5 access control mistakes businesses make – and how to avoid them

Controlling who can and can’t access your site is one of the absolute fundamentals of keeping your people and property safe. But there are a few mistakes we see businesses making again and again that, left unchecked, could leave serious security gaps that criminals can take advantage of. Here are five of the most common, and how you can make sure you don’t fall foul of them.

1. Relying on outdated or manual systems

Still making do with traditional keys? Or perhaps your premises are a little more advanced than that and are using fobs or standalone door controllers. Either way, all these solutions are old news. All it takes is a lost key or a cloned fob, and anybody could have access – plus you don’t get any record of who’s been and gone. Not so if you make the move to a centrally managed access control system with real-time visibility, audit trails and the ability to revoke access instantly if needed.

2. Not controlling vehicle access with ANPR

In the focus on who has access to your building(s), it’s easy to overlook the potential security risk posed by vehicles. Uncontrolled car parks, service yards and delivery bays can all become easy entry routes for theft, trespass or unauthorised access, not to mention providing convenient access for a getaway vehicle. Avoid these concerns by using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR / LPR) to approve or deny vehicle access automatically, as well as creating movement logs.

3. Giving too much access to too many people

With staff leaving or changing roles, and contractors always coming and going, it’s all too easy to let your access permissions accumulate over time. Rather than weakening your security by leaving access permissions untouched, a good rule of thumb to remember is the principle of least privilege. Make sure each person only has access to areas of your premises that they genuinely need, and review permissions regularly to ensure that the right people have access and the wrong ones are revoked.

4. Failing to integrate access control with CCTV

An advanced, centrally managed access control system will give you a movement log so that you can see who’s been and gone, and depending on the size of your building, even provide a picture of someone’s movements from one part of it to another. However, without accompanying CCTV footage, you’re missing vital context. If an unauthorised entry or another type of incident occurs, you need visual verification to back up the data from your access control logs. Integrating your access control with smart CCTV makes investigations faster and more accurate – while also acting as a strong deterrent.

5. Forgetting about visitor and contractor access

Are your visitors your biggest access control blind spot? Many businesses still rely on an old-fashioned paper sign-in sheet or unmanaged visitor passes to grant access to temporary visitors, delivery drivers and contractors. But these provide no oversight or traceability, making it imperative to incorporate digital visitor management into your access control system. This allows you to give your visitors temporary access permissions for the part of your building they need to enter, while allowing you to monitor movements and automatically revoke permissions after a time you define.

Get smart with your access control

Good access control recognises that threats evolve and circumstances change. For that, you need a system that can adapt and scale. Combining intelligent access control, ANPR, and AI-enabled CCTV enables a robust strategy that helps you move from reactive security to proactive protection. We can help with that, so Contact Us today to discuss your business needs.