Entry into industrial, commercial, and other public buildings is a primary link in the chain of security and physical protection for owners and visitors alike. Its significance remains paramount regardless of what resides within: be it a shopping mall, warehouses, production facilities, workshops, and so forth. If the entry door system operates inefficiently or lacks safety measures, people, equipment, and even the information inside the building will not be protected.
Often, companies acquire solutions and equipment that do not correspond to the workload or actual flow of visitors and the volume of incoming material assets. Therefore, operating such systems leads to high financial costs, despite their apparent underutilization. Errors in calculations also result in the enterprise investing insufficiently in the creation of an entrance system with a security level and throughput capacity significantly lower than what is actually required. In this case, not only money is lost but also the quality of security and the efficiency of the built access control system.
Therefore, it is recommended to seek advice from those with years of experience, understanding, and ready-made solutions that consider modern requirements for security and access control systems.
The key aspects to consider when creating an access control system are:
1. Physical Security
The first and usually the primary consideration when purchasing a solution for secure access is physical security, which is often the driving force behind the purchase. Ensuring physical security is a key element that defines the features, structure, and requirements of the future security system. Determining the main and service entrances, the type of visitor tracking system to be installed, organizing selective or comprehensive entry control, permissions technologies, staff access, taking into account the specific geographic location of the building—these are just some aspects whose resolution is necessary to ensure the physical security of owners, employees, and visitors.
2. Flow
It's essential to consider the volume of people and material assets entering and leaving the building daily, especially during peak hours. Some solutions are not designed to handle flexible people flow, they may exhaust their technological capabilities and create long queues. Consequently, such limitations in the access system lead to negative feedback, consumer complaints, and significant time losses in entering and exiting, which ultimately can result in financial losses. Another way to lose money is by implementing a solution designed for large flows when dealing with a company with only a few employees and visitors.
3. Aesthetics
For most people, the design and appearance of the building's entrance are crucial, particularly when it comes to access doors for commercial buildings (offices, stores). This is especially important for consumers, clients, their first impressions. Often, in significance, this element equates to security. However, despite the aesthetic factor being fundamental to the perception of the company, it should not be forgotten that a high level of vulnerability does not contribute to its image either.
4. Return on Investment (ROI)
It's important to understand which portion of the investments in the access control system will be efficient, meaning they convert into competitive advantages, leading to future cost savings on personnel, electricity, etc.
5. Training
This aspect is usually not considered a determining factor in the decision to install an access control system. However, it plays a fundamental role in issues such as the experience of operating modern intelligent security management systems, costs associated with their installation, and preventive maintenance. Ask yourself: Are they easy to work with, use, and maintain?
6. Maintenance or Support
Users of access control systems often don’t inquire about the technical support offered by the manufacturer or a specialized organization, assuming they can handle it themselves. However, this service directly affects the continuous operation of the equipment and ROI. It's advisable to acquire solutions from companies that guarantee consistent and qualified support.
7. User Safety
It's sometimes mistakenly believed that the access control system is the building's protection. This is not always the case. The loss of any other element of the security system can cause irreparable damage to the entire building's security. It's essential to choose access control systems that include safety standards integrated with other security elements: video surveillance, fire alarms, fire extinguishing, ventilation, smoke removal, etc.
Finally, there's an additional aspect that influences the access control system—corporate culture. This characteristic makes your risk level and security absolutely specific when choosing an access control system. For example, the organization's schedule and mode of operation, employees' openness to changes and new technologies, special visitors to the company (children, elderly people, pets), archival, warehousing, and other storage and transportation equipment (carts, devices, packages).
Each premise and building has a different risk level and specific needs that should not be taken lightly. While these considerations will help conduct a preliminary analysis of your needs, the right decision involves considering others' experiences and seeking professional advice.
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