What You Need to Know About Access Control

Access control regulates access via access card, biometric reader, retinal scan, and facial recognition to eliminate old-fashioned keys. Our web-based systems put you in control of access to your sensitive areas, while our managed access services remove the hassle of maintaining the system hardware and software so you can focus on running your business.

What is access control?

Access control is a security solution that gives you control. It allows you to control and restrict access to specific doors and areas. Access control answers three main questions. Who entered or attempted to enter the door? When was access granted or denied? Where did they enter or try to enter? With access control, you can know what time employees entered the building, which employees have accessed specific areas, and if someone attempted to access a restricted area who did not have authorization. You can also control which employees have access to which doors and at what times.

Why use access control instead of a key?

Traditionally, businesses use keys to lock and unlock doors and control employee access. Managers might have three or four keys to access the building and other rooms within the building; other employees might only have one key to open the store in the morning. There are a few issues with keys and some significant security concerns.

First, keys can easily be duplicated. Anyone can take a key to the local hardware store and request a copy.

Second, keys do not give you the ability to know who used them or when they used them.

Third, keys allow access to the building 24/7. An employee could unlock the building at 3:00 AM without authorization.

Fourth, when keys are lost, they can be costly to replace. If the master key to your retail store is missing, you will need to pay for someone to unlock the door for you. If you cannot find the key, you’ll have to pay to rekey the door- which is expensive.

An access control card is near impossible to duplicate, will tell you exactly who used it and when, can control when the user can access the doors and is managed online – if a key is lost or forgotten, you can open the door with your phone or computer and delete the card so that if it is found, it cannot be used.

What else can access control do?

Access control has many capabilities and applications for your business. As mentioned before, you can assign unique access permissions to each department or employee- giving you precise control of your business and restricted areas. Another great feature of our access control is its reporting. A card history report can be provided to see which employee entered which door at what time. Also, doors can be set on an auto-lock or unlock schedule; this is great for offices with a public lobby or a file room that should be available during specific hours.

No matter what your business’s access control needs are, Comtronics has a customized solution for you.