In today's fast-paced and interconnected world, businesses of all sizes and industries rely on commercial access control systems to protect their assets, secure sensitive areas, and manage employee and visitor access. The benefits can be huge. Not only are you lowering your liability for theft and privacy concerns, you’re also able to streamline your operations by having a better handle on how you can maximize the potential of your space!

That being said, simply implementing a commercial access control system is not enough. To really ensure its effectiveness, you’ll need to regularly evaluate and assess the system. Without the right settings in place, your investment might not be serving you as well as it should.

What’s the Best Type of Commercial Access Control?

The first step in evaluating your commercial access control system is to define what you’re hoping to achieve with your access control system. Are you primarily focused on enhancing security, or are you looking to improve overall efficiency too? Identifying these goals can help you establish specific metrics to measure the effectiveness of the system. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Moreover, you don’t want a system that falls short of delivering what you actually need for your peace of mind.

As a general rule, though, the best access control solutions are going to be reliable, robust, and user-friendly. Your system should give admins an easy process to track and modify various access privileges, so you can ensure that everyone’s individual access code or badge reflects their actual role and responsibilities within the organization.

There should also be a convenient way to analyze your system logs and reports. You need a solution that can help you review the hard facts and data whenever you need to investigate suspicious activities or patterns. It’s a lot easier to identify potential security risks or an actual breach when you have an access control system monitoring every point of entry.

How to Audit Your Access Control System

Whether you already have a commercial access control system in place or you’re in the early stages of designing your own custom solution, performing regular audits is essential. There’s no reason to stick with a system that under-delivers, and you don’t want to make the wrong move by getting an access control solution that doesn’t match your industry’s unique needs. Asking the right questions will help you make an informed decision.

Corporate Offices:

• Can the access control system manage access to different areas within the office building, such as executive offices, server rooms, and restricted areas?
• Does the system allow for integration with visitor management systems to monitor and control guest access?
• Can the system accommodate different access levels for employees, contractors, and temporary staff?
• Is two-factor authentication available to provide an additional layer of security for high-level access?
• Can the system provide centralized control and monitoring of multiple office locations, if applicable?

Multi-housing:

• Are there separate access levels for tenants, staff, and maintenance personnel?
• Can access privileges be easily granted or revoked for individual units or common areas?
• Does the system provide audit trails to track access events and monitor any potential security breaches within the property?

Hospitality:

• Can access credentials be issued for guests, staff, and contractors, with different levels of access?
• Is the system capable of generating time-limited access codes or cards for temporary staff or service providers?
• Can the access control system be seamlessly integrated with other hotel systems, such as video surveillance?

Manufacturing:

• Can the access control system handle multiple entry points, including doors, gates, and parking lots?
• Is the system capable of restricting access to sensitive areas such as production floors, storage rooms, or research labs?
• Are there options for integrating the access control system with time and attendance systems for accurate record-keeping?

Retail:

• Can the access control system manage access to both employee-only areas and public spaces within the store?
• Does the system allow for flexible access permissions based on employee roles and responsibilities?
• Can the system generate detailed access reports to monitor employee activity and investigate any suspicious incidents?

Planning Ahead with Scalable Solutions

As your business evolves and grows, your access control requirements may change. The last phase of your audit is to assess whether the system can accommodate future expansions, additional users, or new access points without compromising security or performance.

The effectiveness of a commercial access control system often relies on its ability to seamlessly integrate with your existing infrastructure. If you're already using video surveillance or other security systems, try to make sure any new updates will be compatible. Along the way, consider investing in proper training for employees to ensure they are familiar with the access control system's features and protocols. Adequate training can help minimize user errors, increase system adoption, and enhance overall system effectiveness. After all, just because the tech might “technically” work, if it isn’t user-friendly, then it’s not really doing anyone any good!