Access control is a security system that allows an authority person or persons
to control access to certain areas of a building or business using a
computerized system that identifies people who can and who cannot access the
building’s secure areas. It is considered to be the second layer in the security
system of a building or area.
Access controls are something we are all familiar with. For example a PIN number
on an ATM is a form of access control as is a keyed entry on a car. Access
control is a means to block access to high security or sensitive information or
items from unauthorized people.
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You can also have access control at places where money is required to pass.
Consider the subway systems of the world that let you pass when you’ve paid
money for a ticket that allows you to pass through the gates. Access control can
be a one-way system or a two-way system, although two-way systems are less
common. Access control can be affiliated with a door, a turnstile system or
other gate-like system. The “control” that can be a part of this might be a
doorman, a guard, a retinal scanner, a ticket checker or a thumbprint or PIN
number device. Simple locks and keys provide adequate access control in certain
situations.
Access control can involve a vestibule where people enter and do whatever is
necessary to get into the controlled area. This provides privacy for the
entryway so no one can pick up on the PIN or know the access code. There can be
several layers of access control. Someone may have keys to access areas of the
building during the day but doesn’t have access to the main building key so they
can’t get into the building at night, even if they have keys that work within
the building. You can also have internal doors that are only accessible to
certain people within the system but other people that have keys to get into
exterior doors or other doors within the physical space.
You can change the timing of access control. For example, a bank vault may be on
a timed system so that the vault can be accessed only during business hours.
Outside of business hours, the vault cannot be opened by anyone. This can be
rigged up for just about any business or access control site. If the key is
lost, then no one can get into the site, even if the time is right. That’s why
most banks have a PIN number or lockset that opens the vault. On the other hand,
locks can be replaced while PIN numbers can easily be lost and not remembered.
Something can happen to the one person who knows the PIN number, which could be
disastrous for access control.
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The latest in access control includes things like retinal scanners and
fingerprint access areas. The retinal scanner scans the vessels in the retina,
which are unique to an individual, and grants access if there is a match between
the retinal findings and the computer database. The same holds true of the
fingerprint analysis. No two fingerprints are alike so that the scanner can scan
the fingerprint and determine the owner of the fingerprint
These are ways to control access to a specific area. There are a lot of ways to
do it and most are successful in controlling access to the guarded area.
DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this article is the opinion of the Author and should not be taken as advice.