Can a Small Business Afford Access Control?

Posted by Kevin Cameron on Aug 13, 2021 4:30:00 PM

AdobeStock_298946904For small businesses, general operational expenses can add up quickly. And it’s easy to find that you’re allocating significant financial resources to categories that might not require that level of expense. But is security a category where it makes sense to skimp? Security can mean a lot of things, especially as you consider the safety of your employees.

 

What is Access Control?

Bluntly put, access control is exactly as it sounds — limiting who can enter your business premises. From an obvious standpoint, this can include blocking access to unauthorized personnel during business hours.

 

If you work in an industry where data security is essential and staff must have specific security clearance to access sensitive files, going a step further by controlling entry on the premises can prevent physical brute force attacks and data theft.

 

And while the obvious option is to restrict entry to your building from non-employees, you can also adjust access throughout a facility based on an employee’s clearance level. Again, this can be especially helpful if you have sensitive information like customer data or high-level security clearance documents or products that you want to keep protected.

 

Why Access Control Matters

At a minimum, opting for access control can keep your employees safe from intruders both during and outside of business hours. Additionally, you can easily integrate access control such as door readers with an existing security system or CCTV. This allows you to easily compare any potential theft or incidents with irregular activity logged through readers or your security system.

 

Knowing that entry either into the building or specific areas within a building is monitored can deter would-be thieves from attempting to steal from your business. And when integrated with security systems, you can set triggers for alarms when doors are breached without proper access verification.

 

Which Access Control is Best for Your Business?

There are multiple options that you can consider as you begin implementing an access control strategy. Consider which concerns are most pressing for your business as well as which strategy makes the most sense for your workforce.

 

General Building Access

The simplest option is to limit access to your business facility to only employees. This can include incorporating door readers but can also be applied to multi-facility operations. You can decide if all employees can freely access all worksites or if that access should be restricted solely to employees primarily employed at a specific facility.

 

However, this means that if you have employees that occasionally travel to other facilities, their credentials may need to be updated to give them temporary access to other locations.

 

Intrabuilding Access Management

Some businesses can benefit from further segmenting access across a facility based on employee departments and functions. For example, if only certain staff need access to inventory, their credentials may provide them clearance to storage or warehousing rooms.

Other Considerations

For small businesses with a handful of employees, they might not need a more complex system that incorporates more robust access control protocols might be excessive — along with being expensive. Instead, a simple single-code solution for all employees may be sufficient to provide entry protection.

 

In contrast, small businesses working with sensitive information or managing government contracts can’t take the risk of skimping on security and experiencing a catastrophic breach. In this scenario, knowing exactly where people are within a building and what files they’re interacting with is a necessity for maintaining professional integrity and reducing liability.

 

Making the Right Choice

Picking the right access control method can be a tough decision for many small businesses. Four Walls Security is experienced in providing decades of support to Brisbane-area businesses. Along with protecting physical property by implementing proven access control strategies, we can also help businesses to develop effective strategies for protecting sensitive information and managing the data requirements needed to efficiently and effectively roll out security solutions.

Topics: Access Control Systems, Access Control for Business, access control entry devices, small business access control

 

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