The need for building security for small businesses is generally accepted as a vital part of any business plan. What is often not considered is that door access control is cheaper in the long run than other standard security solutions.
While a lock and key may seem sufficient, they are simply not as good at protecting your property with a door access control system. This is even before we consider the other benefits of that come along with it.
The most obvious -and arguably the most important- asset to a door access control system is the ease at which intruders and unauthorised personnel can be kept out. This has a direct effect on reducing vandalism and theft. Standard keys are easily misplaced, duplicated, passed around and lost. Ever had to replace a chain of keys because they have been dropped somewhere? It can be expensive, slow, and worse still it can lead to locks having to be changed which costs a lot of time and money. This is not the case with an electronic token. If you lose it, block it and issue another one. This process takes minutes. Wish to block a token from an employee that has left the company, or from a visitor that has not returned it? Update the access controllers and block entry to that token.
Other cost savings can come from the fact that with a secure system that operates 24 hours a day, fewer security guards are needed, and in some cases it eliminates the need for them entirely. Access control can be used to reduce costs in areas not generally considered to be part of security. Take for instance the energy costs of a company over something basic such as lighting. The system can be programmed along with other systems to switch off lights when nobody is registered as present in that area of the building. For the environmentally conscious, this will help reduce your carbon footprint.
Processing employee working hours becomes a much simpler procedure. Whereas before employee hours had to be logged manually and then wages worked out, a door access control system can automate this process by passing the information straight to payroll. Holiday time, absences, lateness can all be worked out electronically from the staff using their tokens when they arrive for work.
Fire roll calls become far easier to manage, especially in large companies. The system can feed information back to the system administrator as to who is inside the building and where they have been. If anyone is missing from the roll call, simply check the system log and find out where they last scanned their token.
Finally, access control systems have the ability to integrate with existing security frameworks. You can set them up to connect seamlessly with, for instance, CCTV creating a safer and more secure environment.
As I am sure you will agree, access control is a worthy investment for the security conscious employer.
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