In this week’s blog post, Mercury Security & Facilities Management’s Sales Manager, Paul Heaney, discusses how access control systems can enhance the security of your business.
Security is an important issue for businesses of any size and in any industry, with concern for the safety of staff, property, assets and data at the centre of security fears. Depending on your requirements there are many types of security options available and sometimes it can be difficult understanding which is a best fit for your business.
Access control systems are one security solution which can help bring peace of mind to businesses. The main advantage of access control systems is that they prevent unauthorised entry rather than acting as a discouragement in the way that CCTV often does. Modern technology has allowed manufacturers of these systems to constantly push the boundaries and produce products with a number of technical and innovative features.
One of the advantages of this form of security is that it helps you to stay in control of your business as only people authorised by you are able to enter the premises, and therefore, helping to reduce both security risks and data breaches. The system can also be customised to restrict access to certain areas for members of staff who do not need to access a particular area of the building. They also offer greater accountability as you can see what times staff and visitors enter and vacate the premises which can be useful information for time management, fire roll call or should any issues arise.
For sophisticated security requirements, access control systems offer great integration capabilities as they have the ability to link to CCTV cameras allowing a more comprehensive solution. This, and a reliable, professionally-managed monitoring solution can add a further dimension to your security which allows you to feel confident that your business is safe and secure. There are also huge savings to be made from having your system remotely monitored as opposed to the mounting costs of staff monitoring this in-house. Access control systems save further costs as they eliminate the need and cost for manned guarding.
While the traditional ‘lock and key’ method can work effectively for some businesses, keys can become lost thus becoming a security concern. In such a scenario, there is the cost and disruption of having to change locks and the risk of keys being copied. Access control systems can use different means of access including cards and fobs. One of the key benefits of these forms of access is that in the event of these falling into the wrong hands, they can be quickly deactivated once the alarm has been raised thus ensuring that access can no longer be granted.
In addition to the above risks, keys may not be practical for larger companies with many employees and visitors coming and going throughout the day or for companies with a high staff turnover. Access Control may be a better solution in these scenarios as it allows ease of use while also retaining high security standards.
Whilst such technology should be embraced, care must be taken to ensure that these new technologies and applications are suitable for the intended use, compatible with existing technologies, practical, effective and, where required, aesthetically in tune with your building.
Standards and codes of practice also play an ever important role in ensuring that products installed meet the exact requirements and operational needs of each individual application. It is important that your installer is accredited to industry standards to ensure that that you can trust that the system fitted is of a good quality. At Mercury Security & Facilities Management, this is based on the risk assessment carried out by our specialist Technical Team who ensure the correct grading of the system is applied.
We have the knowledge, experience, qualifications and accreditations to provide access control systems and understand how and when to effectively control or restrict access. A professionally installed access control system can be an effective part of your security management plan.
At Mercury Security & Facilities Management, our IT department will also provide support in ensuring a scalable solution with great capacity to integrate with other security systems, CCTV systems and building management systems to help you prepare for business growth and approaching technology challenges.
Would you like more information on access control installation? Call us today on (028) 9262 0510 to arrange a FREE site survey to assess your security requirements.