What do you must know about access control in your owners' Community
The image that comes to mind when we talk about Access Control is the typical wooden barrier with the corresponding guard in his sentry box to let us access a parking lot. The truth is that we say access control, when we are talking about management and access security.
The first thing we must know is what is an access control. It is a security system that allows to identify the user by his/her: control, card, key ring, etc. and through it him/her is allowed to manage:
Who can access or who is denied access to an area?
Just a few or all doors, or for a few days or just a few hours or unlimited access?
Only in one direction of entry or entry and exit, in one door or in all?
Make it mandatory to leave in order to re-enter?
It can be any delimited area such as the swimming pool, gym, paddle tennis courts, storage rooms, etc.
Currently, access control in the Communities is mainly focused on the entrance and exit of garages, and in detail on the pedestrian doors.
What should be taken into account when implementing an access control system?
Obviously the first thing is the characteristics of the premises itself, each Owners' Community is unique, not only architecturally speaking, there will not be the same needs and therefore the different mechanisms for access will not be the same, in a Community of Owners whose age range is from 50 to 70 years, to a new building where the community members are mostly young, from proximity cards to remote lesson cards type T or bracelets for gyms and swimming pools. However, the common aspect is that this system must allow the mobility of the residents in an easy way.
It is essential to have good connectivity within the premises and thus be able to assist users remotely, unlock accesses, cancel cards, controls or key tags that have been lost or open remotely, etc. If it is not completely stable, solutions can always be sought. To do this, it is necessary to hire companies in the sector that specialize in Access Control and if it is a security company approved by the DGPN, it will be able to notify the police through a connection with the Alarm Reception Centre when door alarms have been forced.
How to achieve a correct operation of the access control system?
For the right system performance we must advise all users about the way in which the access security system works, emphasizing, for example, the time of opening doors and supporting the systems with monitors that by means of a computer graphics allows them to understand the functioning of the system to the neighbours who have not been able to be present at the Comunnity owners' meeting.
For the whole system to work, it is vital that users are correctly identified by means of personal data: name and surname(s), ID card, e-mail and mobile phone number, which will later allow the cancellation of stolen or lost devices and the registration of new ones. Therefore, we must be sure that the contracted company complies with data protection regulations, since it will be this company that will be in charge of registering and cancelling users, assigning permissions and incidents in data management.
In most cases, the security circle is increased by complementing the accesses securization with the video surveillance system, since this way, not only will we know who has entered and left the premises, but in the case of vandalism, the same will be recorded by the cameras and the images can be presented as relevant procedural evidence. In this case, the expertise of the security company that custodies the images is vital to ensure that the required traceability has been respected.
Gricell Garrido Colón, CEO of Prevent Security Systems