Choose an Access Control System that best suits your needs!
While certain Corporate Head honchos may well follow the “Open Door Policy” when it comes to subordinates entering their cabins, the security scenario in current day India does not allow for such a policy in the literal sense. With each passing year and with the advent of multinational companies setting up shop in India, India Inc. has become stricter with regards to rules for access (and by default attendance) in the workplace.
Needless to say, COVID has turned pretty much every defined practice on its head. The business landscape has been re-sketched, causing work-places to shrink, owing to WHF in some cases, and attrition in others. While WFH may work for certain companies, it is a matter of a few months before Corporate India is bustling at the workplace once again. Another “new-normal” (and I am wincing at the over-use of this cliché) is the trepidation to use Fingerprint Readers, with hygiene being more of a concern than ever before. While some people will revert to the older RFID technology, and other upgrade to newer forms of Biometric Access Control, I think I could (go out on a limb here and) say that Fingerprint based access control will once again become a preferred technology for Access Control
What technology works for you depends on many parameters. In some cases, the industry type or the use-case determines which tech is suitable. For example, Data Centers may well prefer to use Biometrics, be it Facial Recognition, Fingerprint, or Iris Scanners for entry. Manufacturing setups often opt for Facial Recognition over Fingerprint Readers, owing to low readability amongst workers using their hands for manual labour oriented tasks, and also to avoid the loss of productivity due to lost time while queueing up.
In fact, CCTV coupled with AI allows for great flexibility and speed by recognizing multiple faces together, but the high price point due to processing requirements will continue to be a barrier for a while.
In the SME space, the slew of Face Readers available at very competitive prices have resulted in increased sales among the lower segment of the market. Very popular as an attendance solution, Face Readers are soon replacing Fingerprint technology, particularly in these “COVID times”.
There are still a large number of corporates that continue to opt for the old-fashioned RFID readers, especially those with legacy systems in other branches / offices, or Companies that have their Head Offices abroad, who have been using multi-bit encrypted readers for years together.
As far as attendance goes, the model is fast shifting from Capital heavy equipment and personalized software (which were more like long-term projects for large corporates) to SaaS & Cloud based HRMS software that doubles up as a GPS tracking solution as well, for employees who are on the move, or even for those that prefer to WFH.
The residential segment has spoiled the consumer for access control choices, as the market is flooded with reliable tech giants like Yale, Samsung, TCS, etc offering smart locks which can be used over WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC and even through home automation.
. It’s a good idea to sit with your team and discuss risk parameters and best mothods to mitigate them, best practices WRT your industry, compliance and of course, most importantly, safety and security issues. Don’t forget to consider Fire Safety norms while finalizing the Access Control System for your premises.
Choosing a solution that best suits your needs takes some thinking and a little bit of research. So choose the right consultant / vendor, use the Internet effectively, and make the world (of Access Control) your oyster.
Come on in, if permitted 🙂