5 Intuitive Steps to Prevent Unauthorized Access in Your Buildings

Your building may be situated in one of the most populated areas in the city, where cars and bystanders continuously whizz by, over the entire 24-hour cycle.

And you know that events of theft, vandalism, and work-related injuries are few and far between, so the presence of these “eyes on the street” could encourage you to relax on security issues. But the vigilance of third parties cannot and should not guarantee the safety of your property, data, employees, and residents.

You can always look to fortify your building through the digital dimension. And with the advent of pandemic-related dangers, harnessing the power of a secure, cloud-connected, automated system that integrates with security, biometric, and health screening devices is surely something you should want to implement as soon as possible.

In this post, we cover 5 steps you could take in advance to mitigate the risks of unwanted salesmen, thieves, loiterers, and other anti-social elements—to streamline your workplace or office building.

1. No-nonsense Access Control Systems

There is no way around a well-calibrated access control system (ACS)—for your security decisions and for the unscrupulous individuals who look to enter where they shouldn’t. It is the first and main line of defense in any modern-day “fortress.” It covers all entry and exit points on the premises and can be integrated with state-of-the-art components such as keypads, intelligent readers (card, fingerprint, biometric), electromagnetic locks, parking ticket controllers, parking gates, elevators, turnstiles, and more.

The main benefit? Even whilst your property is largely unmanned—such as at night—theft and break-ins can be deterred through these robust on-site measures. Probably the most secure and popular ACS solution is biometric security. Biometric technology is very difficult to fool, which is why it tends to be the go-to option for most business owners and managers.

2. Real-time Visitor Management Systems

A versatile visitor management system (VMS) is another medium through which your staff and security can verify the identity of the visitors entering a facility. This can be done through the convenience of smartphone QR access codes, kiosks, or integrated biometric scanners connected to turnstiles and flap barriers.

In other words, it is advisable that office managers connect their VMS to their ACS to ensure a seamless mode of record-keeping for security operations. Whenever visitors enter and exit, this hybrid system will trigger a series of data entries that can be stored, accessed, and analyzed for practical and legal use. You will gain real-time insights from unique variables such as ‘total office headcount,’ ‘daily sign-ins,’ ‘average space utilization,’ ‘blacklisted visitors,’ etc.

3. Place Prohibitive Signage for Clarity

If certain zones of a business are restricted to unauthorized employees, staff, and other personnel, crystal-clear prohibitive signage should be positioned where it can be seen. For example, an ‘Only Authorized Electrical Professionals Allowed Entry Here’ sign could prevent staff members from electrocution and other severe electricity-related injuries. Many employees are generally unaware of the various zones they are not allowed into and are always at some risk without guidance. The consequences of failing to provide intelligible signage could be ethically and financially damaging to the business, as mentioned above, particularly if someone is injured whilst in an off-limits area.

4. Use CCTV as Extensively as You can

CCTV will always be one of the most effective deterrents to thieves, troublemakers, and vandals. This is especially useful if your facility is largely vacant at night, with little or no personnel manning the strategic areas. And if you have ample data storage, it is an objective means to analyze video evidence for identification purposes should unauthorized access occur. Cameras should be positioned at key bottlenecks and entry points, such as doors, elevators, car parks, and corridors. Doing so conserves the number of cameras needed to be purchased and monitored. Placing too many CCTV cameras reduces the security guard’s ability to monitor them all.

5. Train Staff in Security Matters

Unauthorized access and security breaches can be nipped in the bud by training staff to recognize and report suspicious behavior. One way of doing so is to have them read the building access policy after which they could attempt a test on the same subject. Teaching employees about the best security practices and technologies will not only help to keep them safe but will also prevent further problems later down the line.

Taking these 5 effective steps before the major part of your workforce returns to the office will streamline the social and professional interactions that take place on a daily basis, easing the mental comfort of everyone involved. These new security practices will ensure a safer environment manned by trained, tech-savvy staff. VAMS Global is one such VMS supplier that can aid in your strategies to prevent accidents, mischief, and crimes on the premises.

Make no mistake—a tireless digital eye cannot be underestimated even in comparison to a thousand human eyes!