The humble access card has run buildings for decades, but it has always had the same flaws: it can be lost, lent to a colleague or copied. Access control has moved on, and the options now balance security with convenience far better.
The modern toolkit
- Mobile credentials carried on a phone
- Biometrics such as fingerprint or face for sensitive areas
- Encrypted smart cards that resist cloning
- PIN and multi-factor combinations for high-security doors
- QR and visitor passes with time limits
It is about logic, not just doors
The real power is in the rules: who can go where, when, and under what conditions. Access can follow working hours, require two people for a sensitive room, or revoke itself automatically when someone leaves the organisation.
Integration multiplies the value
Linked to CCTV, a door event brings up the matching camera. Linked to HR systems, leavers lose access instantly. Linked to the BMS, an area can power down when the last person badges out. Access control is most powerful as part of an integrated building.
Standards matter
Open, encrypted protocols such as OSDP protect against the eavesdropping and cloning that older wiring allowed. Specifying them from the start future-proofs the system.
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