Discover 5 Entrance Security Solutions designed to secure your office building including an in-depth look at their core functionalities and benefits.
If there is one lasting legacy of the global pandemic, it is how we have changed the world of work. No longer do we view ‘the office’ as part of our daily routine. Commuting for 5 days every week no longer applies. And, despite the efforts of Governments and some major businesses, people are resisting going back to the old ways.
Supporters of home and office work have strong cases for either approach to working. But regardless of where you sit in this debate, commercial buildings still need to provide a place where staff can work and meet visitors. They have to be a place where assets and information can be stored and used. And they must be a place that people feel safe and trust their information and property is secure. So for the new ways in which people work, office buildings have to adapt to accommodate the new fluidity of the blended workplace and understand how teams operate in a hybrid lifestyle.
It is this change which presents new challenges to facilities and security management of an office building. Just a basic question such as who is in the building today is now more nuanced as it no longer a simple headcount. The assumption that everyone on the payroll should be present on site no longer applies. Hybrid working, moving around different sites, even working in different workspaces, make the question harder to answer.
Technology can however provide vital support to assume more control over people and buildings. There are security solutions for people counting, such as accurate touchless entrance control systems. These advanced systems provide real-time data on the number of people in a building. Using this approach organisations can adhere to occupancy limits, fire safety compliance, monitor employee and visitor office usage. This allows a business to ensure safety protocols are followed.
The key to success is creating a robust security plan that can adapt, be built upon and evolve as sites grow and change. Here, we highlight five essential entrance control solutions that can offer the necessary office building protection for the benefit of teams and visitors.
1. Access Control Systems
Access control systems are the foundation of modern entrance security. They can grant or deny access based on authorised credentials, such as key cards, biometrics, or smartphone apps. An access control system can also record the flow of people in and around a built environment. This can be invaluable for audit trails and reports on building usage.
Sometimes the terms access and entrance control are confused, so it is helpful to clarify the difference here. Access control is the overall management of who enters a building, with entrance control delivering the physical means of authorisation /denial to people.
Benefits:
- Enhanced Security: Unauthorised individuals are prevented from entering restricted areas.
- Convenience: Authorised personnel can move freely while keeping others out.
- Auditability: Monitor access and generate reports to track movements and maintain a record of entries.
2. Security Turnstiles
Security turnstiles are a highly visible physical barrier to entry, effectively managing foot traffic into an office building. Turnstiles can provide a basic mechanical function where access is allowed for all, or integrated with access control systems to ensure only authorised personnel can enter restricted spaces. Popular for external use and perimeters of a property, turnstiles can be full or waist-high options depending on the security performance requirements of the building.
Benefits:
- Deterrence: Turnstiles act as a visual deterrent to unauthorised individuals.
- Efficiency: A controlled entry point reduces the risk of tailgating.
- Customisation: Turnstiles can be tailored to fit the aesthetic of your office space.
3. Speed Gates
A speed gate is an advanced and efficient access control system designed to regulate the flow of individuals entering or exiting secured areas. Speed gates use a variety of access credential types, including card readers, RFID and biometrics, to allow or deny transit to spaces, while. optical sensors detect movement and prevent tailgating or piggybacking. Speed gates come in a wide variety of designs and are typically arranged in lines to create a demarcation line between two spaces.
Benefits:
- Deterrence: Their design prevents tailgating or piggybacking, as only one person is allowed through the gate per valid authentication
- Security: Integrated with biometric capability or facial recognition to further reduce the risk of unauthorised entry
- Compact footprint: Taking up less room than traditional turnstiles, allowing for more efficient space utilisation in reception areas and entryways.
4. Security Revolving Doors
A security revolving door is a sophisticated and highly secure entrance control solution designed to provide controlled access to buildings and facilities. It consists of a motorised rotating door system that can be configured for general access or authorised individuals usage only. Revolving doors are often found on a building frontage, and provide a fast means of entrance and exit to help people flow. As with other revolving doors, they are excellent for managing airflow in high-rise buildings and reducing temperature swings in spaces, assisting HVAC systems.
Benefits:
- High-performance security: Only one person can pass through at any time, preventing tailgating and unauthorised access.
- Space utilisation and traffic flow: Security revolving doors make efficient use of available space, both in terms of their compact footprint and their ability to manage pedestrian traffic smoothly.
- Architectural versatility: Security revolving doors can be customized to blend seamlessly with the overall design and aesthetics of a building’s entrance. This allows architects and designers to incorporate security features without compromising the visual appeal of the entrance.
5. Security Portal
A security portal is a physical structure or enclosure designed to enhance security at access points to buildings or facilities. Operating as an airlock, these booths feature an interlocking system composed of two doors, electronically connected. This ensures that in normal operation only one door at a time can be open, and their strict protocol means only one person can transit through at a time. Using authorised identification, an individual must close the first door before the second door opens, allowing them to pass through.
Benefits:
- Enhanced surveillance and deterrence: Security booths serve as visible and elevated posts for security personnel, which can deter potential threats and intruders.
- Controlled access points: Security booths are strategically positioned at entry and exit points, which allows security personnel to control, restrict or deny access and monitor individuals entering or exiting a facility.
- Mobile: Security booths are mobile and can be relocated as required, enabling flexibility in deployment to areas with changing security priorities.
Securing any office building for the modern workplace requires a multi-faceted approach. While access control is essential for overall building usage management, choosing the right entrance control solution to deliver policies is a crucial component of this strategy. This means that investing in technologies that provide advanced access control are of course important. But so is ensuring your entrance control solution integrates with your access control system and leverages the technology within it.
Entrance control solutions are also highly visible. They are often the first visual impression a visitor has when arriving at an office. So, how they appear and operate must fit both the needs of the building owner/user as well as the people visiting. A wrongly specified or configured entrance control solution can be confusing or difficult to use. This can create a negative perception of the business and impact on productivity and wider business performance.
Ultimately, your people should feel safe in the workplace and your customers and partners should trust you manage a built environment that keeps information and assets secure. With Gunnebo Entrance Control solutions, you can be confident your workspaces have the best defences against unauthorised access, making your world safer.