3 ways to improve your access control
Good security isn’t just about CCTV – it’s about controlling who has access to your premises. In today’s post, we’re looking at three ways to step up your security to limit and monitor movements on your site.
1. Use contactless QR codes for easy, everyday staff and visitor access
Love them or loathe them, QR codes have become part of daily life, and more and more companies are making use of them not just for sharing information, but for controlling access. These typically work in conjunction with barriers or turnstiles, and can be precisely tailored to the conditions granted for individual users. QR codes can be set to allow access to the whole premises or specific parts of it, and for the amount of time you choose.
For an unmanned gym, for example, each member gets their own QR code that grants them access at the times their membership covers (evenings and weekends, for instance, or weekdays only), and for the duration of the time they’ve paid for. Using the same system, you could also grant day passes for visitors or access to all areas for cleaners.
2. Use biometric access for higher security premises
While QR codes are a fantastically convenient way to allow people to access premises such as gyms, some facilities require a higher degree of security than this – a research facility, for instance. For that, biometric access offers a more reliable way of ensuring that only specific individuals have access.
Biometric access typically works with either fingerprint or palm print recognition, facial recognition or iris scanning. It can be used to grant only those with maximum clearance access to high-security areas of your premises, and all without the need for passes or codes to be checked by security personnel.
3. Set up ANPR for vehicle access
Finally, if your premise has a car park, you’ll need a way to control movements in and out – both to ensure that only authorised vehicles have access to parking, and to make sure the security of your premises isn’t compromised by potential offenders in cars, vans or trucks that could be used as getaway vehicles. Advances in technology mean you can do this remotely using Automatic Number Plate Recognition software – so nobody even needs to be on site to let cars in and out.
Automatic Number Plate Recognition, also known as ANPR (Licence Plate Recognition or LPR, as it’s referred to by our American friends), ties in with your CCTV footage and physical barriers to control vehicle access. It works by using clever optical character recognition (another acronym – OCR) to read registration plates as a car, van, or lorry approaches your premises.
Not only does this mean you can set up automatic entry and exit for specific vehicles, but you can also track the movements of particular vehicles for reporting or investigation purposes, and cross-reference data to the make and model of the car to spot infringements.
Step up your access control today
Backed by our intelligent security system, our access control services are the smart way to control who can enter your premises, day and night. They cover each of the methods we’ve described here, and link in with our advanced monitoring and reporting capabilities to provide an accurate picture of who’s at your premises and when.
Take control of access to your site today by calling on 01749 600 600 or emailing hello@ifacility.co.uk – we’d be delighted to discuss your business needs.