Access control is, quite simply, a means of managing the access of people and vehicles, where appropriate, to buildings, car parks, vulnerable or sensitive areas, lifts, vending machines and other electronic equipment.

Entry control has always been an important factor in the fight against crime, but at a time of economic difficulty and widespread international tension, it is even more important to become more security conscious. It is essential that employees and their possessions are protected in the workplace and that a company's efforts in developing new products, materials or processes are not wasted through industrial espionage or impaired by theft and vandalism.

Whether a company opts for door control, alarm monitoring, badge issuing and system configuration, Access Control can be applied to doors, turnstiles, and car park barriers. Various ways of unlocking doors can be used, from badges with encoded information in the form of magnetic strips or barcodes, to proximity cards, and push-buttons which are operated from the inside. For added security, barcode and proximity cards may be used in conjunction with fingerprint solutions.

Access Control also helps organizations comply with Health and Safety regulations, by allowing supervisors to view real-time reports showing who is on site at any time.

Access Control can be especially useful for companies where staff may operate in a hazardous environment, for example those in the petrochemical or pharmaceutical sectors, where it is of paramount importance to know the whereabouts of all personnel and visitors. Correctly designed, installed and operated, a good access control system should provide a balance between security needs and freedom of movement for authorized personnel, enhancing rather than hindering the organization employing it.