Everything you need to know about Access Control

What is the use of Access Control?

Access control has been in use since time immemorial. Going back in history, access control systems were used by different civilizations. In the medieval Era, swordsmen reported to the armoury guard every time they needed access to the armoury. Fast forward to today, we have more sophisticated access control systems that don't need real time human supervision.

It is not surprising that access control systems are still used today and have become even more reliable. This shift in reliability is attributed to a spike in the use of digital technology since the early 1900s. Advancements in technology led to better and quality access control systems and differ from one organisation to another.

What is Access Control?

Access control is a managing mechanism that is used for selective restrictions to access a place or other resources such as data. With this mechanism, access managers have full access and control of data and can easily monitor who has access to certain resources or data in an organisation.

Access control creates a reliable accounting of nearly all important aspects of a business when it comes to accessing key areas in an organisation. Such reliability will be determined by access controls that are in place at that point in time. Failure to implement correct and relevant access controls may result in vulnerabilities and financial losses.

Access control in the 21st century

As you can imagine, we are evolving fast due to technological advancements and so does access control systems. Since the beginning of the 21st century, access control systems have been making serious advancements. Access to buildings no longer requires writing and signing on paper but biometrics or access cards are now being used. It is therefore safe to conclude that access control systems are slowly but surely moving to a paperless environment.

A good example would be the Instacom Access Control System for both Vehicle and Pedestrian traffic, it replaces the ‘old’ and defunct visitors sign-in book. It utilizes an Android app to capture visitor data and a web portal to access and manage the information live. The system is POPI Compliant and secure

Regulation of access through technology comes with many advantages and less disadvantages compared to manual book entry systems. The modern access control system reduces vulnerabilities as a result edging closer and closer to efficiency.

Transitioning from manual to digital access control system may seem costly, however, considering the efficiency and reduction in vulnerabilities, it is in fact far much more cost effective to automate on a  medium to long term basis. 

Major benefit of access control

Access control systems provide numerous benefits, including but not limited to rescuing your business from data breaches and protection of assets. 

Uses of access control

Access control systems are used for many reasons. With the spike of crime in South Africa, having access control to safeguard your business’ valuable assets has become a strategic necessity. In 2019 alone property related crimes amounted to 460 000.

Key Usage

• Activity monitoring: Access control will monitor every person and vehicle that moves in and out of a premise. With an efficient system, like the one we provide at Instacom, you can expect to have 99.99% uptime.
• Employee protection: Access control systems are not only there to protect assets of a business but the employees as well. The system prevents unauthorized personnel from accessing data and premises, therefore, no employee will be implicated for any wrong doing that is not directly connected to them.
• Tracking: When something wrong has happened, a business can mine data from the Access Control System reports to see who might have gained access to the scene of the wrongdoing.
• Reporting: The main purpose of an access control system is to report access whether manually or digitally. If an access control doesn’t fulfill the reporting of access then it is of no use to an organization. A good access control system will report entry and exit of vehicles or personnel.