Entryway Security Systems for Businesses
Entryway security systems for businesses enhance the safety and security of both visitors and employees while serving the purpose of halting unwanted entry.
These systems provide more control over who gains admittance to your building, by permitting you to track and monitor entry to your building or business.
You are presented with a variety of entry methods to choose from, including opening doors remotely, all without having to enlist the use of keys that can easily be lost or stolen.
There are quite a number of various door entry systems and solutions that are out there to choose from. They basically fall into 3 main categories:
Keypad access control
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This is when visitors and employees must enter the right pin code in order to gain access. Now, keypad door entry systems normally permit the use of several codes and are an efficient and simple way in which to limit and grant access.
Card/Fob access control
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Individuals who are authorized to enter are issued a card or fob, which is swiped to gain access. Certain card access systems will also function using proximity readers, and can be integrated to function together with smart technology.
Biometric access control
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This is the most innovative and advanced of door entry systems and requires that employees or visitors gain entry by the use of a fingerprint reader. Nearly impossible for unwanted intruders to make their way past this amazing system!
When attempting to determine which door entry systems are best for the needs of your business, there are some important factors that should be kept in mind:
- What is the main purpose of your door access control system?
- How big is your business, exactly how many buildings require securing, and do you require multiple levels of entry and security?
- Does your business handle both employees and customers on the premises?
- What method of access control would be best suited to your business’s needs; keypad, fob, or biometric?
- What locking devices will work best for your particular circumstances; strike locks, magnetic locks, or perhaps others.
- Exactly what control and features do you require?
- What precisely is your budget for the door entry system?
- Do you need to integrate the door entry system with other security options, such as CCTV or an Alarm system?
Designing Entryway Security Solutions For Businesses
When designing a structure or the entrance to a business, it’s an absolute must to constantly think about security. If the building lacks a structure that has been efficiently designed with security in mind, you could be unintentionally leaving your building open to a vast range of perils, everything from trespassing and theft to violence, or even the possibility of corporate espionage. Allow these tips to guide you on how to be certain that your building and its entrances are an asset to the security of your business, and not a liability.
Entryway Security Cameras
A commercial security system is essential to protect your business that you value the most. By having security cameras installed within your facility, you can prevent crimes like theft or breaking and entering. Nowadays, with the increasingly innovative development of monitoring technology and the advantages of wireless compatibility, you can keep an eye on your property even when you’re not there.
Fortunately, the business security systems of today are much improved from their start and are relatively easy to install and set up, and you can easily access them, due to Web-enabled apps and user interfaces. Furthermore, the cameras come in many sizes and shapes, making it possible for you to fit them in nearly anywhere, without them being too obvious. And there are plenty of compact ones that are small enough to stay on shelves and tables. But there’s a new type of commercial security that is swiftly becoming popular.
Door monitoring cameras let you have an unobstructed view of your entryway regardless of where you are. This security camera works similar to a doorbell, only when someone is at your door and pushes the button, your smartphone will send you an alert and you will be able to answer the door remotely. It’s fantastic for when you’re expecting the arrival of a visitor. Moreover, it allows you to see who’s dropped by your facility when you’re out, and whether or not that person is someone you want to see. There are even some door/entryway monitoring cameras that will enable you to take snapshots and make video clips and can further be integrated into some areas of your automated property, in the manner of smart door locks.
Why Buy A Door/Entryway Monitoring Camera?
Door monitoring cameras allow you to see who’s at the door without having to open it, thereby making for better security. It also comes in handy if you have a large commercial property or you happen to be somewhere where you cannot hear the doorbell ring. Besides this, however, there is a wide array of other fantastic features a door monitoring camera has:
Night Vision
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Nowadays this is a standard part of any advanced security camera and it sure is nice for a door monitoring camera too. With night vision, you can distinctly see a person or object even when the light is low.
Two-Way Audio
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You may not have realized this, but door monitoring cameras can also be video intercoms. Using two-way audio, you can listen to as well as speak to the visitor at the door. In addition, you can make use of this feature even when you’re not in the facility, by using your smartphone or tablet.
Field of View
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It’s normal for security cameras to have a viewing angle of around 90 degrees, but with a wider angle of around 120 degrees or more, you can see a larger section in front of your door, permitting you to see anyone who is at your door, what they may be holding, and even people standing off-center. Certain door/entryway monitoring cameras will further allow you to export video clips or snapshots to another device or receive notifications by phone, whenever someone is at your door, regardless of if you are at the facility or not.
Weatherproof Design
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Because your door monitoring camera is going to be installed outside your facility, you need to select a model that can endure basically any type of weather or environmental condition that might come up. Many security cameras are only slightly waterproofed with a rain shield for the lens or a special coating to stop rusting. So if you live in an area that frequently has extreme weather, you may want to invest in a model with greater weatherproofing.
Access Control Systems
All businesses are different, and they all have their own unique access needs. Access Control Systems can protect your employees and your business by limiting who can enter your business and how and when to enter it. Further, they can monitor their access behavior – how often and how long they have access.
Credentials and Restricted Area Access
Access control system — Credentials can be biometric, digital, or physical. Some of the most popular are electronic key cards or key fobs, key codes, or biometric credentials. The latest in such technology uses fingerprint, face, or voice recognition. Now, digital credentials held on phones and other mobile devices are becoming more common. Each kind of credential has a matching “reader” or scanner — scanners, readers, keypads.
Restricted Area Access — Besides the type of access control being used and the boundaries set on the particular individual, this system also restricts the person’s access based on their credentials. Thus, the individual may be given access to a particular floor of a building, but maybe not to every room on that floor.
Commercial Alarm Systems
Every business has valuable assets that they want to protect from theft, so every business needs a commercial security system. These systems are able to detect unauthorized entry into your commercial establishments by employing many different tools. Usually, burglar and theft systems also have sensors that catch breaches to a building, as well as an intrusion alarm that blares to intimidate thieves.
Intrusion Detection Systems
An intrusion detection system (IDS) is a monitor-based application that monitors traffic moving on networks and through them seeking out any suspicious activity and known threats, sending up alerts when it finds anything unusual before hackers can enter and damage your network infrastructure.
Mass Emergency Notifications
A mass emergency notification system permits businesses to send messages to a large group of people in a short time. It is only one-way messaging and normally sent during an emergency to alert a certain group of people who are affected.
Entrance Alerts and Security Sensors
Entry alerts or entrance chimes send out immediate notifications when someone enters through a monitored zone. Businesses and stores employ these devices as both a security measure and a method of improving customer service.
- When to Use Motion Based Entrance Alerts — These are to be used in hallways or when a door remains open (mall entrances for instance).
- When metal doors or building materials may keep magnetic door/window contacts from properly working.
- When to Use Window/Door Contacts For Entry Alerts — These are to be used when you want detection only when a door or window is opened.
- When you don’t want any “motion-based” false alarms.
PIR Sensors Will Detect Heat and Movement While Contact Based Sensors Sense When A Door Is Opened
PIR sensors or (Passive Infrared sensors) enable you to sense motion and are used to detect whether a human has moved in or out of the range of the sensor. They are usually small, reasonably priced, low-power, and easy to use. They operate by sensing a person’s body heat and movement.
Contact-based sensors alert your security system if something is open or closed. They are normally installed on windows or doors of your facility. Whether they are open or closed, smartphone alerts can be sent out so that you are aware of what is going on around your property.
Door Magnetic Contact and Door Ajar Sensors
Door and window contacts are used with a security system. They allow the system to know when a window or door has been opened because the magnet will pull away and separate from the sensor, thus activating it.
A door ajar light operates like this. Each door in your car has a sensor that can tell if that door is open or closed. Usually, a chime will start ringing when you start your car to alert you to this situation.
Glass Break and Beam Break Sensors
Glass break sensors are triggered when the glass in a window or door is broken. Some types are triggered by vibration, but they are subject to false alarms, so the best glass break sensors are those with audio sensors.
Infrared (IR) break beam sensors are fantastic for detecting motion. They have an emitter side that will transmit a beam of IR light that is invisible to humans to a receiver across from it, which can detect and is sensitive to that light.
Physical Security Systems For Commercial Facilities
The one thing security agencies agree upon is that physical security systems for commercial buildings must have three basic things: access control, security testing, and surveillance, all of which are designed to work together to ensure that your facility is as secure and safe as possible.
When a security company is creating a physical security program, they need to be aware that the three levels you must protect are your outer perimeter, the inner perimeter, and the interior. By utilizing two or three security forms at each level, you will have an efficient and effective physical security system.
The Role That Physical Security Plays in Your Business’s Security System
Physical security for a business involves using many layers of systems that all depend upon each other and can include: security guards, protective barriers, CCTV surveillance, locks, perimeter intrusion detection, access control, and other systems created to protect a business and its employees.
Implementing physical security can be very complicated nowadays, a lot more than was true in the past. Laptops, USB drives, flash drives, tablets, and smartphones all contain important data that can be stolen. Businesses have to do what’s necessary to safeguard data, equipment, people, systems, and business assets.
Staffed Security Solutions
One of the primary difficulties businesses face when it comes to building security operations centers (SOCs) is finding the appropriate personnel required to run the operation correctly. SOCs frequently have difficulty finding optimal staffing, and most businesses have no idea how to start setting up an effectively staffed security operations center. Now it’s not as hopeless as it might sound. There are methods to build a strong foundation using only several security experts and reasonable monetary investment. Still, businesses must make an effort to invest in correct planning and prioritization of their requirements and resources from the start.
One way to do this is by prioritizing roles, which means staffing security professionals with the proper skills. The business should hire three crucial roles when building up their SOC, including a security analyst, security information and event management content engineer, and an experienced manager.
By filling these three positions, a business can be sure that there will be expertise in strategic planning, SIEM administration, operations, threat intelligence, and incident response. These are the basics and are necessary for any business to have a proper and reasonable staffed security solution.
Choosing the Right entryway Security Systems
- Decide upon a security strategy and note the most prominent threats
Various businesses and organizations have their own special security requirements and goals, and these differences should be indicated in the design of a building or its secure entrances. First, you must decide upon what are the major threats your business could encounter. For instance, a retail business or a bank might be primarily worried about theft, while a private school may be mainly concerned about unauthorized visitors.
What this boils down to is that one business might aim its security primarily at internal video surveillance, while another might want access control to both the entrance and any secured areas within the building, etc.
- Include a building’s use and the importance of appearance
Often it proves to be the case that the buildings and entrances that are the most secure turn out not to be very ergonomic or inviting in appearance, and you may be forced to make a few necessary compromises when balancing design for both daily security and other needs.
Security and Safety Level
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There are various security systems installed to effectively protect commercial buildings, assets, and, of course, people. Because security emergencies can occur at any time, without warning, it’s essential that are systems in place to handle them. These systems are rated according to levels of security.
As a business owner, you can make your selection from a vast array of devices and products to enhance the security and safety of your building and your business. The more options you have with a security system the higher the security and safety level is.
Traffic Flow Rate
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Traffic flow security is part of communications security. It is the enlisting of methods that hide the presence and information contained in valid messages on a network to keep traffic analysis from being done. This can be accomplished by operational procedures or the use of cryptographic equipment. Methods used are:
- Encrypting the sending and receiving addresses of a message
- Sending what is referred to as dummy traffic, thus making the circuit seem to be busy all of the time
- Changing radio call signs often
- Sending out a constant encrypted signal, regardless of whether traffic is being transmitted or not. Also referred to as masking or link encryption
The traffic flow rate is the number of messages being received and how quickly they arrive.
Design
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Designing a traffic security protection plan for small to medium business security is difficult for one primary reason. There is no black box that can secure their network. Further, the business often has neither the personnel or budget to enlist a security team’s aid and is frequently unaware of the threats they should take into consideration.
So here are the design constraints:
- No possibility of expensive fixes
- No additional work for IT can be introduced
- Cannot rely on end-user training in order to be secure
Now for the aims of the security design:
- Inhibit access to the unpatched devices
- Reduce the internal attack surface
- Protect high-value assets
- Few or no noticeable changes to end-user
Cost Vs. Return on Investment
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Face it; we live in a time where almost nothing and nowhere feels safe anymore. Security is a high priority in daily life, particularly for business. Due to this fact, figuring out the return on investment (ROI) of security solutions vs. the cost of utilizing these security systems in the first place is extremely important.
Here are some of the most vital questions chief information security officers (CISOs) are required to answer in regards to what is now called (ROSI), return on security investment:
- Just how does a business become secure?
- Exactly how much security does a business require?
- How can it be determined if the security investment is reasonable?
- Exactly what is the proper amount of time and financing to invest in security?
Because business owners are so focused on the bottom line, the CISO must be able to accurately communicate the essential importance of security to the business owner in terms they can understand.
Training
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Once a business has purchased a new security system, there must be excellent follow-up support, or the investment is worthless. With a great security solutions training team on your side, you will always be given the utmost support and training to use your new security system. Once the security program has been implemented, the training team must be certain that you and your staff are properly trained on the best practices and use of the security solution.
Exterior and Perimeter Security Solutions For Business Entrances
Depending on your business’s basic security needs, commercial perimeter security solutions can include perimeter intrusion detection and perimeter alarms to keep external threats from entering your building. Along with perimeter protection products come solutions to help you better manage vehicle traffic going in and out of your facilities while permitting unobstructed access for authorized personnel and visitors. From perimeter protection for small businesses to enterprise perimeter protection systems, there are many solutions to assist you in obtaining a more secure perimeter for your business.
Physical Security Gates, Automatic Doors, Roads, and Fences
The reason for installing physical access control and automatic security gate is to prevent unauthorized personnel from gaining access to certain areas of a business. Industrial-grade gates are put at the entrance of a business’s property, and access is granted only to authorized vehicles.
In short, security gates are employed in a variety of industries. On any location where access must be regulated past a certain point, the presence of a high-security gate makes certain that only authorized vehicles and people are permitted inside.
As for automatic doors, some of the top ways in which automatic door systems help protect a business are:
- They capture everyone that goes into a building
- They provide fire protection escape routes
- They lock unwanted people in
- They keep unwanted people out
- They provide easy accessibility
A security fence encloses property for the purpose of greater security. They may be equipped with razor wires, barbed wires and even an intrusion alarm system. Security fencing must have two essential components — durable materials and a correct height. A good security fence should do one job first, and that is to visually discourage someone from wanting to enter the property by its design and the use of security signs.
Professional Security Layout Design For Commercial Buildings
This process involves not just considering the scope of buildings but also looking past to encompass the surrounding site and community. It is only with such a wide-range approach to security that the end result can accomplish the dual goals of protecting the building and positively affect the community.
Ready to Protect your business with Entryway Security Systems?
Get in touch with Umbrella Security Systems for more information.