The term Electronic access control refers to the method of restricting entrance to a property, building, or room to authorized persons. In its easiest form, an EAC system contains of an electronic door lock, a reader, and electronic controller.
Building and property management are some of the top concerns of property managers and building owners looking to increase security. Building access control in its easiest form is a motorized lock and key. Electronic access control, referred to as an EAC, uses electric locks, access control cards and provides a way to monitor access to which doors an employee, tenant or person can enter.
Benefits of an Access Control System
- Keeping Doors Locked; Providing a secure environment for users whilst still having a functional easy to use facility.
- Time Zones: Access can be controlled on a time basis ensuring access is not granted at undesirable times. In some cases, you may want to restrict access to your premises based on time and day. For example, no access to certain employees on weekends or after hours.
- Audit Trails: Audit trails are particularly useful for server rooms. Depending on your Location, a record of access to the server room may be required. The ability to trace access attempts no matter whether access is granted or not.
- Change Access Rights: The ability to quickly and easily change an individual or groups access rights be it time zones or access to different areas.
- Scalable Solutions: Provides the ability to grow the system over time with the changing requirements of the facility.
- Lost or Stolen key: A lost, or stolen key almost always creates a serious breach of your physical security. Re-keying your mechanical locks can be expensive and inconvenient—especially if you need to call in your locksmith on short notice. Businesses will sometimes live with the risk of a lost key rather than spend the money to have their facilities re-keyed.
Conclusion
You should consider electronic access control if:
- You require an audit trial
- You must control access to doors based on date and time
- You need to rapidly add and remove keys from your system
With a capacity of three or more doors, a networked EAC system is typically your most efficient choice, while access to one or two doors can be simply self-controlled with a detached system.
