A security breach or theft at your business in Kitchener takes your attention away from your serving customers and improving your product. That is the last thing you need. 

If we are to take a guess, improving security at your business is the reason you invested in an access control system. Access control systems restrict unauthorized access and promote convenient access for authorized people. 

In that case, it isn’t an unreasonable expectation that your facility will be safer and secure once you install an access control system. Yet, for many reasons, you may not get the best out of your access control system investment. Let’s discuss those reasons:

Common Problems With Access Control Systems

There are many reasons why organizations eventually upgrade their access control systems. One is your current access control system no longer meets your needs. There are also situations where an access control system gets so outdated it starts to compromise your business’ security. How do you deal with those?

1. Theft and misuse of access cards

When access cards fall into the wrong hands, your access control system essentially fails in its primary function – keeping out unwelcome visitors and granting smooth access for the right people. 

Keycards can get stolen by people with criminal intentions. In the worst-case scenario, these people will clone and make copies of the keycard, making your business vulnerable to unauthorized entry.

To be frank, keycards lack true authorization because they won’t tell who the person swiping the card is. The best way to prevent keycard misuse is to upgrade to a system that uses more secure technology to identify visitors. 

Our recommendation is to choose systems that use biometric-based identification technologies, like iris, face, and fingerprint readers. For ultimate convenience, mobile access systems that use smartphone apps to manage access are worth looking into.

2. Outdated, easy-to-hack access control systems

If your access control system can be hacked using cheap devices anyone can buy online, you need to upgrade it as a matter of urgency. Such a system is no match for today’s sophisticated criminal syndicates. 

To maintain secure business premises, you have to keep up with the latest advances in access control technology. That also means keeping the software your system runs on up-to-date. Outdated access control systems are easy to hack. They give you a false sense of security. 

Upgrade with another vendor if your current access control system vendor does not upgrade their technology to modern standards.

3. Poor integration with other smart building systems

The workplaces of the future will use smart technologies to connect all the systems businesses use to run smoothly, from your HVAC to your lighting, access control, inventory management, and payroll systems.

To save energy and cost, and to improve efficiency, it helps if your payroll system can talk with your access control system without your intervention. 

For example, you won’t have to manually tell your payroll system who reported for work, at what time, and when they knocked off. The system can import that data from the access control system on its own.

If your business is pivoting to a fully connected system that allows you to manage everything from a single interface, you are going to need an access control system that can easily integrate with your other systems. In most cases, this calls for upgrading to a more modern access control system.

Is It Time To Upgrade Your Access Control System?

Likely, your current system does not have an upgrade that meets your needs. Our advice would be to research alternative access control systems. 

Ultimately, however, even the best access control systems may still fail if you use an inexperienced installer. Using an approved installer prevents the risk of improper setup and selection of wrong equipment, which will not improve security at your building.

Choose Jay360 for all your access control system installations in Kitchener, ON. We are an approved installer for KEYSCAN, a leading electronic and networked access control systems brand. Contact our access control experts today to discuss your upgrade options.