So often, our focus in security and access control zeroes in on the hardware. Its latest functionality or compatibility with emerging technologies grabs the headlines. Yet it is your access control software which knits a system together — and the signs are, this is finally getting the attention it deserves in security procurement.
“Today, access control software is more accessible to a wider variety of actors,” writes Bryan Montany, a research analyst at IHS Technology, “providing end-users with broader and more comprehensive data relating to patterns in building occupancy.”
“Software has also supported integrations with other security systems, enabling security managers to respond in real time to emerging incidents and potential security breaches.”
In other words, you can escape the limiting functionality of outmoded access management with a new generation of software solutions. They can fix everyday access irritants. Below are just seven.
Freedom from the access management terminal
Multi-seat management should be a given. Your intuitive, customised dashboard could have a personalised login screen configuration for every administrator. Software should offer flexible management options, including secure system administration from anywhere and multi-time zone capability options.
An access management “terminal” should be tied to you — not the other way around.
Maximum flexibility, whatever your legacy system Access control software puts in the hard yards when it bends your existing system or setup to new needs. It can integrate across several databases, making workflows easier and less error prone. You may even wish to manage any existing mechanical locks from the same interface as your electronic or electromechanical locks. The right access control software handles that for you.
Tailored access for every site user and visitor
Streamlining access rights management for staff, contractors and visitors can boost business efficiency. Your access control software should filter access to specific locks according to the precise security needs of your site and users. For any system, you should be able to create individual schedules for key-holders, doors or audit trails. In a few clicks you can require users to revalidate keys regularly, making it safer to issue a contractor with time-limited access.
Smarter, more effective building management
Smart buildings need intelligent software. Do you know who uses which doors at your site, and when? Are you planning an office expansion and weighing up appropriate security for each type of room use? A properly configured software control panel should accurately track user movement around your site. It feeds back the data you need to make better business decisions.
Saving security budgets with a Software as a Service (SaaS) option
Ideally, you want to spend your security budget on actually securing people and assets. Alas, in the real world, IT costs and contingency budgeting eat up much of it. When you run access management software with a reliable SaaS provider, security infrastructure budgeting becomes more predictable. Your data enjoys complete redundancy and is therefore more secure. And your company’s software is always, automatically up to date — critical for cyber-security resilience.
Mobile solutions for the modern mobile workforce
Are your mobile workers and contractors returning to base — or the nearest credential update — to redefine or revalidate their access rights? Access control software can (and should) be mobile. So, instead of updates, workers update credentials on the go, wherever they are, via an app and its encrypted Bluetooth connection.
All your business process software in one place
Multiple systems create double or triple the work. Duplicating data entry increases the chance of errors. With access control powered by the CLIQ Web Manager, for example, you can integrate powerful access management features with your existing business process software. One hub for everything. Thanks to the CLIQ Web Manager’s open architecture, you can build a single interface to control all your “live” workflows. You manage HR, support ticketing, financial reporting and more, alongside daily access control tasks like validating and revalidating credentials, cancelling lost keys and ordering automated audit trails for locks or users.
