Home & Business Access Control Systems
Access Control System Installation Vaughan ON
A Simple Definition
It doesn't matter whether you work for a telco, a utility, a government agency, or any other kind of organization - you've got to manage your doors more effectively.
Whether or not you have experienced theft or vandalism in your network, your unmanned sites are vulnerable. While you might expect this type of criminal activity from strangers, an alarming amount of damage can also be done by employees, ex-employees, and even trusted contractors.
With industrial crimes on the rise, you need more than basic security features. A system involving simple locks and keys are not a viable security solution, and will not adequately protect your network uptime. Therefore, to effectively manage your sites you need to restrict access to authorized personnel only.
With the incorporation of various electronic devices into a security system, the jobs of those monitoring the facilities are made easier and more efficient. Cameras allow greater visibility and event-recording, motion sensors can trigger lights or alarms depending on the applications, and alarm systems can alert the proper authorities in the event that something happens that needs immediate attention beyond available resources at the time.
Many people have also begun to include a wide array of devices into maintaining the security of a building at the entry/egress points as well. That's where the door access control comes in.
Door access control is a matter of who, where, and when. A door access control system determines who is allowed to enter or exit, where they are allowed to exit or enter, and when they are allowed to enter or exit. This was partially done through keys and locks.
When a door is locked only someone with a key can enter through the door depending on how the lock is set up. They can lock and unlock your sites freely. Mechanical locks and keys do not limit the key holder to specific times or dates.
Mechanical locks and keys do not provide records of the key used on any specific door and the keys can be easily copied or transferred to an unauthorized person. When a mechanical key is lost or the key holder is no longer authorized to use the protected area, the locks must be re-keyed.
Instead of Mechanical Locks and Keys
Electronic door access control uses computers to solve the limitations of mechanical locks and keys. Access control systems vary widely between a range of methods that can be used to replace mechanical keys. Electronic door control is a means for ensuring that a door will remain secure when you want it to stay that way.
Some kind of remote telemetry unit at each door location grants access based on the credential presented as basic components, like:
- a password/user code entered on a keypad door lock or access control panel
- a swipe card used with a proximity sensor
- or even biometrics for total keyless entry
The decision can be made locally by the door unit, remotely by a central management system or cooperatively by sharing login profiles and access requests. This all gives you a high-security level and deters theft, break-ins, and vandalism.
When access is granted, the door is unlocked for a set time and the event is logged for later review, your technician is then able to open the door and gain entry. When access is refused, the door remains locked and the attempted access is recorded. The system will also monitor the door and alarm if the door is forced open or held open too long after being unlocked. This can be an invaluable tool when investigating vandalism or theft, or for tracking response times or technical activities internally.
"Buzz" People in if They Forget a Key
Every time a technician forgets to take a key on a truck-roll, your travel time and expense doubles. That tech has to drive back to the office, pick up a key, then drive all the way back out to the site. The same situation can happen if that tech simply picks up the wrong key, or large organizations will have at the very least dozens of similar-looking keys.
If you already have tech in the field near the site of an alarm, it's almost always best to dispatch them from their current location. If they don't have the right key on hand, however, they'll have to drive all the way back to the company pick up the key they need.
This all means that physical locks don't support remote "buzz in." If an unexpected event comes up and you want to allow access to a site immediately, you can't if you use traditional physical locks. With a building access system, if a tech or outside contractor needs access to a locked site, you can open that door remotely from your central terminal.
This gives you an extra-large degree of flexibility while making sure that you know about entries into your sites.
Integrate with Your Current Monitoring System
If you are planning to deploy a new building access system, there's one very important factor you should not ignore. If you accomplish alarm monitoring and access control with a single system, you are doing yourself and your company a big favor. Integration with your network alarm monitoring system will provide you with many advantages.
Integration with alarm monitoring makes building access as easy as installing user input devices (keypads or card readers) at your entry points. The rest of the access system components, and its transport network, is already present in your deployed alarm monitoring system.
By integrating your building access system into your current alarm monitoring system, you are also establishing access control that can be managed from a central location, greatly reducing costly windshield time - the time you spend driving to remote sites because you have inadequate visibility.
Therefore, your best option is to look for vendors that do offer these advanced building security options that seamlessly integrate with your monitoring system, so you don't have the expense of purchasing a separate system.
