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1. Have a locksmith do a free survey of your doors and door hardware

Ask your locksmith if they do free surveys (inspections) of your doors and door hardware. It only makes sense that you’d want to first ensure that the doors you’re about to invest in are structurally sound.

Pictured above is a Yale 51 Series door closer.

Some may just need a hinge replaced or you may decide you want to install a door closer on a door (or have a closer replaced). Safety issues may also exist such panic bars not working properly on other doors.

2. Making the decision to move away from keys

Are you still using keys? Save time by no longer needing an employee to unlock and lock all doors at the beginning and end of each day, and to be called throughout the day for let-ins. Have the doors auto-unlock and lock at certain times.

Also, when you convert to a card access system from keys, you save on cost of re-keying and lock changes every time an employee loses his or her key.

Speaking of saving money, if you are currently using badging for employee identification, you can use the badges for access control also. It is possible switch to an HID format badge, for instance, and print the necessary employee and company information on the card.

3. Choose a provider who can accommodate potential growth

If you’re at a site with only a few doors and you only want to install a reader on one for now, you can take that course and still have the capacity to install another card reader in the future on additional door(s) without having to purchase another panel.

Or a larger company may have not only several doors, but several locations—nationwide…all on the same system. And it can all be streamlined in terms of the software.

For example, the administrator may be located in California while the corporate server is located in Boston, MA. With sites all across the country, he only needs access to the Raleigh, NC office, so he simply accesses that site directly on the software instead of having to deal with a nationwide tree.

Make sure your security integrator can accommodate the particular part of this spectrum that your company happens to be on.

4. Learning about features that suit your needs

You most likely need to create areas of your premises that are accessible to certain levels of staff and administration, but not to others. This is easily achieved using software or web-based programming that comes along with access control systems.

You’ll also need to set time zones—specific times each day when a door or set of doors automatically lock and unlock. Having the ability to set holiday access parameters is a must also.

And very important is the ability to remove access, sometimes immediately, of an employee who may have just been terminated and is disgruntled.

Of course the inherent benefit of a constant audit trail exists if an event occurs anywhere, since you’ll be able to determine who gained access to that area and at what time.

5. Is biometrics right for you?

Biometrics is gaining in popularity and can be an effective part of your overall access control system.

For instance, your company could be predominately outfitted with traditional card readers, yet certain areas of high importance could have biometric readers applied to them.

The benefit? No one else can gain access except for the designated person so there is no need to worry about someone else using your card to gain entry to these areas if were misplaced.

This is because biometrics reads your fingerprints, iris, etc. and removes the above possibility.

So don’t just think about possible expansion of the building your in, but your company’s potential multi-site growth. There are plenty of security integrators who can walk hand in hand with your company along the way to a more secure facility.

There might not be a single “best” form, but there sure are “different” methods. And if there is a best form of biometircs, it’s often someone’s opinion that determines this.

Pictured above is a time and attendance biometrics unit by Find Biometrics.

For example, in an article written in the August 2012 edition of the Security Systems News, Jim Pangburn, VP of Engineering at Big Sky, Inc. believes there is not only a better system now, but one that may be coming in the future as well.

For now, he prefers hand vascular technology, also called blood vessel authentication. Says the article, with hand vascular they don’t have problems found in more prevalent methods like fingerprint and iris scans, such as environmental conditions and false reads.

With the growing popularity and ease of use with megapixel cameras, it is now more possible to use them to scan eye patterns. Pangburn sees this as a future method of biometrics, as is written in the article.

Also, British researchers claim that iris recognition is the most accurate form of biometrics access control due to its low false rejection rate. The National Physical Laboratory representing the Communications Electronics Security Group conducted the study.

The main types of biometrics access control are:

Facial recognition: Can search through large groups of people who spent only a short time in front of a camera. Assigns numerical quantities based on facial characteristics to form a code for identification purposes. Non-intrusive.

Fingerprint: Completely unique; no two exist that are the same.

Hand geometry: Can work in harsh environments.

Retina and Iris Scans: Completely unique but take relatively longer to achieve the scan.

Signature and Voice analysis: Signature is easy to gather and not intrusive. Voice analysis can be done without the subject’s knowledge.

In terms of future forms of biometrics, in addition to the megapixel scanning of eye patterns mentioned above by Pangburn, two other methods may present themselves down the road more often.

While it is mentioned as a subject of controversy at this point, DNA sampling may be an option. Cost and portability are two obstacles as of now.

And another body part being studied as a possible use for biometric reading is the tongue. Laser scanning would be used to achieve a 3-D picture of the tongue, says an article published on cnn.com on December 13, 2008.

Speaking of tongues, we wanted to give you a taste of the common methods of biometric access control systems, what some consider better forms and a touch of future incarnations that may be on the horizon.

We hope you gained a little from our article today. Thanks for spending some time with us.

Security for liquor stores is serious business. There’s simply so much at stake. Inventory. Cash. Employee safety and more.

If you’re the owner or manager of a liquor store, you most likely already have an alarm system and also video surveillance. But more can always be done and adjustments to your current system can always be made.

Use your smart phone for things such as remotely viewing your employees while they close.

We’ve highlighted six areas below to focus on in order to improve the security of your store and the safety of your employees.

1. The need to protect inventory. Let’s face it. You’re selling what is considered a vice to people. Something people are addicted to. Something of great value.

You need to make sure your alarm system is sufficient and working properly.

Give it a test. Call your security company or monitoring station and put your system on test. You want to make sure if there’s a break in after-hours that your security system is going to function properly.

Once your system is on test, arm it then open doors, walk past motion detectors and open any windows—let that siren scream. No need to worry about any authorities being called because it’s on test status.

2. The need to protect employees. Besides having security cameras in clear sight which provide a degree of a deterrent and having security stickers on the doors, panic buttons are a great device for employee protection.

Be sure to have them installed under the counter and in other locations throughout the store such as the back office where cash may be kept.

This allows employees to secretly inform the police that a robbery is taking place with one press of a button without needing to make it to a phone.

We’ll talk more about employee safety when we address remote video monitoring below.

3. The need to identify the bad guy. As we mentioned at the beginning of this post, it’s likely that your store already has video surveillance in place. But what type?

Analog security cameras, which are very prevalent and often the less expensive route to go, can suffice in some cases.

However, they don’t provide the same level of clarity that megapixel security cameras do. Megapixel cameras can provide the resolution necessary to identify the robber or burglar.

We’ve all seen images of perpetrators broadcast by news channels. In order for the public to help you, make it easy on them by providing the clearest possible footage.

Facial recognition is necessary in many court cases to achieve a conviction. Why have cameras in place that may or may not provide that facial recognition. Talk to your security integrator about megapixel technology.

4. The need to be in two places at once. Be sure to use remote video monitoring at your liquor store. This will come in handy in many ways.

To further ensure safety of your employees, monitor openings and closings via your smart phone, tablet or PC. Especially closings when it’s late at night and ambushes can occur.

Receive email alerts containing video clips if there is any motion in your store when the alarm system is armed.

Keep an eye on employees who may be tempted by the inventory. You most likely have honest employees who won’t steal inventory or drink it while on the job, but to be able to check in on them no matter where you are may keep you more at ease.

While we’re on this topic, be sure to have a camera viewing inside your cooler. This of course is a place where employees can go and sample the goods in an enclosed setting.

5. The need to see all. Consider 180° and 360° security cameras. These megapixel cameras can provide panoramic views that typical security cameras couldn’t, as those would be offering a limited field of view.

Place a 360° security camera on the ceiling in the middle of your store. Have a 180° camera installed on the outside of your building facing the parking lot. Ensure that you identify those that are about to enter with ill intentions and also capture makes of cars, etc.

6. The need to secure your perimeter. An alarm system and cameras are very important, but if your doors and door hardware are vulnerable and easy to be broken down, a burglar can still enter and exit without being apprehended.

Have a qualified locksmith give you a survey to ensure that your doors are secure and that your door hardware is in good working order. It should be easy to find a locksmith who will give you a survey at no charge.

We hope this has given you a few things to think of for the security of your liquor store.

Thanks for spending some time with us today.

To say that companies need to watch their bottom line in this economy is an understatement. Every opportunity should be taken advantage of whenever a firm can identify areas to reduce wasteful spending, shrinkage, energy loss and more.

Security companies can actually play a big role in reducing financial losses of many kinds, not just stopping vandals or catching thieves.

Pictured above are several security systems from access control to video surveillance.

To that end, you may have heard of the term security “integration”. Quite simply, this happens when a security company allows its various systems to talk to one another and achieve a higher security result than if systems were stand-alone. It’s sort of like synergy.

Integration is the answer to many of the 12 issues listed below that plague many companies, especially those in manufacturing. So we’ve listed the issues along with a brief product and/or solution that security provides.

1. Employees that prop doors open: Having an access control system (keyless) benefits you in many ways. One such way is that a sounder goes off after a certain amount of time if a door is left open.
2. Unauthorized visitors who wander around your building(s): The integration here would be between the access control system and the video surveillance system.
3. Overhead doors left open which let out A/C or heat: The alarm and access systems team up to ensure that these doors are kept secured. As mentioned above, sounders would come into play if they are left open. And if contacts between the overhead doors and the wall are not aligned in the closed position, the alarm will not be able to be set.
4. Employees who come in on the weekend without management’s knowledge: This issue pretty much encompasses all tenants of security – access control, video surveillance and alarm.
5. Employees who claim overtime that they have not worked: Card readers and video systems will provide access control audit trails on your software system and there will also be video evidence.
6. Doors left open all weekend or all night: The security system will indicate on the keypad that a door is open. Once again, this is an issue of the contacts not being aligned. Also, the sounders will sound if the door is open for too long.
7. Employees or visitors who claim bogus accidents inside or outside of your building: Video surveillance is the answer here.
8. Vandalism—internal and external: Again, video, or CCTV, would provide the results needed. Security lighting is also a strong preventative.
9. Shrinkage: Here, video would obviously isolate shoppers or employees stealing goods and access control would create an audit trail to indicate if a certain employee was in a given area from which goods may have been missing, for instance.
10. The need to change locks whenever some leaves your employment or loses a key: Having a keyless entry system is the solution here—you can simply de-activate his or her card or fob.
11. Unauthorized 2nd and 3rd shift employees who snoop in offices: This would encompass all systems—alarmed doors would keep the employees out. Video would record their actions. Access control would track where they went and prevent access as well.
12. Alarms which are tripped by employees who enter unauthorized doors: Again, all systems would come into play here.

As a company grows, so do concerns about security. Access control to the facility becomes an even larger priority, to ensure the safety of employees and protecting property (physical and intellectual).

Human Resource integration into access control protocols can become necessary for increased security within a facility. HR departments can have a very big impact on access to buildings and multiple company sites.

Without the help from HR, controlling access can become difficult. There are a myriad of reasons an employee’s access needs to be changed such as termination, suspension, leave of absences, shift change or even department change.

If the protocol for employment is to have HR send the employee information to the security department, there can be a delay in the activation of their credentials, due to lost information, or a delay inputting the employee information into the access control system. With a delay of inputting the information, the largest concern is the ability of a disgruntled employee still having access to the facility or site once escorted off the property.

If HR enters employee information into the access control system, such as where they work, job title or department, the system can automatically give the new employee access to the building, the department and even secure rooms with secure cabinets if needed. When an employee is terminated, HR will change their status to deactivated and access will be disabled.

As an employee grows within a company, HR can also be responsible for updating the information in order to give the employee required access to the buildings, rooms or cabinets.

If there is not a well placed system for entering employee information, security can be compromised with grave consequences. We can help your company create an access control system that works seamlessly which provides for real time security management. Call One Source Security today at 800-570-6478.

As a business owner you have many choices when it comes to video surveillance. The goal is always to protect people and property.

There are many types of cameras available with a variety of uses, including but not limited to dome cameras, bullet cameras, infrared cameras and network/IP cameras.

• Dome cameras are a great choice for indoors, they are low profile and allow for 360-degree visibility.
• Bullet cameras encased with a tough housing are a great choice for outdoors as they can withstand the elements.
• Infrared cameras are used primarily outdoors to capture images in the dark.
• Network/IP cameras allow footage to be sent over a network to a centralized recorder. Quickly retrieve, review and share video with law enforcement when necessary.

There are also cameras with the ability to identify a small object such as a license plate, they will read and record a tag number on a moving vehicle.

License plate cameras are designed to focus on the alpha-numeric characters on a license plate capturing the tag number of vehicles entering and exiting a property. License plates from both parked and moving vehicles can be clearly captured. Depending on the placement of the camera the make and model, and even the color of the car can be captured. Sometimes the occupants may also be captured on the video, but that is not the main objective of this type of camera.

License plate cameras compensate for moving vehicles, the reflective material of license plates, headlights and varying outdoor light conditions, allowing them to capture a clear picture of the license plate. Images can be captured in complete darkness in real-time while recording video to a DVR.

License plate recognition cameras capture, read and record a tag number, just like the license plate reader. These cameras however have another specialized component to them. They are designed for one specific purpose, to capture the tag number and match it to a number in a database. The system is designed to flag a vehicle when the tag matches one in the database, notifying officers. This information is only available to law enforcement agencies.

Key features to look for when researching a license place camera:

• High definition resolution, allows for accurate and precise detail from images captured on the camera.
• Performs equally well with fast or slow moving traffic.
• Continuous day and night operation.
• Integrates with access control
• Covers multiple lanes for entering and exiting traffic.

Call One Source Security today, 800-570-6478, for a FREE security assessment of the perimeter of your property. License place camera can be yet another layer of protection for your business.

Here at One Source Security, we have been receiving more and more inquiries lately from schools of all types regarding access control.

These inquiries stem from several concerns: financial, safety, tracking and more.

The educational facilities themselves include childcare centers, public and private schools, and colleges.

Pictured above is a card access system complete with access card and card reader.

Childcare Centers, for instance, rely on access control to protect their children. There are often vestibules when you first enter where everyone needs to check in and only those with proper access cards or fobs can enter without being “buzzed in” by someone else.

The access card (similar in size to a credit card) or the fob (sometimes as small as a quarter and can be held on a key chain) is typically held in proximity to a card reader which is usually next to the door frame. Sometimes cards are swiped instead.

This then triggers the door to release its electric strike—its lock—so the person can enter.

It also provides an audit trail around to different parts of the center which enables you to track which parent or which employee went where, and at what time. Using traditional locks and keys wouldn’t provide these benefits.

Same with schools and colleges. Audit trails are very important. But so is granting access to certain areas for some employees while restricting it for others.

For instance, an administrative employee at a college could have access to the general administration area between the hours of 8am and 5pm Monday through Friday, but a Dean would have access 24/7 to the same area, plus her own office and select other areas.

And if either of these people were to cease employment at the school, their access could be denied immediately with a few key strokes by the office manager or other designated administrator. This feature helps when it comes to disgruntled employees and soon to be ex-employees as well.

And as mentioned earlier, cost is certainly an issue. Many institutions cannot simply keep up with the expense every time an employee loses a key. Costly re-keys or lock changes need to be done in these cases for the entire facility (or wherever that key applies).

So there are many types of educational facilities which need many types of access control…for many reasons. If you’re thinking about upgrading from lock and key, you’re certainly not alone.

Increasing security in and around healthcare facilities has become a priority to keep patients and employees safe, since healthcare facilities are not immune to crime. However, there is a balance between accessibility and security for patients and employees.

One solution is to use access control to streamline the security process and provide the comfort and healing to their patients in a secure environment.

With the use of smart card credentials, it has become easier for healthcare facilities to implement access control. This smart card system can be used for multiple levels of security, associating each card with an individual employee’s security level, thus eliminating multiple cards issued to one employee.

A facility can secure all points of entry for employees and deliveries with access control along with the addition of video surveillance.

Staff and patient elevators and stairwells can include access control, which can be left open during the day for visitors, however, after visiting hours only employees and visitors with badges can access those areas.

A facility can use access control to effectively control the access to sensitive areas of a hospital, such as, pharmacies, surgical areas, intensive care units, nurseries, medicine supply rooms, as well as medication dispensing machines. Only employees with the appropriate credentials can access these sensitive areas.

Access control software allows the user to enroll a card, assign security access levels, and provide an audit trail of who entered and exited each area. Integration with video surveillance, intrusion alarms and photo verification make a complete access solution across many levels of security. The software also, allows administrators the ability to instantly lockdown a facility.

We would be pleased to assess your facility and provide a comprehensive solution to fit your needs and budget. Call today to speak with one of our sales engineers at 1- 800-570-6478.

Using a variety of physical access control systems will allow large-scale facility management to quickly and accurately determine where a sick person has traveled throughout the building.

Right now, what are you doing when someone in your building gets Covid-19? If you manage a large facility, with multiple entrances and exits and hundreds of rooms, how do you accurately contact trace? How can you begin to understand who might need to be tested and quarantined? How will you know where to deep clean and sanitize?

From what we’ve seen, contact tracing is still rather low tech. Contact tracing begins with asking people where they’ve been. But memories are flawed and there will always be something or someone that slips through the cracks. Employees might not remember a trip to the 3rd floor vending machine or where they filled their water bottle.

The use of mobile credentials for physical access control can greatly improve contact tracing. Using mobile credentials for entrances, to book conference rooms, and for secure access will allow facility management to pinpoint where people may have come into contact with a sick employee or visitor. This type of tracking can also be accomplished with key cards and key fobs. The biggest argument for mobile access is that people don’t often forget their phone, but keycards and fobs can be easily misplaced.

Physical access control should be understandable and manageable. One Source Security can assist facility management teams with setting up and implementing these digital intelligence tools.

An active shooter alert system should be in every large building in this country. The statistics around mass shootings are alarming. At the time of this article’s publication, there have been 140 mass shootings in the US this year. It is abundantly clear that nobody knows how to stop the violence. Legislatures argue for gun control and better mental health options, but that doesn’t help NOW.

An active shooter alert system is designed to empower regular people in catastrophic situations. There are two systems we believe to be both effective and necessary: ASR Alert Systems Panic Buttons, and Safe Zone’s Gunfire Detection.

ASR Alert Systems utilizes wireless panic buttons to connect directly to local law enforcement. Here’s how it works: ASR provides police stations with a radio receiver, entirely free of charge. Organizations then purchase a transponder and accompanying panic buttons. These panic buttons are wirelessly installed in appropriate locations. If a panic button is pressed, police will be notified and called to the scene. Additionally, anyone signed up for alerts will be notified and the building’s alarms will be activated.

Like ASR’s panic buttons, Safe Zone’s Gunfire Detection notifies law enforcement and people signed up to receive alerts. Then it goes one step further. This product also informs law enforcement of the location of the shooter and what type of weapon was used. These details help law enforcement make the informed decisions when responding to a crisis event. This gunfire detection works through WiFi and PoE. To see this system in action, watch our demo video on YouTube.

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These active shooter alert systems both instantly alert first responders with the location of a crisis. People in active shooter situations are not able to communicate with 911 at this kind of rapid speed. ASR Alert Systems and Safe Zone’s Gunfire Detection System both save lives by decreasing the time it takes for police to arrive to the scene.

We believe that these systems are necessary in every densely populated building. If you’re interested in learning more, please give us a call or fill out our inquiry form.