Smart cards and role-based access control – the solution for enhanced security during the COVID-19 pandemic

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The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a number of safety measures being put in place, one of the most important being that all business review the use of biometric authentication solutions that require touch (fingerprint readers and hand scanners), a recent news report has been able to suggest.

Many businesses are managing to adhere to recommendations for their staff to work remotely, however there is also a large proportion of organisations having to stay open. These critical businesses are thereby forced to disinfect pin pads and secure fingerprint readers on office doors or secure facilities, amongst other stringent hygiene policies. This uncertain time has made it clear that the access devices touched by all members of staff can actually represent a safety risk.

It is unlikely that biometric solutions will become less popular, as Gartner predicts that by 2022, 40 percent of businesses plan to adopt biometric technology for information security. However, until then and until the COVID-19 pandemic becomes a thing of the past (whenever that might happen), intermediary measures need to be put in place.

This is where individual role-based access control solutions can help. Fingerprint access has often been used to bolster security for high-security areas – helping businesses embrace the ‘zero trust model’ in the workplace and ensuring that sensitive corporate information and office spaces remain protected. But with health concerns front of mind, businesses are realising that it is preferable to do this without having to rely on communal fingerprint sensors or hand scanning devices, and assigning specific security roles to individual smart card holders.

Access Control UK – the go-to company for secure, reliable and affordable access control systems

Access Control UK employs a variety of access control technologies in order to create advanced solutions, enable users to exert solid, reliable and accurate control over the access to specific premises or zones.

An UK-based manufacturer, we have over 30 years’ experience in designing, installing and commissioning outstanding security solutions. We take great pride in our commitment to provide the best possible customer care and adhere to the highest British and International security standards, which is why we’ve been formally accredited by several accreditation bodies (visit our Accreditations page for more information).

The Access Control Systems supplied by Access Control UK are modular and fully scalable in design, thus allowing you to build your access control system to match your specific requirements, whether you’re a small company with under 250 personnel or a large multinational corporation.

If you’d like to find out more about the range of solutions supplied by Access Control UK, both in terms of hardware (smart card readers, biometric time and attendance readers, turnstiles, etc.) and software (access rights management software solutions, etc.), just contact us, we’ll be more than happy to answer any queries you might have.


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