Secure Your Buildings Against Intruders By Using Access Control Cards

By Author: Jo Alelsto
Total Articles: 405
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For most people the security of their residence and workplace is of prime importance to which there is just no substitute. Commercial establishments and any other institutions are open during the day when people are working and clients are coming in. This means that doors would have to be open to allow people in. But some doors should allow only passage of permissible individuals. This is why there are access control systems, which are purposely installed to sift incoming persons. The access control mechanism can be physical or electronic. Doors can be locked manually to prevent outsiders from simply going inside a prohibited room. Computer systems may be used to activate electronic locking systems. There are a lot of companies that offer services like installation of electronic lock and security systems, and there is a security system that makes use of both physical and electronic activation/unlocking system. For instance, doors may be opened using access control cards which are simply swiped through card readers. This kind of access control that utilizes cards instead of keys is now becoming more common. In fact, ...
... this is the most common form of electronic door access that is used in many establishments.

This is not to say keys are becoming old fashioned. Nevertheless, hotels and laboratories are actually using cards as keys to doors. The access cards bear magstripes that are read by electronic readers installed on doors. Establishments with high security areas would tend to use electronic lock/unlock systems to avoid entry of unauthorized personnel. The cards may also serve as identification, although they are primary access providers.

Establishments have varying levels of security depending on the kind of organization they hold and the number of people that regularly get inside. Depending on internal security measures, access to all doors and rooms may either be restricted or allowed during special circumstances. For instance, a master key may be used to open all the doors to rooms in a building. But this may be used sparingly and in most cases access to individual rooms are controlled separately. Nevertheless, electronic control of access to different rooms is more effective than the use of keys. Security is of prime importance that should be observed in all buildings, but it is more necessary in companies that secure crucial data. During these instances, access control is even given a stringent attention.

There are different access control points, which act as physical barrier from a room or a secured area. Such barriers may be a door, gate, turnstile, or an elevator. In electronically controlled security systems, these physical barriers may not be opened just like that. Many establishments assign guards to allow specific persons to enter and prohibit others from entering. In some cases, people may be given keys to have access to the place, say a hospital room or an apartment unit. In other cases, access may be through control cards. On the other hand, more sophisticated entry points have installed biometric readers which scan fingerprints or facial structure.

The manner in which access control systems are installed in any building should be determined by the kind of company who would use the system and how the system would be utilized. Generally, the larger the number of people entering any establishment the more sophisticated security measures should be as there would be a higher risk. There may be increasing levels of security installed. For instance, even employees of a certain company may not have access to certain offices, and this is true for large companies.

Needless to say, access control systems are extremely widely used and while not all are access card holders or access keyfobs owners, everyone has encountered security barriers installed in almost all establishments.
Jo is a writer for 'Access Control Cards' (http://www.access-control-cards.co.uk), a site owned by The Card Network, a UK company that specializes in full range plastic card items, solutions and services, both customized and standard. If your company is looking for reliable and tamper-proof access control cards then you ought to check out Access Control Cards.