printer friendly version

Secure your staff and property

Though the signs on the doors and gates state clearly 'No Entry' “or 'Authorised Personnel Only', they may as well not exist for the criminally inclined, whose numbers are growing on the back of the economic crisis.

The South African Police Service’s (SAPS) crime statistics for the 2008/2009 financial year show business robberies rose by 41,5% (4058) against the backdrop of a corresponding increase of 47,4% or 3173 cases during 2007/2008. The business sector hardest hit by crime is small businesses.

Even establishments with more advanced security systems are now buckling under the onslaught of crime. Unless systems are tailor-made to address a business’s specific security and access control needs, chances are they will be bypassed by techno-savvy thieves or determined troublemakers.

Rory Webber, Elvey’s national sales manager says his own experience parallels the assertions of Dr Johan Burger, analyst at the Institute for Security Studies, who says economy-related commercial crime and shoplifting have increased in the last year by 20% and 19% respectively. “Workplace crime (which by definition includes robbery, assault, murder and rape) is on the up in commercial hubs around the country,” says Webber, adding that according to the findings of whitecollarcrime.co.za, an initiative involving KZN’s White Collar Crime Task Group and the SAPS’ KZN Commercial Crime Branch, crime in South Africa is assuming 'epidemic proportions'.

Further, states the website, crimes involving dishonesty are “eating away at the very fabric of business and government ethics, and threatening the foundations upon which the country’s economic system is built.”

Whether perpetrated by dishonest or violent employees or criminal outsiders, the result is a negative impact on bottom lines and a deterioration of staff morale. Business owners must choose access control and security systems tailored to suit the specific requirements of their entity rather than opting for a 'one size fits all' system that is bound to disappoint.

Most at risk are the commercial hubs which employ hundreds, if not thousands, of staff members and which receive ongoing visits from sub-contractors and other visitors on a daily basis. “Keeping track of people’s movements in this type of environment can be a real challenge for security personnel, the more so if the hub of the security and access control system is situated in a single, centralised control room.”

For an access control system to operate optimally, it has to embrace three basic principles, namely authentication, authorisation and audit. He explains: “During the authentication stage, new users’ information is added to the system. The second phase involves identifying and granting access permission to the user. The last stage is the audit, which logs the places that the user has entered or tried to access.”

Challenges

Elvey’s product manager, Valerie Bingham, has seen the devastating effects of leaked information and workplace crime during her many years in the security industry.

“Product, equipment and data theft, violence and espionage are realities of business today. Left unchecked, they can cause the slow but sure death of a company,” she warns. “Anyone who does not have the right access control technology in place runs the risk of having equipment stolen both during and after work hours, with crippling replacement costs. Without the right system, there is no way of checking the comings and goings of people and accordingly tracing the perpetrators and hopefully the stolen goods.”

While physical guarding remains one of the most popular forms of access control, there is no escaping the human factor. Weak links in the security chain are created by the gaps left by honest guards on patrol as well as by bent guards persuaded to look the other way while criminals walk out with laptops, desktops and every other imaginable company asset.

“People often make the mistake of relying on access control systems that are not linked to the company’s main IT infrastructure but operate instead on standalone computers,” she adds. “This poses huge security risks.

“For one, the information is not centralised, which makes it possible for criminals or vengeful ex-employees to gain access to sensitive areas unnoticed. In the event that such people had been given access to multiple sites during their employ, their access permission would have to be consciously and manually removed. This process is often over-looked or only done piece-meal, thereby rendering the company vulnerable to abuse.”

Something else to be considered is the effect of an access control system on those with disabilities. Token or retinal scanning systems may not work properly for blind users, while fingerprint scanning would not be appropriate for amputees and others with unreadable fingers. It is therefore critical to examine the movement control requirements of a site on an individual basis, rather than accepting a generic solution that could end up under-delivering.

Solutions

Though the challenges of monitoring staff movement may seem insurmountable to the average person, today’s cutting-edge networked technology, coupled with a renewed global focus on affordability, means that there is an access control solution suited to any environment. Whether the requirement is to grant an individual access to multiple sites, one building, part of a building or even to a single person, it can be done effectively and within reasonable budgetary constraints. In so doing, user access is limited to the minimum number of resources required to complete their immediate job function which obviously makes for greater overall security.

For those who want nothing less than the simple but effective management of their central employee and visitor database, there is nothing to touch the performance and capabilities of a network-based system, she asserts. “From one central point, names can be added, restrictions sanctioned and visitors granted access. The database can be managed from one office and still control staff movement in other locations, which adds to the system’s flexibility.

“Further, it offers a number of different authentication options to accommodate the needs of the user base which may include people with disabilities. For example, people in wheel chairs with full use of their hands could use the fingerprint, retinal or vein scan authentication methods while others, depending on their capabilities, could identify themselves through the use of digital keypads, key switches, token systems, magnetic card readers, touch card readers or proximity readers, to mention but some of the alternative methods available.”

The modern access control system has yet another major advantage – its ability to audit users. According to Bingham, it will record the arrival and departure times of each and every employee as well as the offices or areas he or she has accessed. “Knowing that their every movement is being monitored is a major deterrent to employees with criminal intentions. The results from premises which have installed these systems speak for themselves.”

Share this article:

Further reading: