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The benefits of physical barriers

Having seen the security exposure at education facilities first-hand and the ripple effect it causes, we often ask ourselves why the necessary safety and security precautions weren’t taken at the start of the project. It’s a well-known fact that security solutions tend to be last on the agenda, which ultimately brings about several challenges.

Considering that most education facilities and student accommodations require turnstiles as an absolute necessity, the question is often asked “why” and the answer is rather simple and lies within the product description ‘physical access control’. Exercising control of entrances and exits in a bustling environment such as student accommodation, creates a certain level of reassurance for the user, but more than that it provides the facility managers, security companies and even landlords, with the ability to circumvent certain risks.

Unauthorised access into said facilities is the common denominator and can so easily be abused by corruption and bribery leaving these facilities at the mercy of the security staff employed to prevent these incidents. Therefore, over the years it has become a norm to provide education facilities and student accommodation with a physical barrier (turnstiles) which is not open to bribes, corruptible and if implemented correctly – unbeatable.

However, as simple as the solution seems to be to implement, the layout, operation, flow rate, aesthetics and overall use of the turnstile needs to be taken into account to ensure both safety and security is taken into consideration, as not all people are looking to ‘beat the system’. The experience with the product also needs to complement the surroundings and not create a sense of imprisonment, so having to straddle the line of comfort and security in these areas becomes quite a challenge.

Boomgate Systems has experience in this field. Having done uncountable installations in student accommodations and education facilities, the company always likes to ask its customers prior to designing a solution: what are you looking to achieve by installing this product? How will your users perceive this turnstile? Based on their response, Boomgate Systems implements accordingly, delving into the wide array of products that will ultimately serve the same purpose, but the experience will be tailored to promote the perception the client is looking to create.

Physical access control has evolved over the years and no longer needs to represent a place of confinement and detention and when put into practice effectively, will provide a feeling of comforting security.

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