Business security has historically been a simple matter of locks, keys, and the occasional alarm. Yet as threats become more complicated, security systems need to become more sophisticated. In the modern workplace, business security needs to account for everything from cyberattacks to internal theft. Gone are the days of hefty locking mechanisms and a heavy-set guard keeping watch over a company’s perimeter.
With technology leading the charge on everything from cybersecurity to remote working solutions, it’s no wonder that technology has transformed how businesses think about security for their employees and property. After all, with remote and flexible work arrangements on the rise, it’s not as easy as everyone being in the same building from 9-5 to catch a potential security threat. Technology helps solve the weaknesses of traditional systems when they can neither adapt to changing work patterns nor keep up.
The fact that technology helps business owners address problems they may not even have known they had is almost enough to justify the expense. For example, keyless entry systems help maintain a record of who enters where and when—excellent for suspicious missing inventory, accidents waiting to happen, and compliance reporting—eliminating the stress (and expense) of maintaining physical keys and rekeying employers out of necessary spaces upon resignation, and the need to show up at every location every time small adjustments need to be made.
Access Control That Actually Controls Access
While physical keys seem like an excellent idea for security purposes, they end up causing more trouble than they’re worth in most work settings. Employees lose keys and forget to return them upon resigning. Making copies for new employees always takes time and money, but what’s worse is maintaining no record of who used which key or when someone last entered a secure space.
Electronic access control eliminates most stressors while enhancing security substantially. For starters, employee cards/fobs can be assigned permission levels and immediately deactivated when someone is no longer part of the team. They can also be traced and flagged for audit purposes and can prevent access to specific areas at certain times.
Growing businesses require flexible and reliable systems that accommodate ongoing security needs. For example, perth access control systems provide businesses with a cost-effective solution that isn’t all or nothing—small businesses can implement these systems and expand as they grow, preventing needs from outgrowing potential solutions by forcing them to rethink their entire setup.
What’s more, access control systems integrate with other systems for heightened security. For example, security cameras can be programmed to record when someone opens an interior door to a sensitive area; alarms can notify personnel if attempted access occurs after-hours; reports can be generated for compliance investigation or auditor purposes.
Surveillance That Goes Beyond Recording
Gone are the days of grainy video cameras set up in corners with no technological power to maintain a lock on an unfortunate incident. The surveillance technology that exists today boasts everything from high-definition digital images viewable by anyone with Wi-Fi to low-light accessibility for sensitive nighttime awareness.
Therefore, business owners who may travel or run different locations can appreciate remote access to high quality observations at any hour. Yet the true advancement includes motion detection and intelligent video analytics that reduce security personnel from having unnecessary access to footage twenty-four-seven.
For example, motion detection triggers recording (and alerts), reducing storage needs while making it easier to find relevant footage. Some systems can detect unexpected activity or recognize faces. However, these features must be used carefully regarding privacy invasion.
The same goes for cloud-based solutions that no longer keep sensitive footage on-premises if recording devices fail or are stolen. Achieving safety in numbers helps businesses access video through redundant backup systems and retention policies without paying out the nose for complicated recording devices on-site.
Integrated Systems That Work Together
The most compelling case for modern-day business security comes from different systems collaborating with one another across space and time. Where access control, surveillance, and alarms might seem like disparate units, together they create a protective atmosphere that’s a force multiplier out of necessity.
For example, when a door is accessed through an access control system that has been programmed with the appropriate permission, it disarms alarms simultaneously. This prevents unnecessary stressing occupants who have clearance while keeping unnecessary entities even more on guard should they attempt to tamper with technology late at night.
Similarly, the integration provides business synergies as well. Integrated access control systems can help track time on-site efforts so there’s no need for additional time attendance tracking for payroll; automated lighting can be set (to appropriately coincide) without increasing overhead costs; climate control can turn on before an employee arrives or off when the last one leaves.
Managing Remote and Flexible Work Security
Remote options raise new challenges security professionals could never prepare for through in-house training and mitigation. Employees working from home need easy remote options that don’t jeopardize data security. Employees entering shared spaces need additional permissions that can change from one minute to the next.
VPNs secure remote systems for work when employees are operating from various locations. Multi-factor authentication provides extra security without burdening legitimate users with excessive red tape. Flexible access control systems exist through cloud-based technology so any new employee can be granted access in minutes while accidental access (contractors or clients) can be set for temporary measures until finished.
Cost Considerations and Return on Investment
It’s one thing to talk about modern technology in terms of value. Still, present-day systems often require increased expense upfront but reduced costs over time versus traditional methods of business security meant to keep threats at bay. Systems offer replacements that have little occurrence; increased trash for misplaced physical keys means reallocation of services; physical presence of security guards through hours lost means installation prevention savings negated by intentional theft—any savings accumulated over time helps pay back any system expenses.
In addition, operational efficiency provides added value return benefits—automated processes reduce administrative efforts almost immediately; compliance reporting offers justification where none may have existed before; personnel no longer have to spend time on site when upgrades are required or expected.
Most importantly, insurance claims pay further dividends for installations that combine silos into one comprehensive system; this means greater premium reductions—one long-term benefit that’s compounded over time versus up-front expenditures.
Implementation and Maintenance Considerations
Successful implementation occurs well before physical installation begins. It requires professional undertaking so pre-determined systems can assess what’s already present on-site versus building code regulations/outside portals/third-party integrations bring all parts together seamlessly.
Subsequent maintenance ensures ongoing longevity over time; there are regularly scheduled updates, maintenance contracts with professionals who know the required upkeep as opposed to educated guessers who may not have experience means reduced gaps where key functions could falter unnecessarily.
Security systems assume responsibility over time beyond just check in/out; employee training is paramount for new solutions recently installed successfully—if these technologies provide increased value potential but personnel find ways around inconvenient procedures (or those deemed inconvenient at best), what’s the point?
There are so many capabilities modern business security boasts that were nowhere on the horizon mere years ago. Added benefit comes together with access control integration, surveillance, and comprehensively outfitted systems collocated within fields that provide operational efficiencies while keeping everyone safer in less hostile work environments for decades on end.
