Access control is a term that typically comes up in security discussions, but in is present in every part of every business. The short version is that access control means people (personnel, customers, and others) only have access to the environments and resources that they need.
For a real-world example: if a bank drop is necessary, it’s likely that only the manager is allowed to handle that amount of money. By limiting the number of people who can get into the safe a business has just cut down on the pool of people capable of stealing that money. The business has also made that money more difficult to access, (since only managers can get it), but that’s the price of access control.
Access control is made up of two broad categories: barriers and filters.
Barriers
The barrier is the most basic form of access control there is. A locked door, a wall, a safe, these are all obstacles whose job is to stop people who aren’t supposed to have access. This even crosses over into the digital world; firewalls and computers that aren’t connected to the Internet can be used to prevent access by unauthorised personnel. The harder the barrier is to get through, the more limiting the access is.
Filter
A filter is the means by which a barrier is passed. If you have a locked door then the filter is a key. If you have a password locked computer then the filter is the proper password. The filter is important because the number of people who pass it will affect how restrictive (or sometimes how effective) a barrier is. For instance if every employee knows that the code to get into the employee only door is 76498, then that’s fine. If every employee tells his or her friends, or the password isn’t changed so that former employees can no longer gain access, then that filter lets in far too many people.
How Much Access Do You Need to Control?
It’s important to remember that different businesses have different needs when it comes to access control. A bank for instance will want to make sure that money and valuables are carefully protected and that few if any people can access them. In a restaurant, though, customers wandering into the kitchen may not be much of a concern, so there’s no reason to put up a barrier of any sort.
Before implementing any form of access control it’s important to make sure it will solve an access problem. If there’s no problem then the only thing access control is doing is needlessly making it harder for people to get from point A to point B.
For more information about access control solutions and security concerns for your business contact us today.