Police suggest many opportunistic thieves take advantage of unlocked homes. Even if you are going out for a short time, lock-up your house and windows. Locksmiths can provide advice on appropriate door and window locks, and key all the windows to a single key.
2. Don’t provide cover
Deter thieves from targeting your house by ensuring a clear line of sight from the street. Cut back trees and bushes that block your front door, look into installing movement sensor lights and report broken street lights straight away.
3. Security doesn’t take a holiday
Ask friends to collect your mail and to stop junk mail from building up in your letterbox while you’re away from home. A neighbour parking in your driveway can also help signal the house is not unoccupied. Other measures could include internal lights or a radio set on timers and organising for someone to mow your lawn.
4. Don’t advertise valuables
Break up packaging for expensive new gear before tucking it into the bin or recycling. Also, take a look at your house from the outside. With most thieves looking for cash, even a wallet or iPod left on your hall table can make your home a target. Speaking of valuables, police advise making an inventory of your belongings to have at hand in case of a break-in. Mark your property using an engraver or ultra-violet markers and take photos of precious, one-of-a-kind possessions.
5. Install an alarm or deter thieves with a dog
Add another layer of defence to your home with an alarm system. A barking dog can also provide effective security for your home. Even installing a “Beware of the dog” sign can make thieves hesitate targeting your home.
6. Make friends with your neighbours
In tight knit communities, people look out for each other. Neighbours can report suspicious activity at your home and help when you’re away – and you can return the favour. Check with your neighbours to see if a neighbourhood watch is currently in place.
Installing Access Control systems at your premises or site is a positive step towards combating and preventing burglary, vandalism and unauthorised access to car parks. It allows you to control who enters your premises and at what times, plus what parts of the building or complex they can access.
Whether you want to restrict and control entrance onto your property, or protect assets in your office, reduce theft in your retail outlet or increase security measures in your factory, SMD Electrical offer multiple Access Control System solutions to choose from.
Have you chosen an access control system for your business? If not, here are SMD Electrical Contractors Ltd reasons why you should choose one right away!
Have you chosen an access control system for your business? If not, here are 8 reasons why you should choose one right away!
No more hassle of duplicating the keys
Every single time you duplicate the key to your building, you are taking a risk, that way an individual other than you can access your property. Sure, you can make them “non-reproducible”, but there are always ways of getting around that. All it takes is one disgruntled employee to create a situation that can have devastating results, like theft, vandalism, and even more serious criminal activity. You might have to change the locks every single time an employee leaves the organization, this option could prove to be highly expensive and it still won’t stop the current employees from sharing the keys if they wanted to.
With an access control system installed, you can avoid all of the above mentioned hassles. With that you can delegate control to one or a handful of individuals who control who enters and exits the facility. Immediate deactivation of an ID badge or other security credential is quick and easy to do.
2. Employee protection
In present times threats are endless, you never know what kind of people walk through your door. To avoid breakthroughs you need get an access control system for your premises. This way you will be able to successfully prevent the unauthorized individuals from entering the premises and you will be able to protect the people who are supposed to be in there working for you. You will have a peace of mind that will increase your job satisfaction and productivity. When your staff feels they are safe from harm during their work hours, they will be able to give in their best every day when they come in to work and that will boost the overall productivity of your business.
Activity monitoring and reporting
An access control system will take note of every person who walks in and out of your door throughout the day. If in an unfortunate circumstance a criminal or intruder were to trespass your premises, this log will prove invaluable in resolving the cases. It can also monitor areas like the card clocks to resolve any timekeeping issues that you might be experiencing. Furthermore, the reports can be generated to determine employee tardiness and other issues that decrease productivity.
It can keep tabs on staff and control their access
If you are a business owner who has employees or contractors, like janitorial staffs who tend to work more than the normal working hours, you can restrict their access to hours and days when they absolutely need to be there.
Additionally, every office might have employees that can have access to only particular areas that are important for their work, and not others. This is crucial in restricting access to sensitive areas or data to only those with the need and clearance to know. An access control system has the power to program ID credentials to limit access to certain areas only.
Remote access control
When an outside contractor or other non-staff member needs access to your secure facility, the authorized individual can secretly open the door for that individual to enter the door. This provides flexibility while also ensuring continued security measures are in place. If you were to combine this with security cameras where you can see an individual, it would add to the already existing security measures of your facility.
We hope that these reasons are enough for you to choose an access control system for your business right away. Remember that you can never be too safe when it comes to your corporate premises. Be a smart business owner and invest in a state-of-the-art control system that provides easy integration. Stay in charge and enjoy peace of mind!
Automated Access
If you’re looking to restrict unauthorised access to your business premises, car parks and grounds, automated entry is a great solution. An Automated Access System solution from SMD Electrical with gates, barriers and vehicle entry systems can be highly effective in the fight against theft, criminal damage and vandalism, and the unauthorised movement of goods.
Control access of vehicles into distribution warehouses, factories, flats and property developments, domestic driveways, offices and car parks with barriers, bollards, doors, shutters and sliding and hinged automated gates.
Automated Access Electronic Control System solutions include Digital coded keypads, proximity readers, radio control, intercom and RFID technology.
When it comes to protecting your home or business, as well as the building’s occupants, access control is one of the best ways for you to achieve peace of mind. But, access control is much more than just allowing people to access your building, access control also helps you effectively protect your data from various types of intruders and it is up to your organization’s access control policy to address which method works best for your needs. There are a number of access control systems you have to choose from to use in your residence or business facility; some outperform others. Outlined below are overviews of the three basic types of access control systems that are available to your company so you can see which are best suited for your day-to-day operations.
The Types of Access Control Systems
Access Control
An access control system can consist of a number of “access points” which can either grant or deny access to your staff or visitors. An access point is usually a door with an electro-mechanical door lock, but can be a turnstile or a car park barrier and is controlled via an electronic keypad or card.
Simple solutions like electronic keypads can be programmed to allow entry on the input of a valid code and are usually the most simple of access systems. The next level of security is the card based system where each person is issued with a unique coded card which must be presented to a card reader to allow access through the door.
Biometric
Biometric Security utilises a unique part of the body to interface with access control systems such as fingerprint, retina scan or facial recognition.
This solves the problem and all the associated issues with lost cards, forged cards and worn or damaged cards and ensures the correct user can access the appropriate doors. For users the system also has the advantage of removing the need to carry cards or remember pin numbers.
PC Based
Networked or PC based systems are controlled from one central computer or by logging onto networked access control software. Users then have the capability to control all access points with a control system fitted from anywhere in the building, creating individual or group user access pathways and issuing or barring access cards, fobs and tokens as needed.
Choosing the Best Access Control System for Your Organization
As you can see, when it comes to choosing the type of access control system that is most suitable for your organization, there are a number of factors involved. Some of those factors include the nature of your business, security procedures within the organisation, and the number of users on the system.
Building access control systems – or home control systems – are developed to ensure the safety of people and data within the premises. An essential feature of an access control system is to ensure that only authorised individuals are allowed entry to specific areas of an infrastructural facility. Efficiently installing an access control system can enable an organisation to control who is accessing their facilities, ensuring safety for all. An access control point is integrated into either a door, turnstile, parking gate, elevator, or other physical barriers, where access points can be electronically controlled – typically, these points happen to be a door. It is crucial for entities (residential or commercial) to keep their occupants and assets safe by having an effective system in place. These security measures can be kept up-to-date by considering the listed points.
Evaluate the usefulness of your system
First and foremost, one should inspect what the fundamental purpose of their system is and whether the current system is effectively providing that. A significant factor to consider is the location of your control systems and whether it protects the individuals and assets which genuinely require it.
Review who has access
Some systems are faced with an issue where the number of active cards controlling the system exceeds the number of employees or residents actually requiring it. Such errors can be expected across organisations, although this can be avoided by setting features to timeout the cards. These situations can be as follows:
If the card is not used for a predetermined amount of time at the control facility, access is shut off.
After a certain period of inactivity, cards must be renewed.
Connect the card to human resources databases.
Upgrade your technology
It is suggested that a 125-kilohertz technology system is now outdated & should be updated. Building security managers should start installing encrypted technology instead. Ideally, an access control system should be updated every ten years and not treated as a one-time investment.
Regular testing
A Building management system functionality should be tested on a monthly or quarterly this will ensure proper functionality and allows security managers to plan any possible changes required well in advance.
Watch out for tailgating
Politely holding open the door when requested is a common practice but can lead to potential risks. Employees should be educated to observe strictly who they are opening the door for. A frequent assumption is that bypassing an established security system is challenging, leading to complacency and casualness – which is why multiple layers of security should be enforced to deal with the problem of tailgating.
The safety of individuals on the premises is equally vital to concealing valuable data. Access control systems are crucial to prevent the theft of knowledge or critical components, as well as nullifying threats to the safety of employees or residents. This further validates the need to periodically assess the efficiency of your access controlsystem in place.
The technologies behind physical access control are constantly updating and improving. Smart card technology is still the most common as it meets the needs of many organisations. However the steady stream of technological advances in access control means there are many new options available.
With technologies eolving organisations can choose technology that fits their needs in the foreseeable future and plan upgrades as part of a coordinated strategy.
System Compromised
If you’ve recently experienced a security breach, you already know the headache that comes with taking inventory of stock, filing insurance claims, and identifying how the breach happened. On top of all of that, your reputation may also suffer if sensitive data was compromised.
Consider following through on some data breach best practices in these situations. Identify the failures of your current system, and consider bringing in an access control expert to help you assess what happened and what must change to prevent recurrence in the future.
The most foolproof way to do this is to upgrade your system and keep it updated. Technology is always evolving, but so are exploits—so take advantage of upgrades now before it’s too late.
Staff Changes
As new employees join, organisations may manage costs by purchasing additional cards that work with their old technology. Some organizations may also need to change cards due to a new logo or brand, which could be another reason to update the access control system.
You want to add another level of security
Protecting your company and employees is an ongoing job. There’s no such thing as a solution that you can simply install and leave. If you or your neighbouring properties have recently experienced a break-in, it’s especially important to step up the level of security. With the right access control system, you can ensure that only authorised people can gain access to your property.
Is it time?
Well, if you experience any one of the signs above then maybe it’s time to consider switching from your old access control system. After all, it’s the 21st Century and it’s time to embark on a 21st century access control system that would adapt intuitively to your modern needs.
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