It’s common knowledge that a physical access control system is the foundation for keeping a property secure by only allowing those with the proper access control credentials to enter and denying entry to those without. What isn’t widely known, however, is the versatility of such systems.
Beyond its core focus of keeping unauthorized visitors out, along with its integration capabilities with video, an access control system offers users a host of additional benefits that can keep people safe and protect assets. This can include the swipe of a badge triggering the surveillance system to record an individual as he enters a building to provide entry and exit logs.
Here are a few ways to leverage the data from card swipes in an access control system.
Automate video recording at the point of entry
Video surveillance can provide valuable tools to see who is coming and going in a space, such as college common areas like a student gym or in an office lobby. While the video data is valuable after an incident, such as a gym slip and fall or to identify a person loitering, it can prove to be a lot of data to manage.
Facility executives instead can look to the access control system as a tool to automate video recording, especially as an employee is looking to gain access to a secure area, such as an IT room. A card swipe can initiate the video surveillance system to capture and save a video clip as a person enters the room, and then capture another video clip as the person swipes to exit. This provides a complete audit trail, complete with video, as an employee enters and exits a secure area, ensuring the following of proper security protocols relating to tailgating.
Providing a complete access log
While it is customary to use an access control credential to gain access into a building or a secure space, more and more facilities are also requiring users to swipe out. This additional step can provide valuable information to companies, from understanding the duration of the use of a conference room to how much time an individual spends in a secure IT room.
For safety purposes, the swipe out feature can also enable a business to know who is still in the office after 7pm at night. This data can automatically be generated and shared with the corporate campus security staff, who can keep a watchful eye as these employees leave late at night.
Enhanced video recording and logs for predefined spaces
Cash rooms, whether it’s for a financial institution, casino or cannabis retailer, require a higher level of security than the typical office space for a business. These rooms need to be under constant surveillance, but especially when they are occupied by people.
By requiring cash room visitors to swipe in upon entry and swipe out upon exit, end users can more accurately monitor the individuals accessing these spaces. Not only can a swipe in prompt the surveillance system to record in a higher resolution and to automatically save a video clip of that complete transaction (from swipe in to swipe out) but it can also generate an access control log of the individuals within that space, the frequency of their visits and the amount of time spent.
This data can prove useful to identify anomalies, such as an employee who is spending too much time in a secure area or an employee who makes frequent visits, when they should not.
Ensuring a building is secure requires that security professionals leverage the full benefits of the systems in place, including the versatility of their access control system, its integration capabilities and extracted data.
