Access control systems are facilities that allow you to restrict and authenticate who has physical access to resources on your site. Access control systems encompass a wide range of technologies and mechanisms including magnetic stripe, keypad, and proximity readers, key access, biometric verification, and hosts of others. In any case, an access control system is a security imperative for any organization or site that engages with sensitive or classified operations and must necessarily maintain formal security practices as a part of doing business.
The general purpose of an access control system is to ensure adherence to the following security best practices:
- A means by which to verify identification, grant authorization, and perform authentication.
- Presumption of least privilege: If an authorization has not been configured for a specific user or group, default no access is provided.
- Need to know access restriction : Users are provided access only to those resources or information they require to perform their designated tasks.
In short, access control gives your organization the security gateways by which to protect the business against potential damages and to protect your employees from harm.