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# 7 Things to Consider When Selecting an Access Control System
Congratulations! You’ve made the savvy decision to upgrade how you secure your small- or medium-sized business (SMB) with a smart access control system.
Between the increased security risks that businesses face and employee demand for greater flexibility, this situation is a no-brainer. Traditional locks and physical keys just don’t allow for the security, simplicity and tracking that your business needs.
But not all “smart” access control systems give you the full benefits that you want. Here are seven common mistakes that SMB leaders make when making infrastructure upgrades to their physical security and building access systems.
#### **Accounting for all entrances and secure spaces**
The first step is to determine the scope of the access control solution you need. This seemingly straightforward step is where many SMB leaders can take a wrong turn on their road to upgrading their physical security system. Here are a few key questions to ask:
* How many entrances does your business have?
* Are you accounting for secondary and emergency exits?
* Do private offices, like those of your HR director or CEO, need to be locked, or will confidential material be secured in another way?
* Are there any internal spaces, like server rooms or storage spaces, that call for an additional layer of security?
The truth is that many busy SMB leaders simply don’t have time to do a careful security audit of their entire facility and business. If you don’t want to be forced to moonlight as a locksmith and a security consultant or to be influenced by the bias of the local provider’s limited offering and short-term support, here’s some good news: Providers like SimpleAccess can handle the planning and access control system installation for you, delivering deep security expertise to build a solution that fits your needs — and will be there to support your needs every step of the way.
#### **Consulting with all relevant stakeholders for your smart access control upgrades**
Everyone who enters your business will interface with your door access control system in some way, so selecting your new system shouldn’t occur in a vacuum. Exactly who you need to consult can depend on the nature of your business – but your IT and/or security teams need to be at the top of the list. Unfortunately,  found that only 1 in 3 (37.7%) of responding organizations have their security and IT teams collaborate to establish security best practices.
If your SMB doesn’t have a security or IT team, lean on a partner like a SimpleAccess that can help develop the right solution for you. You want partners that give you the ability to connect multiple brands, devices, and systems together under one easy-to-use system that don’t require IT expertise and include ongoing support.
Bringing other stakeholders in early is also important for ironing out problems and concerns to get buy-in before you install a whole new system.
#### **Individualized and role-based access control**
Once you’ve determined your physical needs for a smart access control system, the next step is to consider who needs access, to what, and when. This is called role-based access, and it sets parameters for access around job titles. Building out role-based policies – instead of just granting access on a one-by-one, ad hoc basis – makes administration of the system faster and simpler going forward.
Individualized access can be customized to enable the flexibility that employees demand. For instance, your IT director may need access to your business on Saturday evenings to update servers during non-peak hours, while your sales manager might need access in the early morning hours for calls to other time zones. You can also update access permissions remotely and on the fly – all with a few taps and swipes on your smartphone.
#### **Varying visitor access needs**
First off, you must define who your business’s visitors are. Obvious categories include a client coming in for a meeting or a job candidate for an interview. But don’t overlook other types of visitors such as consultants, contractors, janitorial staff and maintenance workers.
Once you’ve defined who your visitors are, you must also determine what spaces they need access to – and for how long. Best-in-class solutions like SimpleAccess give your visitors and your administrator(s) the ability to manage all of these situations from the palm of your hand with an easy mobile app – reducing the time and paperwork required to get visitors in the door.
#### **Auditing and reporting door access**
Your considerations around an access control system shouldn’t stop when an employee enters your business. In the event of a breach or theft, you’d obviously go straight to your access logs to see who was in the building. Plus, a detailed and reliable real-time access log isn’t just for retroactive investigations. It can provide time and attendance verification, contract tracing and more.
#### **Staff onboarding for access control software**
How will staff be onboarded – both initially when the system is installed, and on an ongoing basis as new employees are hired?  by HID Global found that learning a new system was one of the chief objections to implementing a new access control system. It’s also where the simplicity and security benefits can be lost in a hurry. If employees struggle to use the system, administration becomes a headache. And if their frustration bubbles over into workarounds, you could put your business at risk. Developing a comprehensive plan for training current and future staff on how to use the system will limit your administrative burden and risk going forward.
#### **Implementation and installation of smart locks and Bluetooth access readers**
Many SMB leaders select an access control system based on price point alone, only to end up bearing the much-harder-to-measure costs of an essentially DIY access control installation process and cumbersome administration.
In fact, with many access control system providers, it’s your responsibility to determine if they have the tech and hardware you need – smart locks and Bluetooth access readers – or to hire a contractor to install the new locks and card readers. Dumping that burden on you defeats one of the main purposes of switching to smart access control: You want to focus on your core business – not be a locksmith and security consultant. That’s why leading providers like SimpleAccess provide an end-to-end access control management services that minimizes your burden. We work with you to understand your needs. Then, we design and install the solution – tech and hardware – that’s right for you; and we provide ongoing support including onboarding current and future employees. That saves you time and money – and allows you to focus on the core business tasks that you excel at.
Now that you’re up to speed on the most commonly overlooked elements of selecting and installing an access control system, you’re well on your way to protecting your employees, visitors and business assets. Learn how Simple Access can design, install and manage a cost-effective smart access control system that maximizes convenience, simplicity and security.
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# Why Your Business Needs an Access Control System
Small- and medium-sized business (SMB) leaders have a lot on their plate — now more than ever. Your time is pulled in a million different directions, with 20 of the  the typical SMB leader works every week getting eaten up by peripheral, non-revenue generating tasks like administration and HR. It might seem like improving physical access and security falls into the “I’ve got more important things to worry about” bucket — but don’t wait until a facility access issue or security event takes place to take action. The reality is that smarter access control is a simple way to make a positive impact on your business.
#### **Subpar physical security can put SMBs at risk**
Protection is the first thing you think of with physical access. Unfortunately, physical security is more important than ever for SMBs. The risks are coming from both inside and outside the business. A 2021 study by the National Retail Federation cited that 53% of business owners have seen the risk of internal theft rise in the past five years, while a report by  stated that 69% of retail stores have seen an increase in theft in the past year. Whether it’s theft, property damage, or even the risk of having inside information (IP) stolen, the impacts of subpar physical security can have disastrous consequences for a business.
#### **Think beyond keys with smart door access control**
Here’s a simple question: What is a door access control system? It’s more than just a traditional lock and key; it’s a system that controls who has access to your business and when – protecting your assets and employees. But : They’re obsolete and cumbersome; they don’t provide an access log of who accessed your space and when; and the administration of physical keys is a hassle.
By contrast, smart door access control systems give users the credentials they need to access your space right on their smartphones – making them simple to administer, seamless for employees, and secure for your business.
Door access control systems span the continuum of security and flexibility. They include:
* Traditional deadbolts and keys
* Pin codes (either generic master codes or individualized codes)
* Fobs, cards and access readers (e.g., barcodes, magnetic strips, proximity cards and smart cards)
* Biometrics
* Mobile door access
#### **Keyless Entry System control is about more than security**
Using a keyless entry system is an easy way to improve security – but this simple change also drives serious benefits across your business. Read on to learn the biggest benefits your business stands to gain by switching to a smart, cloud-based access control system.
#### **Enable flexible work arrangements with smart access control systems**
Over the past few years, hybrid and flexible work arrangements transitioned from the exception to the expectation. Employees are coming and going outside of the traditional 9-5. Smart access control systems make it easy to enable flexible work arrangements, without creating new administrative burdens, hassles for employees or business risks.
Employee authorization can be role-based and customized for individual needs. For instance, your IT director may need access to the server room, but you don’t want to extend that privilege to every employee. Or perhaps you need to grant temporary access to a contractor who will be working on-site for a week. Access parameters can be updated on the fly and remotely with a remote access control approach to physical security. No swapping keys or re-keying locks.
#### **Provide a seamless experience for visitors with access control software**
We’ve all been there: You visit an office and are asked to scrawl your name and contact info on a clipboard. Not only does this method offer an antiquated first impression, but also it is a problematic method for auditing and emergency management.
According to one study, only 25% of organizations know how many people are in their facilities at any given time. An additional 28% of organizations employ an old-fashioned sign-in roster to record visitor access. More concerning is the fact that 32% of organizations don’t have any method for tracking visitors on-site. In other words, they don’t have a way to limit visitor access to essential spaces, or to ensure that their presence was accurately recorded should an audit be required
A smart access control system solves all these shortcomings. Guests can receive a pin code or credential in advance and allowing them access without you being required to be present. Paper sign-in sheets are replaced by automatic real-time registration of all employees and visitors entering and existing a facility. And you can add additional levels of security tracking access to specific areas within your business.
#### **Grant door access on demand for contractors and delivery personnel**
The after-hours call – either on a weekend or while you’re traveling – that requires facility access can create logistical headaches. How do you grant delivery personnel, service providers or other contractors access to your business when you’re not physically there? A remote door access control system simplifies logistics for these and other occasional visitors, enabling you to grant on-demand access remotely from a mobile app – anytime, anywhere. This is more secure than a key in a lock box – which can easily be shared or copied – and access can be granted or revoked at any time with a few swipes and taps on your smartphone.
#### **Not all keyless entry systems are created equal**
It’s not hard to see the business case for moving from physical keys to a smart access control system. It adds convenience for your employees, saves you time and money normally wasted managing keys and rekeying locks, and significantly enhances the security around your business. But it’s important to know that not all “smart access control” and “smart lock” technologies deliver these full benefits. Fortunately, state-of-the-art mobile access control systems are now more practical and accessible than ever for businesses of all sizes. And SimpleAccess makes it incredibly easy to take this simple-yet-important step up for your business.
Learn how SimpleAccess can design, install and manage a cost-effective smart access control system that maximizes convenience, simplicity and security.
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