“Why do I need an access control system? We have a key system that we have been using for years.”
I have heard statements like this for several years now. And believe it or not, my answer to that question has not changed much over those years. While access control has advanced with time, the main principles remain the same. If you have a need or a desire to know who is in your facility, what time they are in your facility, where they went while they were in your facility, or if they were in any area where they did not belong, then a well-designed, properly implemented access control system is the answer.
A properly engineered access control system can deliver these benefits, and more:
- No more lost keys
- The knowledge of who was in your facility and at what time
- The knowledge of where they went while in your facility
- The peace of mind that they could not get into an unauthorized area
- Increased safety for your staff and guests
Over the years I have helped numerous customers solve some of their issues by using their existing access control system. Here are some examples:
- One hospital was having an issue with pharmacy techs arriving prior to the pharmacist. They started to notice that several medicines were low on supply. We reprogrammed their existing access control system to allow pharmacy techs access only after the pharmacist was in.
- A University customer was having a similar issue. When students arrived at their classroom before the Professor was there, the Professor found graffiti on books and walls. Again, we reprogrammed their existing access control system to allow students in only after the Professor arrived.
- Another very large facility was having an issue with garbage collection. Garbage collection was scheduled every Wednesday between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM. When the garbage truck arrived, the driver would notify security. If security did not arrive within 10 minutes, the driver would leave. We gave the driver a credential that only worked on Wednesday between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM, and once it was used, it would not work again until the following Wednesday.
The point I am trying to make is to think outside the box when it comes to access control. There are many uses that you may never have thought about. We have programmed access control to turn on lights, set temperatures, make coffee, and lockdown entire facilities with the click of a button or presentation of a credential. Those are things that you could never do even with the best key system.
-Chris Sorensen, Owner and President of Midwest Integrated Solutions.
Click here for a list of reported crimes. How many of these do you think an access control system would have stopped?