Fifteen years ago when I began the design phase of the new office facility for Taylored Systems, there were many things to consider other than the type of carpet and the color of paints. At that point being a business owner and dealing with employee access for over eighteen years, I was tired of forgotten or lost keys, multiple broken keys and the expense of a locksmith every time one of these events happened.
How Does a Door Access Control System Work?
In the year 2000, Door Access Control Systems were available, but not thought to be cost effective for small businesses. As an owner of a technology company, I wanted simplification of building access control so I started doing my research.
We installed a wired system that allowed us to tell each key fob which door it could open and at what time. It also kept a record of each person who entered and when each door was opened. The system not only gave us twenty-four hour employee access, but also gave us a door access security system that we felt was needed after the events of 9-11.
Each employee has their own key fob which allows them twenty-four hour access to our facility. Also, we provide our cleaning company fobs so they can access the building during the days and times they needed to be in the building for scheduled cleaning. If a person does lose a fob, we simply deactivate it in the computer and activate a new one tagged to them.
Using Door Access Control to Restrict Building Access
All of the doors to Taylored Systems are locked 24/7 except our Main Entrance and the outside door to our delivery area. To walk into Taylored Systems during the business day, you can enter through our Main Entrance which leads you into our receptionist area. This door is unlocked and locks each day within preset times from our Door Access Control System. There is no reader on this door just an electric lock.
When you enter our receptionist area, there is another locked door before you have access to our facility. Whoever is sitting at our receptionist area can then let you through that door with a button under their desk. This is where the true Door Access Security System idea comes into play.
At our delivery area, the outside door unlocks automatically during the business day. This allows UPS, FedEx and others access to deliver and pickup products. Once inside the area there are two locked doors with key fob readers. One allows entry to the main part of our building, and the other to a smaller part of the warehouse that has tubs for each tech where they can pick up and drop off parts after hours or weekends.
We have three other locked entry doors that allow employees access to our building 24/7 with their key fobs. We additionally have the door to our server room locked 24/7 with a key fob reader so those authorized to be in the server room have access at any time.
Other Door Access System Features
Today things have changed in technology, but the basics are still the same. Our system now operates over category 6 cable, although there are great wireless systems available. Also, our system today has the capability to interface with our cameras and activate individual cameras when a fob is presented to the reader.
Our original system had the capability to:
- track each fob
- track which door the fob opened
- track what time the door was opened
- automatically lock and unlock doors on a preset schedule.
Today, you can create an after-hours report to let you know through text or email if a door was opened at a time when it should not have been opened.
Benefit and ROI of Door Access Control Systems
The technology of a Door Access Security System has definitely made my life, as well as, the managers, of Taylored Systems, much easier, and has added flexibility for all employees with access to our facility 24/7. It allows me to open the door remotely for an employee that has forgotten their fob rather than me, or someone else, driving to the office, to let them in, outside normal business hours.
At the same time, it has given us the security and peace of mind that our employees are safe and our facility is secure during work hours as well as our closed hours.
During the fourteen years we have not once needed to call a locksmith to make keys or rekey a lock because someone had lost a key or left our employment. For that reason, I am more than pleased with my ROI that our door access control system has brought to Taylored Systems. For more information on this feature and installing it within your business, contact one of our Taylored representatives.