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Security Case Study: Access Control for Vehicle Dealership with Corporate, Sales, Service and Retail Departments

Written by Andrew DeNardo on . Posted in Access Control, Blog, Design, Locksmith, Posts, Security, Uncategorized.

The Challenge: A local vehicle dealership and supply company needed access control to secure their brand-new multi-department facility.

The Solution: Access Card Readers with Multi-Level Access Control protocols and a Video Intercom System.

A large vehicle dealership and supply company wanted to secure their multi-department facility. The need was to restrict the flow of traffic throughout their building.

Their building housed their corporate offices as well as sales, service and some retail space.  With all of this traffic and activity they needed to control “who went where”. This was a key to restricting the flow of traffic throughout their facility. Our solution was a Physical Access Control System.

We used a multi-pronged Access Control approach including access card readers, keypads, electric locks and a video intercom system. First, they needed to solve for the fact that they receive parts deliveries in the middle of the night. This necessitated a system to avoid having to staff 24/7.  To accomplish this, we installed access card readers with keypads and issued them codes. We further integrated their Access Control System with their security system to allow for after-hours deliveries.

Thirdly, we secured their inventory of trucks with electric gates and a video intercom, access cards and a keypad.

Finally, they did not want their retail clients walking into their corporate offices upstairs. So, we installed access card readers to prevent walk-in customers from gaining access to their corporate offices.

The Result: Consequently, they have a more secure facility with access to specific areas restricted to authorized personnel.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did the vehicle dealership need an access control system?

The dealership’s new facility contained corporate offices, sales, service, and retail departments. Access control was needed to manage traffic and prevent people from entering areas where they were not authorized.

What access control equipment was installed?

The facility received a combination of access card readers, keypads, electric locks, electric gates, and a video intercom system.

How could the dealership accept deliveries after business hours?

Delivery personnel received access credentials and keypad codes. Integrating the access control and security systems allowed approved overnight deliveries without requiring the dealership to remain staffed around the clock.

How was the dealership’s truck inventory protected?

Electric gates, access cards, a keypad, and a video intercom were used to restrict access to the area containing the truck inventory.

How were customers prevented from entering the corporate offices?

Access card readers were installed between the public retail space and the upstairs corporate offices. Only authorized personnel could enter the restricted office area.

exterior-of-modern-commercial-facility

Security Case Study: Access Control System Secures Building Exterior

Written by Andrew DeNardo on . Posted in Access Control, Blog, Design, Security.

The Challenge: A Global Property Management Company wanted to secure their building’s exterior with an Access Control System.

The Solution: Access Card Readers and a Visitor Management System.

A Global Property Management Company wanted to secure and control the flow of access into a large office building in one of America’s largest and most important cities. This included all exterior doors on the Main level and building access from the Garage level. The company also requested that this Access Control System project be completed under a strict deadline and for it to be fully code-compliant.

Consequently, Alen Security installed a physical Access Control System with Access Card Readers on the Garage level to allow access to the Security Portals that permit only one person to enter the building at a time. In addition, Access Card Readers and electric locks were installed on all exterior doors on the Ground level and electric locks were installed throughout, thereby, controlling the flow of traffic into the building.

Finally, we installed an intercom system to control visitor access along with Easy Lobby, a Visitor Management software system. This system allows for:

  • A central database of visitors Email/text notifications of visitor arrival
  • The ability to create watch lists
  • Badging
  • An Archive of Photos
  • Scanning of ID Cards
  • Pre-Registration / Self-Registration
  • Integration with Access Control System
  • Analysis/Reporting on visitor data, quickly and easily available

The Result: The Access Control and Visitor Management systems controlled building access to the desired degree for a large urban office building and allowed for the documented tracking of visitors. Furthermore, the project was completed on-time and in code compliance.

Frequently Asked Questions

What areas of the office building needed access control?

The property management company needed to secure every exterior door on the building’s main level and control access into the building from the garage.

How was access from the parking garage secured?

Access card readers were installed at the garage level. Approved users entered through security portals designed to allow only one person into the building at a time.

How were the building’s ground-level entrances protected?

Access card readers and electric locks were installed on all exterior ground-level doors to control who could enter the building.

How did the visitor management system handle guests?

The system supported visitor pre-registration, ID scanning, badges, arrival notifications, watch lists, photo archives, and a centralized visitor database. An intercom was also installed to control guest access.

Could the building track and report visitor activity?

Yes. The visitor management software integrated with the access control system and provided documented visitor tracking, data analysis, and reporting.

person-using-access-control-on-their-phone

Access Control Systems

Written by Andrew DeNardo on . Posted in Access Control, Blog, Security.

There are many sensitive areas that a business must monitor and secure – retail floors, service areas, offices, stockrooms, loading docks and more. How do you stay on top of it all and makes sure that someone doesn’t go where they are not supposed to be?

Let us design a Physical Access Control System to fit your needs using “state of the art” Access Card Readers that support multiple access technologies to ensure that only the people you want “in” get “in”. You can choose between swipe cards, proximity cards, or key fobs to allow entry for your employers, vendors or whomever you would like to have access.

And with the Avigilon Access Control Manager (ACM) you get a complete, IT-Friendly, system that is designed to keep your focus on securing your people, property and assets, and maximizing your time by helping you respond immediately to alerts wherever you are. ACM is a browser-based solution that can integrate with existing IT/HR systems, minimizing the need for duplicate data entry. ACM comes with a full set of standard features that not only help to maximize your time, but will reliably safeguard your information. ACM can also integrate with Avigilon’s ACC5 Video Management Software to connect critical alarm events enabling you to display visual verifications.

So, let US help YOU decrease security threats by restricting traffic and controlling who goes where. We do it all and ensure that it is done on-time and in compliance with all applicable codes. We’ve been helping our clients with specialized access control systems for over 45 years, and will work with you and your budget to make sure that you always feel comfortable and secure.

Have any questions?

Frequently Asked Questions

What areas can an access control system protect?

Access control can secure retail floors, offices, service areas, stockrooms, loading docks, and other sensitive locations where entry needs to be restricted.

What types of access credentials can a business use?

Businesses can provide employees, vendors, and other approved individuals with swipe cards, proximity cards, or key fobs.

Can access control integrate with existing business systems?

Yes. Avigilon Access Control Manager is a browser-based system that can integrate with existing IT and human-resources systems, reducing the need for duplicate data entry.

Can access control work with video surveillance?

Yes. The access control platform can integrate with Avigilon’s video-management software, allowing users to view video connected to critical alarms and verify what caused an event.

Can administrators respond to access-control alerts remotely?

Yes. The system is designed to help authorized administrators receive and respond to alerts wherever they are, making it easier to manage security without remaining at a specific workstation.

man-using-access-control

Benefits of Access Control

Written by Andrew DeNardo on . Posted in Access Control, Blog.

Have you implemented access control at your company? If not, you should. Access control has many benefits over just a simple surveillance system. It gives you more control over access to specific areas. You can even restrict access on specific days and specific times. This adds another layer of security as it significantly reduces foot traffic. For example a pharmaceutical company can use access control to restrict access to areas where drugs and chemicals are stored. Companies that handle sensitive data can use access control to restrict access to file rooms that contain it, and it can also be used to protect expensive assets. Access control is also an excellent way to protect residents of dormitories and apartment buildings.

Access control is also economical and saves money compared to traditional keyed entries because when an employee leaves, is terminated, or misplaces their card you can simply remove that card from the system, thereby rendering it useless. If you had a keyed entry, you’d have to replace the locks or have them rekeyed, which is a real hassle. Alternately, if you hire a new employee you simply have to print a new card for them rather than getting new keys made. Simple, cost effective and secure!

We provide comprehensive access control systems for every size business. Our systems can be customize to fit your individual needs, easily integrate with your existing systems and are flexible so they can grow with you and accommodate future advances in technology.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does access control provide more security than surveillance alone?

Surveillance records activity, while access control actively restricts who can enter specific areas. It can also limit access to particular days and times, reducing unnecessary foot traffic.

What types of areas can access control protect?

Access control can protect pharmaceutical storage areas, chemical rooms, confidential files, sensitive data, valuable equipment, apartment buildings, and student dormitories.

What happens when an employee loses an access card?

The missing card can be removed from the system and rendered unusable, preventing someone else from using it to enter the facility.

Is access control more economical than traditional keys?

It can be. When an employee leaves or loses a credential, the company can deactivate the card instead of replacing or rekeying its locks. New employees can also receive newly issued cards without requiring physical keys to be cut.

Can an access control system expand as a business grows?

Yes. The article explains that access control systems can be customized, integrated with existing systems, and expanded to support future growth and advances in technology.

man-using-access-control-key-card

Is Your Monitoring Solution Collecting the Right Data?

Written by Andrew DeNardo on . Posted in Access Control, Blog, Monitoring Solutions.

One of the great aspects of a monitoring solution with access control is its ability to collect and log all kinds of data. This makes it easy to integrate with time clocks and other employee tracking methods, but it’s important to know exactly what data you’re logging, what data you NEED to log, and be sure you’re collecting it. Many companies are logging a lot of useless info while disregarding the important stuff. Take log in attempts. Most companies log failed attempts, but let me ask you a question. What about the successful ones? Don’t you want to know who’s logging into your systems? Especially the ones that you rely on to run your access control? Of course you do! Failed attempts mean hackers and other unwanted people were kept out, but if you aren’t monitoring successful attempts you may not realize there is a security issue until it’s too late! Just recently the Department of Homeland Security was blasted for not keeping track of who accesses their building’s access control systems and in fact, not doing a very good job of securing those systems.

Our access control systems allow you to carefully tailor them to monitor specific areas or your entire property and let you decide what types of data to log. They learn as you use them and from their constant monitoring of the area they’re assigned to, which helps them to collect even more targeted data and also to know what sorts of things can be safely disregarded. This greatly reduces both false alarms and the storage space needed for data. If you have you system set to log everything and anything, you’re going to find yourself needing more and more storage space and seeing that space fill up quickly. Take the time to figure out what data you need to be logging and whether there is any you might be missing. You might be surprised!

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should a business decide which security data it needs to collect?

Collecting every available data point can consume storage without providing meaningful security information. Businesses should identify which events matter and configure their systems to record those events.

Should a company record successful login attempts?

Yes. Failed logins show that unauthorized users were blocked, but successful logins reveal who actually accessed a system. Without those records, improper access may go unnoticed.

Can access control data integrate with employee tracking systems?

Yes. Monitoring and access control data can be integrated with time clocks and other employee-tracking methods to provide a more complete record of workplace activity.

Can monitoring be customized for different parts of a property?

Yes. A system can be configured to monitor selected sensitive areas or an entire property, depending on the organization’s needs.

How can targeted data collection reduce storage requirements?

A properly configured system learns which activity is relevant and which events can be safely disregarded. Recording only useful information reduces false alarms and prevents unnecessary data from consuming storage space.