A Beginner's Guide to Access Control

Keeping your business safe is one of the key priorities of any owner or manager. The goal is to give your staff and customers the most secure environment possible, with the least inconvenience. But most business owners or managers have little experience in security solutions?

Many businesses still use traditional locks and keys. Surprisingly, this technology has not progressed much since the 1860s when Linus Yale Jr. patented his cylinder pin-tumbler lock. And yes, it’s the same Yale you still see on padlocks today!

Technology has led to major changes in access control. RFID keycards and PIN access have been commonplace for many years now. This evolution has continued with the introduction of mobile phones, biometrics, and the Internet of Things.

There are many advantages to having a modern access control system. Benefits to your business could include:

• Increase in safety and security brings peace of mind.
• Enhance employee satisfaction due to ease of use.
• Save on replacement costs as your new system may work with some of your current security infrastructure (like motion sensors or cabling).
• Reduce false alarms that would be reported to monitoring services or authorities.
• Incorporate added functionality into a single security system with third-party integrations (such as wireless locking, elevator controls, video surveillance).
• Gain extra cost savings and efficiencies by integrating with a Building Management System to reduce energy consumption by controlling HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), lighting, and more.

• The ability to sync data with external sources like HR systems or student management software so there’s a single source of truth.
• No more ongoing costs to rekey doors each time someone loses a key. Simply deactivate their card and issue a new one.
• No after-hours trips when someone has left their key at home. Grant access or control the property remotely via web or phone.
• Respond instantly to problems by setting up instant notifications to your mobile or monitoring service when an unusual event like a forced door or broken window is reported.
• Future proof your business by choosing a modular system like ICT’s that can scale with your business growth.

However safe traditional locks were, businesses spend a lot of time and money on locksmiths to rekey all the locks just because someone lost a key, and then giving new keys to everyone.

Easily change schedules to ensure security is not compromised on a public holiday or enable after-hours access for cleaners. You can even allow or disable access to certain areas on a temporary or permanent basis. 

Ease of use is a crucial factor and removes a pain point for staff. Say goodbye to that clunky bunch of keys, and replace them with a single card, fob, or your mobile phone - which allows access to all authorized doors.

You might have noticed a lot of jargon that surrounds access control. In this guide, we have kept it as simple as possible but there are still a few concepts to familiarize yourself with. Before we move on to Choosing your Access Control system, here are the basics you should know:

Parts of a Security and Access Control System

To most people, the only visible parts of a commercial access control system are the keycard that you swipe at the card reader to get in, or perhaps the keypad where you set the alarm. But there is a lot more that goes on behind the scenes to make a complete security system.

A credential is what you present to the reader for validation. It could be a keycard, fob key, PIN code, mobile phone, or even your finger or face. Not all credentials are created equal though, so be sure to check out our article about choosing the correct card technology.

What You Have

An access card or fob.

What You Know

This could be a PIN or password.

Who You Are

A biometric credential like a fingerprint or facial scan.

The card reader checks your credential and validates it with the system before granting or denying access.

But there is a lot more that goes on behind the scenes to make a complete security system. It all starts with a controller – the heart of your system. From here you can add different products depending on your business needs. A small business may just need one or two doors secured with a card reader for access and a keypad for an alarm. While a large organization may require many more features such as wireless locks, video surveillance, and elevator control.

Overview and control of the system comes from your interface – which can be web-based, a mobile app, or standalone security client. Your access control software will have a status page (like a dashboard) which shows events generated by the system, and allows you to manage any security issues in real-time.

Security systems allow integrations with third-party products for added functionality, and secure transfer of data from external databases to automate tasks. This could be onboarding new employees from a staff management system, or a visitor and contractor management solution.

Other security infrastructure you will see in access control systems are battery backups, wiring, electronic locks, and additions such as security cameras or passive infrared (PIR) motion detectors.

Put all these parts together and you can start to see how flexible (and potentially complex!) a modern access control system can be.

The 5-Step Method

The purpose of access control is to secure your premises so that unauthorized people cannot walk in off the street. There is a five-step method that acts as a pathway to ensure the correct process is being followed.

By following this path, you can be sure that you’ll have a robust system in place to protect your business.

As you can see there are many things to consider when thinking about an access control system.

“The fundamental thing to think about is what is the purpose of the security system? Ask yourself what security perception are you trying to portray? A highly secure premises with multiple security layers like gates, access doors and turnstiles, or an open and welcoming space with restricted areas?”

Chris Newton – Head of Project Design at Focus Digital Security Systems

Now, take a moment to think about potential risks such as the safety of your staff and customers, theft, or even spying. Decide which of these risks are most important to address and how thoroughly you need to manage them. Also, make sure to check if there are any specific insurance requirements you need to meet. 

Our experts can guide you through this process, but there are some questions to ask yourself before you begin:

• How many doors would you like to secure, and how secure do these areas need to be? Will people need a card to get out as well as in, or just push a button to exit? And will any doors require both a card and PIN? This will determine the number and type of card readers you’ll need.
• If it’s a retrofit, what do you already have? You may be able to save money by using existing hardware such as motion sensors or card readers with your new system and save costs.
• Would you prefer to use a mobile credential on your smartphone, a physical card/fob, or even fingerprint or face-scanning biometrics?
• Does the system need to integrate with a new or existing CCTV surveillance system?
• Is there potential to automate things like lighting and air-conditioning to reduce energy consumption and operating costs?
• What industry does your business fall under? And is there anything that you do differently that we should know about?

It’s important to understand that not all access control systems will give you the flexibility to do this. An ICT Protege system brings together all elements of access control, intruder detection, and building automation into a single unified solution. Our open technology can integrate with, or takeover, some existing systems to add value to the infrastructure your business already has.

If you'd like to continue your access control journey, we recommend reading up on our recommended credential of choice, DESFire smart devices in our short article: The Benefits of a DESFire solution.