If you Google ‘entrance control’ and ‘access control’, the search engine returns pretty much the same results. However, there are some differences between the two which should be understood before specifying a security system to prevent unauthorised pedestrian access.
Here Tony Smith, Major Accounts and Marketing Manager at Integrated Design Limited (IDL) – manufacturers of Fastlane turnstiles – talks about the subtle but important distinctions between these two systems and how they should work in symbiosis.
Access control: discriminating authentication
Access control is an incredibly broad term used to describe a system which performs identification of users and authentication of their credentials, deciding whether or not the bearer of those credentials is permitted admission. It’s important to mention that we’re only discussing physical access control here, so systems concerned with regulating who can access restricted areas such as buildings, rooms and other tangible assets.
Access control is a discriminating authentication process and comprises the software or hardware that defines the criteria for acceptance or denial of an individual. Entrance control – such as security turnstiles – takes the output of that validation and has the capability to see whether that criteria is being adhered to, and respond accordingly.
Entrance control: keeping people honest
If access control verifies authorised personnel using their credentials – their face, fingerprints, PIN number, fob, key card etc – and decides whether or not they are permitted access, entrance control is the system which enforces that decision and keeps people honest, by either opening to allow users to cross a threshold, or remaining closed to bar entry and potentially raising an alarm.
Some entrance control systems don’t feature a physical barrier, however. Fastlane Optical turnstiles don’t physically block an unauthorised person from passing through, and instead alarm when someone fails to present valid credentials, alerting security staff that a breach has occurred. These are suited to environments which just need to delineate between the public and secure side of an entrance, with less need to physically prevent unauthorised users from entering.
It’s also possible to capture video footage of any incidents, allowing security personnel to identify users failing to abide by the access control system’s rules, using the footage to decide on the appropriate response. It could be a member of staff in a hurry failing to show their card before passing through, in which case they can be reminded about the security protocol. Or, it could be an unidentified person who needs to be escorted from the premises.
Entrance control and access control working together
For optimum security, access control and entrance control should work together, with the entrance control system enhancing the use of the access control system, making it more efficient and better value for money. The two can’t effectively operate without each other.
Case Study: Smart integrations provide seamless and touchless entrance experience
77 Coleman Street is a luxury multi-tenant office located in the City of London. It is a highly connected building, and is one of only a few in the UK to boast a platinum connectivity rating by WiredScore, the official Mayor of London’s Digital Connectivity Rating Scheme.
With this in mind – and with the building being accessed by over 2,000 regular users across seven floors – it was crucial that the entrance security provided a seamless user experience and maintains a sleek and minimal aesthetic, whilst also delivering the required level of security.
Antron Security, one of our key installation partners, was commissioned to manage the installation of the security system, and selected the Fastlane Glassgate 250 to integrate with the Forge Bluepoint visitor management system, Inner Range access control and Kone lifts, to provide the most efficient user experience and facilitate high-level visitor management and destination control.
Fastlane turnstiles can be integrated seamlessly with every known access control system. If you’d like to speak to us about the most suitable solution for your security requirements and environment, get in touch with our team on +44 (0)2088905550 or email [email protected].