What is Access Control?
Access control is a means of granting or restricting access to those users or employees who are authorized to have access to your premises. In simplest terms, it consists of computerized controllers and electronic locks. But instead of providing your users or staff with keys, they are provided with “credentials” which are usually cards or tokens that take the place of a key.
Why Access Control?
Unlike keys which work 24-hours a day, with “credentials” you can restrict access to certain times of day for certain users, and even program your access system to trigger a series of events such as “turn on lights and send an email to the manager” when a particular credential is used. Additionally, every time a credential is presented, whether access is granted or not, it is logged in the Access Control software. This information can be used to track employees, provide mustering information, and along with time-keeping software, provide detailed workforce time management information.
Access Control System Benefits
When a key is lost or stolen, businesses are often on the hook for potentially huge costs to rekey. If a credential is lost or stolen, it can be de-authorized immediately to prevent useby unauthorized persons, thus eliminating the costs to re-key.
For high-rise residential buildings and office towers, floor-to-floor elevator control can beused to restrict unauthorized persons or visitors from accessing floors where they have no business.