Access control and visitor management can complement each other well. This note explores how.
Access control and visitor management can complement each other well. This note explores how.
Visitor management systems are seeing increasingly deployment at end user facilities. They replace traditional paper logs – which can be easily faked or hard to understand – and offer a more secure and efficient way of managing visitors. Demand has been on the rise; according to MarketsandMarkets, the global visitor management system market size is to grow from US$1.1 billion in 2021 to $2.3 billion by 2026, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.7 percent.
Visitor management and
access control are disparate systems. Yet they are intrinsically complementary technologies. It therefore makes sense to integrate the two.
“Granting access is the mainstay of access control tools – provisioning of cards or digital IDs to unlock a facility, whereas visitor management systems are more about learning and confirming identity. Put the two of these together and organizations can now know who they're giving access to before, during, and after the physical entry,” said Roger Lall, VP of Product Marketing at Traction Guest.
Benefits of access control-visitor management integration
So exactly what are the benefits of access control-visitor management integration and why should users go with it? These are discussed as follows.
Better security
Obviously, the main benefit of access control-visitor management integration has to do with security. “An integration provides the ability to automate clearances and access levels assigned to visitors; this could be based on visitor category, location of the host, or destination. The visitor’s badge can include the access credential to automatically restrict access so visitors don't require an escort. Also, if the visitor forgets to return the access badge, the card can automatically be deactivated,” said Debbie Pendleton, COO of STOPware. “Linking to the access control cardholder database for employee look-ups allows verification that employees are active and therefore can be assigned as a host for the visitor.”
Health and safety
The integration can also ensure the
health and safety of end user entity staff, something that has gained huge importance during and post-pandemic. “The pandemic shifted focus from access control’s ‘how’ to give physical access, to a more visitor management-oriented ‘should we give access at all,’” Lall said. “Visitor management systems and their integration into access control systems allowed for greater flexibility and granular control of individual permissioning – health attestations, proof of vaccination, capacity scheduling and space booking – aspects that are not traditionally core to access control’s focus on physical entry.”
“We need to identify who people are before they arrive, thus reducing risk. This can be done by pre-registration of visitors and asking them questions on travel, health or other concerns. This will allow the controller to decide who is safe and who is at risk of causing a workplace incident,” said Steve Barrett, CSO of Teamgo. “The same information can be collected on site when the visitor arrives, both practices can and should also allow for submission of documents and certificates (as any good visitor management system will offer as a feature).”
Management efficiency and better user experience
What access control and visitor management integration does is allowing for a seamless experience for both the administrator and the visitor.
“Convergence of access control and visitor management provides the end user a streamlined workflow without having to access multiple systems giving them the ability to complete a visit registration in less than one minute,” Pendleton said. “Advanced visitor pre-registration will not only streamline the check-in process, but the visitor can bypass the front desk and gain access for a completely contactless workflow.”
“This minimizes the number of contact points a visitor may need to go through to achieve their goal – simply entering a location. Integration with visitor systems would allow the pre-registration and issuance of pass (QR code, pin code or simply their mobile number) that can be used on arrival to identify the user and provide access. Should swipe or other option need to be employed to gain entry, this can be resolved by automating the allocation of door cards to the user prior to arrival," Barrett said.
Improved audit
A combined solution allows administrators to have oversight on visitors and the access points they visited. This will allow for better management and planning for the future. “An integration improves the audit trails for visitors because in addition to the activation and deactivation date/time, a record will be created in the access control system cardholder database with visitor details provided from the visitor management system so a lot more information will be tied into each visit record,” Pendleton said.
Compliance
Access control-visitor management integration also allows users to meet compliance more easily. Requirement 9 of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), for example, states that any physical access to data or systems that house cardholder data provides the opportunity for persons to access and/or remove devices, data, systems or hardcopies, and should be appropriately restricted. End user entities that are required to comply with this rule can greatly benefit from access control-visitor management integration.