Access control is certainly not a new security measure. In fact, it’s been in use for decades now. Yet, there are still a great number of businesses that are on the fence about whether access control is really worth investing in. If you are one of these late bloomers and are still unsure of whether or not you should take action to strengthen security at your premises, we’re here to guide you.  

Access control shouldn’t be taken lightly. Unauthorised access and theft and can cause significant financial and reputational damage to your business. Here are six signs that your company is ready and will benefit from installing access control.

Your building attracts lots of visitors

One obvious importance of access control in your business is if you receive heavy footfall throughout the day. It could be a combination of business guests, potential new hires, delivery personnel, and employee family members. Using access control allows you to regulate the level of access you provide your visitors. So, while they are more than welcome to the lounge area, they won’t be able to enter areas that are off-limits to visitors.

You have areas in your business with high-value assets 

The next most important sign when it comes to access control is valuables. You might think that for example, your state-of-the-art coffee maker is very important and very valuable to you, but there are much bigger and more valuable things than the coffee maker. Let’s say that you keep sensitive documents such as commercial information or intellectual property in a filing cabinet located in a separate room. Access control can be set up to restrict access to this area and thus you will reduce your worries and suspicions of the type of theft that could lead to strategic, financial, and privacy implications.

You’ve recently had a security breach 

A burglary at your office is a powerful call-to-action. After a break-in, some employees may not feel safe in the workplace or some might fear for their belongings. Installing access control helps to prevent another break-in in the future. With the peace of mind you and your employees will have, imagine how much more productive your business could be.  

You’re always re-keying

Whether it’s employees losing their keys or employees leaving the company, re-keying offices can be a costly and time-intensive process. Yet, you don’t want the security risk of having a stranger or ex-employee being able to access the premises. With access control, updating entrance privileges is easy as key cards, key fobs, and biometric information can be cancelled or created at any time.

Someone forgot to lock the door

Forgetting to lock the door or incorrectly closing up the building is an easy mistake that can result in a criminal having access to your building without even having to break in. If you or your staff routinely forget to lock your doors, access control includes door sensors or automatic door closers. This way, your doors are always firmly locked and you can rest assured that your assets are protected without having to manually lock up with a key.

Employees get locked out of the building

Another mistake employees frequently make is forgetting their fobs or card readers at home or inside the office when they leave for a brief time. And when they can’t enter the office, productivity suffers. Biometric access control prevents such a scenario from happening as it eliminates their reliance on cards or fobs. They simply verify their identity via a fingerprint or facial reader, and are immediately granted access.

You’ve encountered time fraud or payroll abuse

Biometric access control not only authenticates employees using fingerprint or facial scanning but also captures the time and date of authentication. The reports generated by the system lets you keep track of clock-in time, break hours, half-days, shift work, overtime and more. If lateness or absenteeism has become a problem at your business, access control with Time and Attendance software will make it easier for you to know when employees come and go. This reduces the risk of time fraud or payroll abuse.

• READ NEXT: 5 key features of effective access control

Final takeaway

Don’t let hesitation stand in the way of improving your security with an access control system. If any of the above signs sounded familiar, you’re probably a good fit for an access control solution. So what’s the next step? Finding the right solution. Consider talking to the experts at Nashua to see which type of access control is a good fit for your business.