Should Your Business Invest in Access Control and ID Cards?

​We live in an increasingly digital world and because of this, SMEs and other businesses quite rightly take the question of security very seriously. However, while many put plenty of resources into protecting themselves from online attacks, fewer companies actively consider other methods such as access control and furnishing visitors and staff with ID cards when it comes to safety within the business environment. 

Not only can these kinds of measures help keep staff and visitors safe and ensure you reduce the risk of loss of valuable resources, it also provides a way of protecting sensitive data and intellectual property from theft. The benefits of introducing measures such as ID cards and access control have been provided below by Identification and access control specialist Digital ID:

• Keeping staff and visitors safe.
• Limiting access to sensitive areas.
• Keeping data and intellectual property secure.
• Reducing insurance costs.

Safety in the Workplace

​If you have a decent sized office with a number of employees, then the chances of someone being able to walk in unchallenged and take something or cause harm to a member of staff is increased. People are often busy working hard and may not notice someone entering who shouldn’t be there. Bumping up your security to include electronic entry systems that work with something like an access card ensures that your staff and visitors remain safe at all times of the day. 

Protecting Sensitive Areas

​There may well be areas in your business that you want people to have limited access to. This is important if you have sensitive information on the premises or even locations where you don’t want unlimited traffic, for instance kitchens where food is prepared or the boss’s office. This can be accomplished by using ID cards that need to be swiped across a digital lock and can be controlled by a central management system that defines user access. 

Protecting Intellectual Property

We have more data and intellectual property on our computers than ever before, including important customer details as well as designs for new products or ideas for service improvements that need to be protected. Data theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world and you can limit your exposure by also limiting the number of people who should have access to sensitive areas. This not only stops individuals from stealing the data but unqualified staff from compromising complex systems or data sets.
Intellectual property covers a wide range of material in a variety of forms including digital and hardcopy:

• Business plans, reports and processes.
• Inventions, patents and commercially sensitive ideas.
• Brand names and images.
• Literary and artistic works such as films, books and music.

Keeping Insurance Costs Down

​Having the right security measures in place is important if you want to also keep down your business insurance costs. Access control and ID cards not only keep you safe during the general day to day working of your company but also provide insurance companies with evidence that you are doing all you can to reduce the risk of theft or other claimable incidents. 

The Cost of Access Control and ID Cards

​One of the issues that SMEs have to weigh up is the cost versus benefit of setting up these kinds of security measures. Most can see the rationale behind better monitoring and access systems but there is always the issue of the price that has to be paid. For some businesses that are still in the process of gaining a foothold in their market there may also be other things to think about that are perceived as more important. But as a business grows, it is something that becomes increasingly important, particularly when extra staff are taken on. 

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Author Bio

Adam Bennett
Adam is A Digital Marketing Manager for Digital ID with over 7 years’ experience in the marketing field. Adam is always looking for new ways of increasing the visibility of Digital ID whilst reaching out to new target markets. 

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