How to tell if your entrance control is inadequate
To remain competitive, your business has to continually adapt to the ever-changing world. Over time, you might have updated your processes, your service offering and/or products, but has your building – and, in particular, the entrance control – been updated or modified to ensure it continues to offer the protection needed?
Let us highlight some of the ways your existing entrance control system might no longer be up for the job.
The Covid-19 concern
As employees start to return to their workplaces, maintaining social distancing for employees and visitors in entrance areas, particularly during peak times, is a key concern. If measures aren’t put in place, bottlenecks could present a considerable risk.
Many access systems rely upon users touching a surface to gain access. Previously not a huge concern for the majority, this could now be a virus hotspot impacting all staff passing through. Suggestions of leaving access barriers open may reduce the risk of Covid-19 transfer, but bypassing security could present an even greater risk with unrestricted public access.
Touchless access control integrations can provide a good solution and for existing Fastlane turnstile installations, a touchless upgrade can be retro-fitted.
A changing threat landscape
Your existing access control system may be functioning perfectly fine, but does it protect against risks which have emerged since installation? We became aware of a 12-year-old Fastlane turnstile installation that was still working well, without any maintenance. Although our turnstiles are extremely robust, security needs continually change so a more regular evaluation is needed.
Continued use of some older systems may expose your organisation to unauthorised access. For example, tailgating, or piggybacking, where someone follows an employee through an open door, possibly with the authorised user being unaware. This kind of breach should not be ignored as the unknown person may have harmful or disruptive intentions. If you’re at risk from this kind of breach, we advise an immediate evaluation and an upgrade should be considered.
A manned physical barrier is one solution, but intelligent technology capable of making decisions is better. Fastlane turnstiles can detect a tailgater as close as 5mm. In a few seconds, our technology decides whether to allow entry using multiple calculations based on speed of passage, distance to the pedestrian behind and direction of movement.
Sustainability goals
Many businesses are integrating their entrance control systems with other building security and management elements to deliver space and time efficiencies for building managers. More information is available here.
Fastlane turnstiles consume very little energy, only 337KW hours per annum on average, contributing to savings throughout the building, reducing energy bills and enhancing your company’s environmental credentials too.
Greater reliability
A security system is only as good as its weakest point. Buying cheap products which malfunction puts your organisation at risk. An example was 7 World Trade Centre in New York, which you can read about here. As a manufacturer rather than just a supplier, all our products are built in-house in the UK and go through extensive soak testing. As our turnstiles rarely fail you are unlikely to experience security breaches caused by downtime or have costly repair bills. They are unlikely to need replacing, avoiding expensive floor damage and redecoration. Choosing a robust and reliable solution in the first place might cost more initially, but will prove to be a saving in the long run.
To read more about the ROI of Fastlane turnstiles, click here.
Putting users first
As technology evolves, your security system needs to keep up with user expectations and business operations. Wearable technology and smart phones are commonplace, and employees expect the technology used in their personal life to be mirrored in their workplace. Therefore, many organisations are requesting reader integrations in their entrance control systems.
If entrance control systems are user friendly and integrate the latest technologies, users are more likely to use them in the way intended rather than trying to bypass them. More information about frictionless entry is available here.
Superior aesthetics
When undergoing a refurbishment, it is important to consider your entrance control to ensure it fits with the surroundings while also delivering the required level of security. We place considerable importance on the aesthetics of our turnstiles and can offer bespoke customisations in a style to match your new environment.
The disruption of installing a new entrance control system may seem daunting, but we can assist and often installation can happen out of hours to minimise the interference with the day to day running of your business.
We’ve covered several areas which may be indicators that it’s time for an entrance control upgrade. But, of course, budget always comes into it. When investing in a security system, we recommend exploring the total cost of ownership and this article may help support your business case. Ultimately, businesses need to weigh up whether it is more expensive to replace an outdated entrance control system or recover from the consequences of a security breach.
For advice on which entrance control solution is right for your business, contact our team on +44 (0)208 890 5550 or email info@fastlane-turnstiles.com.
