Card access systems are a common sight in today’s world. Offices, schools, hotels. Anywhere that access needs to be monitored or controlled needs some kind of access system in place. No longer do employees have to be given actual keys to a building. It’s not practical, is a potential security risk and should they be lost or stolen, you’d need to replace all the locks in your building.
Security is an important consideration and monitoring and controlling who has access to your premises is a vital part of the safety and security of your premises.
At Red Mountain Technology Solutions, we have assisted businesses in many sectors design and implement their access systems. Moving to an upgraded card access system has many potential benefits and uses, including:
Securing Premises Against Unauthorized Card Access Systems
Providing staff with their own, personalized access card can ensure that only authorized employees have access to your premises. In compartmentalized organization’s you can also set specific access rights based on location or job role.
Access can be given, altered, or revoked automatically, without the need for providing keys.
Monitoring Entry and Exit Times
Rather than the old fashioned ‘punching the clock’ system, card access systems can be used to ensure that employees are clocking in and out for their work shifts on time. The data can also be used to provide evidence that an employee was or wasn’t in the building at a particular time, or was on a particular floor/room.
Accurate Card Access Systems Records for Safety Purposes
If your premises were to have a sudden crisis, such as a fire or other evacuation, do you know who is in your building at that exact time? Access systems allow you to see, at a glance, who is in your building at any particular moment. Should you need to evacuate quickly, you will know if someone is missing or was not at work that day.
Monitoring Staff Occupancy Levels
There are many reasons where you want to watch your staff’s occupancy count with upgraded card access systems. Fire and safety regulations may limit the number of people who can be in a particular area at any one time. You can set these limits within the access software and change them depending on your needs.
Social Distancing Benefits
The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally altered workplaces for the foreseeable future. Many people have started to work remotely from their homes in order to decrease their contact with the outside world.
For many types of business, full remote working isn’t an option, people need to be on the premises to do their jobs. In order to make workplaces safer for employees, many companies have begun limiting the number of employees that are allowed on the premises at any one time or have started scheduling employees in on alternate days.
In order to monitor staff occupancy and maintain social distancing protocols, a card access system can trigger an alert when capacity has been reached, or disable access rights on certain days.
Numbers can be set based on total building occupancy, by floor, or even by room. For example, if you only wanted a maximum of eight people in a conference room, the system would prevent more than eight people from entering. Someone would need to leave the space before anyone else was allowed entry.
If an employee was to test positive for COVID-19, you could use the information from the access system to find out who they could have potentially come into contact with, and let them know so that they can isolate or get tested, preventing the further spread of the virus.
Upgrading Your Card Access System
Watching your staff occupancy levels with upgraded card access systems does require a number of items. Hardware required includes all door controllers, keypads, and card readers. This will need to be fitted to all doors.
Once installed, the software will hold all user data, credentials, and permissions. The hardware and software run in partnership to run your entire card access system. Integration can be set up with your existing IT and phone systems for seamless access.
Why Red Mountain Technology Solutions?
We are trusted voice and data specialists, as well as certified partners of some of the leading card access system providers in the industry. These include OpenPath and Paxton. These systems are cloud-based, secure, and easy to manage. Our experienced team can work with you to assess your needs and install the perfect access system for your needs and train key personnel on its use.