When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, the only way to keep many businesses functioning was through remote work. Health and safety became absolute priorities. With the gradual reopening of companies, many began modifying offices into hybrid workplaces to maintain various advantages of a flexible work environment and remote work, while accommodating the needs of many employees to find a balance between work and private lives.
The hybrid workplace uses a mix of remote work and office work capabilities. Businesses can reduce office space and necessary hardware in favor of mostly remote procedures.
But a hybrid world brings with it serious security challenges. Businesses and organizations must refocus office design and management. Companies have enormous amounts of data to control. The use of unsecured networks, the theft or loss of devices used remotely outside of the office, targeted attacks, and unauthorized physical entries to facilities are just a few of the vulnerabilities that companies now face daily.
Traditional methods of access control were limited to lock and key or credential scanners. Now access control has advanced considerably. It is no longer hardware-based but a cloud-based full security platform that can integrate numerous applications.
How Important Is Access Control in a Hybrid World?
The simple answer is ‘very’. People entering and exiting company facilities, accessing specific offices or areas, or accessing sensitive data all present significant security risks for business owners and managers. Access control is a valuable tool in a company’s security strategy for regulating who can enter facilities, view sensitive data, modify important files, and use company resources including equipment and devices.
Access security is now closely linked to cybersecurity. It provides improved tools for keeping people, facilities, and data safe by reducing risks and increasing safety. Without access security, businesses are exposed to theft, data loss, or data breaches, all of which can be expensive in terms of money and reputation.
Access security strategies now includes:
- Remote management
- Commercial door access control systems
- Traffic flow and capacity management
- Security cameras
- Automation and AI analytics
- MFA
- Employee and visitor management
In a hybrid work situation, both employee and visitor traffic can vary weekly if not daily. Management may have workspaces filled with completely different groups of employees, visitors, and customers from one day to the next. Hence access control becomes crucial in a hybrid workplace as an effective security instrument to serve remote working, co-working spaces, data and company resource utilization, and video conferencing safely.
New access control systems allow for the use of digital credentials with immediate activation or deactivation. These credentials can be remotely created or revoked at a moment’s notice improving security measures.
Creating a Better Access Experience
While some companies may add space, many are downsizing due to the increase in remote work. This means that access control for both employees and visitors is more important than ever to ensure user-friendly access and the best possible management of resources.
Access security systems can collect large amounts of data and use this information to identify patterns in the use of company space. This permits more effective utilization of spaces and the monitoring of energy consumption to reduce expenses.
Older security and access systems may have included a video feed. But traditionally video feed was not analyzed or even stored for long periods unless needed as an investigative tool.
New access control systems integrate AI analytics to make better decisions regarding security and capacity management with anomalous behaviors, suspect objects, and health crises readily identified.
This can be vital when attempting to secure large commercial enterprises where customer traffic is considerable. In the event of an incident or emergency, lockdowns can be triggered and alerts sent within seconds to security personnel, local authorities, and emergency first responders. Access security is a strategic life-saving tool when an emergency strikes.
If anything, the shift to a hybrid world has increased the need for physical security. From employers to property landlords, management needs the capability to track what is happening at any given moment within a property, whether corporate, real estate or commercial.
Advanced technological access control is the key to keeping employees, customers, and visitors safe and can be the foundation on which all security strategies can be created and developed.
Is access security important in a hybrid world? It is one of the best if not the best security tool currently available.
