A sound access control system is essential for keeping your business protected against external threats. All of your employees, customers, and clients deserve to feel as safe as possible. Unfortunately, as we have seen from a spate of violent incidents affecting government and military facilities, along with public spaces meant for worship, education, and entertainment, erring on the side of caution seems to be the best bet. Even so, it might be possible to have too much access control. Join us as we investigate further.
Traditional Key-Based Systems
For many homeowners, business owners, and facility managers, a simple lock-and-key mechanism is the most familiar access control format. A May 2019 mass shooting in Virginia Beach highlighted the fundamental flaws in this setup. Well-equipped police officers who arrived to stop the assailant were hampered by not being able to reach the areas they needed to because of excessive technology-based security systems. Public facilities and private buildings both utilize Knox Boxes, or boxes containing spare keys. These keys function as skeleton keys that allow law enforcement and firefighters to bypass security checkpoints in the name of faster response to save anyone who might be in danger.
Aiding First Responders
Aiding first responders in an emergency needs to be among the highest priority of any commercial setting. One way to address this problem is to encourage all employees to give their keycards to first responders when time is of the essence. In run-fight-hide scenarios involving active shooters, everyone will be understandably panicked, which can interfere with common-sense decisions.
Keycard Systems and Spare Copies
Managers and supervisors often have specialized keycards that give them unrestricted access to areas of the building that house more sensitive systems, such as rack-levels that contain servers full of customer data. Everyone working at the reception desk needs to have spare copies of keycards tied to these hardened access control systems.
The Pitfalls of Card Readers
Card readers, surveillance cameras, and biometric security measures can lead to unintended consequences such as ambushes. Many card readers are outdated, and thus, tend to malfunction at critical junctions. These nightmare scenarios have been a specter of the Columbine shootings more than two decades ago.
Potential for Unnecessary Access Control Systems?
As we have seen, it is possible to have too much access control. These systems protect everybody under your roof, but they can make active shooter situations even more terrifying than they already are. That’s part of the reason why evaluating existing systems for upgrades and retrofits is so urgent.
Trust the Professionals at ARK Systems
Located in Columbia, Maryland, ARK Systems provides unsurpassed quality and excellence in the security industry, from system design through to installation. We handle all aspects of security with local and remote locations. With over 30 years in the industry, ARK Systems is an experienced security contractor. Trust ARK to handle your most sensitive data storage, surveillance, and security solutions.
Contact ARK Systems at 1-800-995-0189 or click here today. Check us out on Facebook and Twitter as well!