A government contractor, for example, developing weapons systems has a variety of security issues it might handle with access control. These might include access to:
- general administration offices
- the research facility
- research files
- development schedules
- manufacturing specifications
- manufacturing plant(s)
- manufacturing schedules
- effectiveness and side effect information
This contractor might need several levels of access control. General administration offices might need to protect employees during office hours and to secure the building after hours.
The research facility and files might be accessible only to research staff. In this case, the company might want complete control of who enters or leaves the building and a record of this information. Reports on tests and information about effectiveness and side effects might be accessible only to the lead scientist on each project. This device might track both entry and exit times.
The manufacturing plant(s) might need a different level of access control. For example, there might be three plants, each manufacturing one of the three essential components of the weapons system. The company might want entry to each plant limited to the individuals who work in each plant only. Once inside the building, it might be beneficial to limit access to manufacturing schedules to supervisors, managers and executives. Manufacturing specifications, including special markings on the component, might be limited to executives and managers.
Your business might not produce sophisticated weapons systems for the government. Nevertheless, you will certainly want some level of access control to protect sensitive information. You will want to protect your employees, as well.
You might choose access control that recognizes magnetic cards, coded for each individual employee. This card is swiped through a scanner outside the exterior doors to the building. This is the more typical type of access system than the fingerprint or eye scanner a government contractor might use.
Access control can be used to protect your employees by keeping out dangerous people. It can be used to protect sensitive information or costly equipment by limiting access to approved individuals. Access can also be used for management purposes.
Access control provides detailed information about every time every individual passes a controlled access point. Thus, you know how often someone leaves the building, how long he stays in the break room, and how often he visits the supply room. You can quickly identify and prove patterns of behavior indicative of someone stealing supplies or slacking off on the job.
Access control offers control of who enters the building, and when. It can track the movements of individuals as they pass through various devices. It can be used to monitor access to equipment, supplies, etc. In addition, it can be used to manage employee activities.
Every business – from the government contractor to the local book shop – can benefit from access control to protect employees, restrict after-hours entry, to control access to parts of your facilities and to track employee activities and manage more effectively.
