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The methods for securing access to digital and physical environments continue to evolve. Two traditionally distinct areas of physical security—door access and video surveillance—are not immune. They’re not only being moved away from strictly on-premise solutions, but are now being integrated to provide a modernized, scalable, and highly secure approach to safeguarding entryways.
Integrated access and video surveillance are common in a variety of familiar settings, large and small. Schools and corporate offices, for example, have stringent access control requirements to protect the privacy and safety of their students and employees. Many facilities integrate their security camera systems and door security card systems for entrances and exits.
Key Industries that Benefit from an Access Control and Security Camera Solution:
AT-NET uses Verkada as one of our
main cloud-based integrated access control systems
Because it involves a lot of electrical work, installing access control can be dangerous if done incorrectly. When extrapolated across a larger scale deployment, the cost and labor associated with the installation can be significant.
Pricing is rarely straightforward. Traditional systems are plagued by hundreds of line items that create confusion among customers as to what they’re paying for and what they actually need. Hidden costs often arise when customers decide to expand to new locations or add doors and cameras. What’s covered under the warranty, along with warranty claims processing, can also be a headache.
Some legacy systems make it difficult to access and respond to events without the intervention of the IT team. Being unable to see what happened at a particular door, or quickly drill down to an event, person, or location from a remote management console, can slow incident response. This limitation can be costly, both in terms of people and property, but also brand image for those organizations for which security breaches are sure to make the news.
Upgrading the number of doors requires new hardware and additional costs, which can multiply when you factor in new camera surveillance, too. How simple and seamless is the process when the time comes to scale your security system—to add key card door locks to new sites, roll out ID credentials for new sites and end-users, and add system admins for those new locations?
Non-integrated access control systems often mean different management platforms, with different credentials and permissions, or locations, in the case of on-premise solutions. This makes managing doors, users, and settings more time consuming, complicated, and prone to human error.
Complex VLAN or firewall requirements can leave networks open to security breaches. Machines that support access control are often physically accessible and built on platforms like Windows, which can be exposed in cybersecurity attacks. Finally, many users still have generic usernames and passwords for access control system management.
Many systems, however, do not have remote access capabilities, nor provide a centralized management console for all locations, accessible from any location or device.
Integrated access systems overcome many of the pain points associated with traditional systems, while offering a number of distinct capabilities:
While these benefits of integrated access control certainly impact security management and broader organizational strategies, they help deliver on a fundamental need: safer buildings for employees, occupants, and all visitors.
When comparing access and surveillance systems, keep the following differentiators in mind:
The time and labor required to install door entry systems and video surveillance systems on their own can be considerable. While implementing an integrated system offers a number of advantages, it’s important for IT buyers to keep the following in mind when buying an integrated access system. Doing so can help control cost and ensure that you’ve put a scalable solution in place:
What is the main purpose of an access control system?
To protect your people, information, and assets from unauthorized digital and physical access.
What does installation require?
Beyond the prerequisite hardware and cloud infrastructure, will your new system integrate with your existing door entry security system? Will a rip and replace be needed? Each aspect of an integrated access system—access hardware (door locks, readers, and cameras), remote management and cloud infrastructure, and user management—will require installation and configuration. Look for systems that don’t require complex staff provisioning and onboarding.
How scalable is the system?
Nobody wants to rely on professional services for every update or upgrade. Nor do they want to constantly add overhead and headcount when it’s time to expand access control to new locations and staff. Look for systems that don’t require additional costs when it’s time to add hardware (card holders, cameras, controllers, and so on) to secure additional doors.
How easy is it to manage?
Bulky, messy, disorganized management is a common complaint among IT and security professionals tasked with managing access control systems. Look for systems that centralize and simplify the process for:
How “future proof” is the technology?
Forward thinking organizations would be wise to vet and select integrated access solutions based on their ability to “futureproof” access control. Look for systems that minimize manual, time-intensive maintenance and updates, avoid new overhead for IT infrastructure buildout, and don’t use purely on-premise solutions, such as CCTV, which can create scalability and cost headaches down the road.
Does it offer native integrations to your broader security ecosystem?
Put differently, how easy and seamless is it to actually integrate video surveillance and access control with your existing systems? In the past, separate systems, hardware incompatibilities, and wiring issues might have been pain points for integration.
A modern system is typically designed to ease this particular problem, so look for systems whose door lock controller, readers, cameras, and controller units can integrate with your existing door lock system, for example. On the software side, consider solutions with native integrations for the platforms and devices in use throughout your IT infrastructure.
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A physical access control system—or door entry security system—can be installed to regulate access to a building’s entry points for employees, workers, and other approved visitors. Electronic readers at each entry point scan identification, such as a key card, fobs, or fingerprints. Data that is then sent (in an instant) to a central controller to determine access privileges, grant or deny access, and keep track of who is coming and going.
Another way to think of “logical” access control is the regulation of access to “virtual” or “technical” locations and resources, such as networks, data, and environments. Whereas a physical access control system might require a badge or other identification, logical access control is usually maintained using things like passwords, network firewalls, and cybersecurity software.
IT professionals can implement one of three approaches to access control, as follows:
To prevent unauthorized access to a building or specific area, most organizations build out some kind of physical control infrastructure. Common examples include:
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