms, the most common including facial recognition, hand geometry, fingerprint and iris recognition readers. They work by picking out unique reference points on the face, finger or hand presented and converting it into a unique code that can be stored in a database and referenced against later to provide fast matching later. This, as you would expect, is an extremely secure method of authentication and can be further enhanced when used in combination with proximity and keypad readers.
See how they work
To understand more, here is a short, helpful video produced by one of our key technology partners Gallagher.
Anti Passback
Anti passback is a common feature of an access control system that does not let the same cardholder return through the same zone without having left it first. This is to avoid card misuse or tailgating, meaning that multiple people will be not able to access secure areas without the proper credentials. Typically, for an anti passback system to work correctly, you need to have entry and exit readers installed on access points and preferably a device in place that restricts tailgating such as a turnstile or speedlane. Anti passback is a simple but effective feature that helps to ensure that only people with the correct permissions can enter your premises.
Visitor Management
Visitor Management is the process of keeping track of who is on-site visiting, and your employees will feel more comfortable knowing visitors have been consistently processed and screened through a visitor management system, to ensure compliance and increased safety. Most access control systems available contain visitor management functionality, either as an embedded feature, or via a third party integration.
CCTV IntegRation
Integrating your access control with CCTV has a number of benefits. Businesses can reduce their people costs by remotely managing distributed sites and properties from a central command and control centre. They can enhance operational efficiency, by managing video surveillance, access control and intruder detection from any single workstation.
It provides real-time management of alarms and incidents, allowing organisations to visually verify reported events as they are reported. These include doors left or forced open, denial of access and intruder detection. And finally, it helps post-incident investigations. Businesses can simply click on the access event report to view the related video streams.
See how it works
To understand more, here is a short, helpful video produced by one of our key technology partners Gallagher.
Fire Roll Call
Fire roll call systems are essential in allowing internal fire marshalls and the emergency services to safely account for employees and staff during an evacuation. As such, they are a must for businesses, in order to ensure an efficient evacuation in any emergency situation. Installing a Fire roll call system as part of a building’s access control or time and attendance systems can streamline a potential emergency evacuation.
reporting
Like most things these days, data is incredibly useful for businesses. Data provides insight and allows businesses to review their processes and make positive continual change. Access Control reporting will provide you with a detailed overview of all the access events in your business and the solutions we provide are fully customisable.
Summing up
Access Control Systems offer a wealth of useful features for businesses. At Nexus, we use technology from some of the industries leading providers, including Gallagher, LenelS2, Brivo, Paxton, Axis and Abloy. If you’d like to find out more and explore your options, then please just get in touch.