Office environments present a significant challenge when it comes to ensuring highly-secure access control. On the one hand, they are home to valuable equipment, sensitive data and confidential intellectual property or products which need to be protected. On the other hand, they are places of work, where it’s necessary to allow different groups to access the space at various times of day, without creating unnecessary inconvenience or delay.
Office managers need to strike a balance between security and convenience — and to do so, it’s not enough simply to install a state-of-the-art access control system. There’s also a human element to consider.
The Human Factor in Access Control
The effectiveness of any access control system is ultimately dependent on the behaviour of the people who use it, and understanding this behaviour is critical to designing efficient systems. If an access control system makes life too inconvenient for its users, there is a human tendency to try and work around it or circumvent it entirely.
For example, if a company implements a biometric access control system which requires everyone entering the office to provide a fingerprint scan before gaining access, then they may feel secure that they know the identity of everyone passing through that entrance. But what if helpful office workers frequently hold the door open for the person following them from the elevator, allowing them to pass through without registering their entry? To avoid these types of security gaps, it’s important that users are trained and educated to understand their role in ensuring the security of the premises.
The Role of Training and Education in Access Control
A key part of implementing a secure access control system — although one that is often overlooked — is training the users of the system to operate it correctly, and educating them on the dangers associated with improper use.
Training methods can vary. For example, face-to-face training allows for immediate feedback and can help address specific employee questions, online courses offer flexibility, allowing staff to learn at their own pace, while Interactive simulations or hands-on training provide practical experience.
Regular training significantly helps to reduce human errors — if employees are well-trained, they are less likely to make mistakes that could lead to access control breaches, such as sharing passwords or leaving systems unlocked — and keeps security concerns top of mind.
Beyond training on specific systems, it’s also important to educate employees on broader security issues. When employees understand the types of threats they may encounter, they’re better equipped to recognize and respond to them effectively. For example, if employees understand the potential dangers of key-sharing or opening doors for others, they’re more likely to stick to the approved process.
Implementing Effective Access Control Training and Education
Creating a comprehensive access control training program involves several steps. Identify the training needs of your employees, and list the skills they need in order to understand and use access control technologies effectively. Next, develop clear learning objectives that are aligned with these needs.
Then select the most appropriate training methods for your organization and employees, such as in-person workshops, online courses, or interactive simulations.
To make the training relevant and engaging, you could use real-world examples of security breaches and how they could have been prevented with proper access control. Establish a schedule that keeps security fresh in employees’ minds without overburdening them — if sessions are too frequent then participants can become complacent or disengaged.
Measuring the Effectiveness of Training and Education
Assessing the impact of training and education on access control can be done in a number of ways. Quizzes or tests can measure employees’ understanding of the material immediately after training — which gives you valuable feedback when designing future testing materials. You can also directly observe employees in their roles and conduct regular audits to assess how well they’re applying their training by getting them to walk you through a specific process.
To gauge overall effectiveness, review security incident reports to see if there’s a decrease in access control breaches following training — for example, comparing a department that has recently been trained with one yet to receive training.
Conclusion
Creating a culture of security in offices and commercial establishments is essential to protect valuable assets and ensure effective access control. LocklyPRO’s access control products — Ingress and Ingress Vision — provide high-performance solutions that seamlessly integrate into any environment, enhancing security without compromising convenience.
By empowering employees through training and education, organizations can cultivate a workforce that is motivated to actively participate in safeguarding the organization’s assets. LocklyPRO’s Ingress and Ingress Vision subtly reinforce this culture of security, providing sophisticated access control features tailored to the needs of offices and commercial establishments.
Unlock the power of LocklyPRO’s Ingress and Ingress Vision for comprehensive access control today!
