In the most elementary level, access control is a means of controlling who penetrates and enters a secure space and when. The person who enters this locations could be an employer, a visitor or a contractor. This specific person could be on foot, drive a vehicle or use a different means of transportation. The location to which it might enter could be a site, a building, a room or even a armory.

In such cases, we tend to speak about physical access control in order to differentiate it from access control deterring people from entering in virtual or online locations, such as, for example, connecting to an information network.

While one of the main uses of a physical access control system is to reinforce security, a system of physical access control can offer many more advantages such as the amelioration of your company processes and also the management of your sites and buildings.

What is an access control system?

Every time we speak about an access control system, we refer generally to a system of electronic security. This one generally uses a means of identifying the user that can take the form of an access badge authorizing people to enter into specific zones. And since it is able to register who enters and/or when, it can afterwards provides the data and precious graphics to help you in the follow-up of your buildings and sites.

Why use an access control system and not keys?

The use of a physical key is the simplest means of controlling the access into a door and the method the most used from numerous small organizations. However, even for a small company and/or organization, the use of physical keys presents multiple disadvantages and boundaries and limits, specifically in cases of your company growing. More specifically:

• People can lose their keys. If someone loses their key, you have to replace the entire system in order to make sure that the lost key will not be used again. Then, you have to distribute new keys to everyone that needs to access this specific door.
• Keys do not leave a trace and their use is not registered anywhere. You have no way to know when and who uses a key to enter a specific location. This way, you will not know who will enter a specific location and when.
• Keys are very difficult to use. If someone enters into multiple buildings and rooms, he/she will need many different keys, something not practical to transport and use. Also, it is very difficult to remember which key corresponds to which door and lock and also it is very risk to put labels on them.

This way, using an electronic access control system, you can avoid the inconveniences that are associated with the use of physical keys and you can also ameliorate the control of access. A good access control system will permit you to define the parameters at the level of each individual or at the level of an entire group of people. This can be updated quickly and easily, at your convenience.