TECHNICAL
Importantly, access is managed via a central system that can assign or revoke access rights in real-time, offering detailed audit trails of entry and exit. This means that an engineer can start the morning by downloading access rights which have been automatically assigned for each of the multiple sites they’re visiting that day and unlock every door and cabinet they need with the same device. There’s no need to manage key cabinets or try to figure out which key is which after a long day on the road.
these traditional solutions have several limitations that are inherent to their design. Limitations of Traditional Mechanical Locking Solutions n Lack of Scalability: Mechanical systems are difficult to scale. As the number of users and access points increases, managing keys becomes increasingly complex and unmanageable.
n Inflexibility: Once keys are
distributed, changing access rights requires physical alterations to locks or reissuing new keys, which is both inefficient and costly. n No Audit Trails: Though many access control systems theoretically require logs and checks, mechanical locks do not provide records of who accessed a location and when. This often makes it impossible to track access or detect unauthorised entries. n Risk of Key Duplication: Physical keys can be easily duplicated, raising security concerns without a way to restrict unauthorised copies. n Vulnerability to Loss and Theft: Lost or stolen keys pose a significant security risk and addressing these issues often requires rekeying locks, leading to increased costs and operational disruptions. Addressing the Problem New technology can offer incredible benefits when it comes to access control. Smart locks, biometric systems and access control software represent the forefront of this transformation, offering capabilities far beyond traditional mechanisms. These solutions provide scalable, customisable access rights, real-time monitoring and audit trails, addressing many of the limitations of mechanical systems. What does digital access control look like? Rather than physical keys, digital access systems use digital credentials. Depending on the technology used, this might mean using an app on a mobile device, an access fob embedded with a wireless transmitter, or one of a dozen other methods.
SEPTEMBER 2024 Volume 46 No.3
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