TIP Blog

Access control has a lot of challenges to overcome, and smart users seek out information before laying down valuable money and committing themselves to a system. Unfortunately, access control is about more than monitoring -- it can be the difference between a very expensive breach and the value of a secure location.

1. Licensing is an Important Consideration When a piece of software is licensed, using it across different municipalities can become challenging. As well, there can be licensing fees associated with this usage. When an office or other secure building needs IP access control, particularly when it is under the banner of a larger company, licensing software should not be a consideration. The way to solve this problem is to keep the installation one of simplicity and modularity. With modular equipment and software without licensing issues, the process can proceed more easily.

2. Training Should be Included The training process is a matter that needs to be included every time one deals with an integrator of IP access technology. Without proper training, errors are all but guaranteed, and often the training process must cover a large number of points. While the technology's usage day to day is reasonably simple, the training that enables basic troubleshooting can take up to several days to dispense. This process needs to be included, and continuing education and training materials need to be provided to ensure continued smooth operation of the system.

3. The System is Centralized By Default It is important for any business owner who is considering using IP-based access control to note that the system is decentralized. This is useful both for workforce implementation and for centralization. A single access control center can literally monitor and control the access of hundreds, even thousands of locations around the world. Often, the regional mindset that does not consider the global potential of IP access control prompts an owner into keeping the control center localized into the same region as the majority of their holdings, and this can be in error.

Centralizing a company's access control via IP access means also equates to using a single point where rules can be enforced. While it can be difficult to ensure that every building's on-site security personnel adhere to procedure, this is far simpler in the centralized location that IP access controls allow.

4. Installation Down Time is Critical to Consider How long will the system take to integrate? If this is going to impact the way the building operates, special precautions need to be handled. If this will compromise existing security measures, the situation is even more serious. For many newer systems, often installing a small number of wires is all the installation process requires, but it is important to verify beforehand that the installation will not cause undue down times. If some security openings may occur, and these are known in advance, there is often no issue in simply shoring up the on-site protocols until installation is complete and the system is tested.

5. Standard Infrastructure is Often Sufficient Modern systems involve fairly simple mechanical additions and often, only a few added wires must be installed. Even additional power is generally not necessary for standard access points. While it is important to verify where additions must be made, IP access control can be installed into most reasonably modern buildings without a large amount of difficulty. In cases where an integrator must install additional power sources, this is a consideration to be taken at the beginning and compared against continuing on-site security costs.

It is important from the outset to think centrally and from an investment perspective with IP-based access control.