Access Control systems allow registered people to enter a specific door at a pre-determined schedule.
Visitor management systems control people who are not registered. Together they provide increased safety and security.
The combination of access control, temperature scanning, contact tracing, and access to control databases has increased security and health. This article reviews the new technology advances in visitor management and the integration of door access control and other technologies.
Why Use Automated Visitor Management Software
Visitor Management Systems gather information, so there is a record of who entered and provide documentation of where the visitor went in the organization. They also provide some safeguards such as criminal databases and do-not-admit blacklists.
Corporations use visitor management to control unwanted visits from the competition, and hospitals use visitor management to control access for health and security reasons.
School systems use visitor management systems to monitor people who would like to enter the school building. Parents would like the schools to be proactive in protecting their children from sexual predators or even parental controlled visitation and contact. The visitor management systems are used in school districts to track a visitor’s stay and check the visitor’s information against national and local criminal databases.
Visitor Management and Door Access Control Integration
The visitor management system is only one part of controlling entry. In many organizations, an employee accompanies a visitor who takes them to the person they would like to visit.
As an alternative, access control systems can be used. The visitor can be given a temporary badge that opens the inner door and allows them to enter only the internal doors that have been assigned to the visitor. The access control system controls the doors and the elevator. For example, a person who visits a hospital can be granted access to only the floor they are supposed to visit.
Visitor Management in Apartment and Multi-tenant Buildings
The apartment intercom controls visitors in an apartment building. It allows visitors to contact residents in an apartment complex. The resident receives calls on their smartphone, and they can then see and talk to the visitor in the lobby.
The latest IP apartment intercoms integrate with door access and gate controls. People who live in the building can be registered in a door access control system that is integrated with the building’s intercom system. This allows them to enter all the building doors and even open the garage or front gate using the same credentials.
Visitor Management and Temperature Monitoring
Adding temperature scanning panels protect people from health threats. Before a person is allowed entry using the visitor management system, their temperature can be scanned to protect the organization.
The biometric temperature scanning panels can be used by themselves or added to existing access control systems.
The latest face recognition panels have become very popular because they also include temperature scanning and mask detection. You can prevent a person with elevated temperature or not wearing a mask from entering your organization. This new access control technology adds the level of safety required to mitigate disease.
Visitor Management and Contact Tracing
Contact tracing is an addition to the visitor management protocol. The simplest method for contact tracing is to review the historical database, but a better way is to use automated contact tracing. Tracking tags can be issued to all guests. This provides disease mitigation if one of the guests later is identified with Covid-19.
Each person receives a tag that is used for contact tracing. A tag has a unique ID number that is assigned to the person who will be wearing the tag. The tags use Bluetooth 5 communication protocol to detect other tags near them. When tags get close together, they record the other tag’s ID number. The contact history is recorded in a cloud server.
Summary of Integrated Digital Visitor Management Systems with Access Control
The most significant change in visitor management tech is the move from traditional (but quite outdated) logbooks to automated solutions that make it easier to track visitors from the initial appointment to when they leave the facility. Here is a summary of the benefits
- Integrate Access Control with the Visitor Management System.
- Reduce the Risk of Disease Transmission
Temperature panel screening systems can be added to check visitors for elevated temperature as part of the entry procedure. The latest systems can pre-register visitors and provides touchless sign-in. - Contact Tracing Across Multiple Buildings
Organizations with multiple entry points can consolidate information on one central platform. - Historic Records
An enterprise visitor management system can access a detailed view of all recorded individuals. It captures personal details entered for each individual coming in the doors and the dates of historical visits across the organization. - Enable Visual Identification of Visitors
IP cameras provide a view of all the people who enter the organization. A visitor management system can be integrated with a door access control system and an IP Camera System. The visitor management system can take photos of your guests and provide ID cards for visual identification. The system automatically prints visitor badges at check-in to ensure visitors are identifiable while onsite.
- Screen Visitors Against Watch-lists
Differentiate between wanted and unwanted guests with background checks—screen visitors against custom internal or third-party databases to identify risk and automatically notify security personnel. - Send Instant Security Alerts
Use emergency buttons at the desk to trigger security notifications when unwanted visitors check-in or fail the health and safety pre-screening protocol. - Streamline Front-line Operations
Require visitors to follow PPE instructions and other safety procedures like signing NDAs, waivers, or other legal documents as part of the sign-in process.
If you would like help selecting the right visitor management or access control system, please contact us at 800-431-1658 in the USA, 914-944-3425, everywhere else, or use our contact form.