Developing Support for Access Control from Top Executives and Administrators
Improved regulation compliance and cost savings are just a couple of reasons why access control upgrades will appeal to the top brass at your hospital, school or university.
Access control should be an important part of your security plan. Getting support from administrators is the challenge.
Administrators Might Want HR Linked to Access Control
Management and administration will also appreciate knowing that the access control system could be linked to the personnel/human relations system to control which employees are currently employed by the organization. The linkage of these systems ensures that as employees are terminated or re-assigned, the access control system is completely synchronized with the personnel moves, without manual intervention.
Let management know that they themselves could be provided with real-time incident information via text or email so that they are aware of major breeches and can begin addressing the issues immediately.
“The ability to text or page or notify via email anything that happens within the access control system is a very useful data-tracking feature,” adds Staley. “I think this ties to the trend to continually reduce, reduce, reduce the staffing. By being able to have the system automatically send an email to the right department, or send alarms to the department manager, that is a very powerful thing.”
Another option is xplaining how the addition of an access control system deters illegal activities. In this day of constant publicity of shootings and other violence, the new system will be welcomed. As a result, the knowledge that security measures have been taken to protect students, patients, faculty, staff and visitors can yield increased productivity. The system will even designate after-hours access.
Depending on the main focus of the campus, there are now myriad regulations to follow and document. Many of these have to do with privacy, including Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), the Federal Information Security Act (FISMA), the Graham-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and HIPAA. Health plans, healthcare clearinghouses and healthcare providers must apply HIPAA security standards to all health information that is maintained or transmitted electronically. Each covered entity mu
st assess its systems for potential risks and vulnerabilities to the health information it houses and develops, as well as implement and maintain appropriate security measures.
An electronic access control system now provides a basis for ensuring privacy as spelled out in various federal laws, limiting liability and often lowering insurance costs. It controls access to regulated information and documents audit trails with badge information, which will help keep the campus compliant.
Highlight Fast Lock-Down
Hostile intruder situations have emerged as serious threats to campus safety and an organization’s reputation. Unfortunately, what do you immediately think of when you hear “Virginia Tech” or “Sandy Hook?”
“Often, these threats may require an emergency lockdown or shelter-in-place procedure, which are the opposite of a facility evacuation,” says Steve Dentinger, vice president sales and marketing, site manager-Toronto, of Keyscan Inc., a member of the Kaba Group. “Many campus organizations are looking to augment their ability to lockdown the facility. The latest advances in facility security have been shown to go a long way in helping to maintain perimeter access and intra-facility movement during an emergency. Access control systems have become an increasingly popular way to enable the lockdown of a facility in the case of an emergency. Moving to more networked openings with the ability to lockdown from a central location can help put their emergency management plan into action.
“Further,” explains Dentinger, “a reduction in lockdown time signifies an improvement in emergency preparedness. It also assures that perimeter and intra-facility access has been optimized for both performance and security, resulting in increased security for employees and visitors alike.”
Don’t Stop Selling and Educating
By presenting your management team and administrators with dollar and cents reasons for investing in your new access control system, you are much more likely to get exactly what you want. The bottom line is that both you and your management want the same basic thing. The difference is in how you describe the benefits. They need to hear these benefits in their words.
Scott Lindley, President, Farpointe Data, a DORMA Group Company
Note: The views expressed by guest bloggers and contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, Campus Safety magazine.
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