Employee Newsletters - Security Officers

Access Control with Locks

Locks are one of the most common types of access control used. Locks are designed to prevent unauthorized persons from entering a door, window, etc. Locks are used for securing the perimeter of a facility as well as securing specific areas within the facility. However, it is important that the perimeter of a facility as well as security specific areas within the facility. However, it is important that the proper type of lock is selected for securing different areas. In general, there are three different types of locks:

1. Key Locks - Key locks are the oldest and most traditional form of lock. These locks use a variety of key types to turn tumblers inside a lock, which in turn unlock the mechanism. The level of security provided depends partially on the complexity of the key. Advantages of this type of lock include lower cost and easy installation. Disadvantages include key control, the need to rekey locks when keys are lost and the relative ease with which most key locks can be picked.

2. Electronic Locks - Electronic locks use a key pad, magnetic card or proximity reader to activate the lock. Codes are assigned to each person, magnetic card of proximity reader and that code activates the lock. Advantages include the ability to simply remove codes when forgotten or lost, the ability to change codes as needed and the fact that these locks are more difficult to access without authorization then traditional key locks. Disadvantages include higher cost and more complex installation than a key lock.

3. Biometric locks - Biometric locks are much like electronic locks but they use biometric readers to grant access. Examples include finger print readers, palm readers, retinal scanners, etc. These are by far the msot secure of the three types of locks but they are much more expensive, more difficult to administer and may cause privacy concerns.

No matter which type of lock you use for access control they are all subject to piggypacking when used alone. Piggybacking is the ability of one person to simply follow another person through the door. This may include authorized personnel who are too lazy to use their own code, or unauthorized personnel attempting to enter for more devious reasons. In order to prevent this, additional access controls will be needed that either limit access to one person at a time, or provide for monitoring who enters the facility.

There are many variations to locks and a proper comparison should be conducted to determine which one is best for a specific situation.

December's Employees of the Month