Blog - Alen Security

Benefits of Access Control

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.

Is Your Monitoring Solution Collecting the Right Data?

Written by Andrew DeNardo on December 2, 2015. 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.