5 Ways Managed Access Control Benefits Your Business

Installing an access control system offers an added layer of security for your facility. It’s a great way to ensure that the right people are accessing your property at the right time.

However, access control is not a set-it-and-forget-it solution. It’s something that has to be managed and monitored regularly for the system to work properly and for businesses to reap the benefits of its full functionality.

But many businesses are missing out on the robust capabilities of their system because they don’t have the time or expertise to manage it properly. That’s why we recommend a managed access control system for many of the businesses that we serve in the Nashville area.

What is a Managed Access Control System?

Managed access means that you have an access control system at your facility that is managed by a third-party administrator. Your on-premise access control system has all the normal hardware, but the servers are housed at your administrator’s facility.

Managed access allows your administrator to manage, monitor and maintain your access control system remotely. This means you don’t have to worry about making updates to your server or monitor whether it’s working properly.

On top of that, managed access alleviates the burden of handling all of the credential updates and scheduling for your system.

Top Benefits of Managed Access Control

There are plenty of reasons why it makes sense for businesses to move to a managed access control solution. Here are just a few key benefits to this approach:

1. Simple credential management. 

Perhaps one of the biggest benefits to managed access is eliminating the hassle of adding, deletion or modification of user credentials. That means you don’t have to worry about learning the technology or keeping employees trained on how to manage the system.

For ACT clients, all they have to do is make a phone call or send us an email and we’ll take care of the rest.

We have a dedicated access control manager who focuses entirely on providing this service. Plus, we have two additional personnel who are trained and ready to get you what you need. That’s why we are able to make most changes within 2-3 business hours or less.

2. More sophisticated user management

Most businesses we encounter are only using the most basic aspects of their access control system. But with the help of our skilled administrators, you can get more out of your system than you thought possible.

We can help you increase your security by adding layers of credentials to your system. For instance, if you want to restrict certain areas of your facility or property, we can set that up to ensure that employees, vendors or customers aren’t entering places they shouldn’t be, such as IT closets or maintenance facilities.

Taking these measures can help prevent theft or damage by restricting access to expensive equipment or technology.

3. Better reporting.

Most companies don’t realize that an access control system can provide useful data that can help you make business decisions. For instance, access control systems can tell you how many people are coming in and out of a building, accessing a particular door and at what times your traffic is the heaviest.

With these reports, you might see that people are propping a particular door open or that the back entrance is being used more than the front. Or, you can identify productivity gaps by seeing when employees arrive for work or how often they are taking breaks.

One of our clients even used this reporting data to determine the amount of office space they needed in their new facility. The reports told them how many people were accessing the building at a time, which allowed for better building planning.

Access control reporting data can help you make more informed decisions and determine what steps need to be taken to improve security at your facility. Without managed access, many businesses are missing out on the powerful data that their system provides.

4. Easier schedule management.

Every time your business shifts its schedule, your access control system should be updated too. Otherwise, customers and employees will be able to enter your facility at times when it’s supposed to be closed or when access should be limited.

For instance, many businesses are regularly changing their schedules due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Plus, schedule changes are often needed due to holidays, severe weather or snow days.

Without a managed access control system, someone from your team would have to go to the office to make the changes or you would have to set up your own remote access to the system.

A managed access system means these changes are just a phone call or email away. Allowing our team to remotely make these changes saves you from the hassle of being trained on how to do this or worry about handling this in emergencies.

5. Improved monitoring and maintenance.

What happens when your card readers or key fobs aren’t working properly? If you are managing your own access control system, it’s up to you to figure it out or call for repairs and hope they can get you in quickly.

But with a managed access control system, your third-party administrator is able to spot potential issues before they become problematic.

With our systems, we get active health alerts if something is not functioning right. That means, we can proactively problem solve before hundreds or thousands of employees are impacted by a malfunctioning system. And if there’s an issue, we can alert you of the problem and discuss whether you would like someone from our team to investigate further and repair, if needed.

Plus, because we are handling the maintenance and monitoring of access control servers, there is less likelihood of issues because we are keeping the system updated.

Improve Security and Save Time with Managed Access Control

Managed access control benefits your business in many ways. It’s smart approach for many businesses to save time, reduce headaches and improve security.

Whether you have a large multi-tenant building with hundreds or thousands of employees or you’re a small business owner without a facility manager or IT team, we can help you simplify access control––even if we didn’t install your system.

Let us handle access control so you can get back to focusing on other aspects of your business. Give us a call to schedule a free consultation.