The world is currently in the grips of a crisis, the likes of which has not been experienced in our lifetime. And like many businesses, not only in Australia but around the globe, it’s likely that your business is experiencing some huge changes to it’s operations. Key office staff may now be working remotely, visitors and guests may be discouraged from visiting your premises, you may have moved to a change in shift patterns, or your operations might be working overtime to manage an increase in a demand for your services.

Access Control
An access control system, simply put, allows you to control who goes where and when. And a smart access control system allows you to do that remotely from anywhere using a PC, tablet or smartphone device.

Many businesses are seeing a dramatic reduction in their office staff, yet operations may still be in full swing, and in some cases struggling to keep up with demand. With minimal office staff onsite how do you monitor who gains access into offices or restricted areas? How do you provide quick access to a sometimes transient workforce with new temporary workers, or existing workers that have changed their shift patterns?

An electronic access control allows you to restrict access into and throughout your site to authorised personnel only. Access can have time-based or role-based restrictions, or a mixture of both. And this can all be managed remotely. Simply issue a proximity card, key fob or PIN code (in the industry we refer to these as credentials) to staff and then choose what permissions they have – where can they go and when. Need to quickly grant a staff member access to a part of the building they don’t normally require access to? Easily done with a click of a button on your smartphone.

Importantly, an access control system also provides a historical log of staff movement. Monitor arrival and departure times and see who went where and when at anytime. A staff member tried to access an area they shouldn’t, or maybe a door has been left unsecure – an access control system can flag these events and allow you to provide a quick response. Maintaining security to your premises at all times, yet still conveniently providing your staff with the access they need to get on with the job.

CCTV
Video surveillance has become an invaluable tool in the fight against crime. Providing a deterrent to would be intruders, and capturing vital evidence in the event that a crime is committed. And chances are you may already have CCTV in operation at your site. But its uses are not just limited to preventing crime.

With key office staff no longer onsite, CCTV provides that missing link to help management monitor operations remotely from a smartphone or tablet. Allowing an overview of operations, monitoring production, checking when deliveries arrive, and even ensuring that staff, without the normal level of supervision, are still completing tasks on-time, and most importantly completing them safely.

Camera technology has made huge increases in recent years. It’s not just video on a screen anymore. CCTV systems with smart analytics can trigger alerts for certain events that are automatically detected. A staff member enters an area of production that they shouldn’t and an alert can automatically be triggered, notifying management to a potential breach of security or safety protocols. CCTV systems can be used to automatically grant access to vehicles with deliveries through entrance gates – simply register the delivery drivers registration plate in the system and when they arrive, hey-presto the gates will automatically open for them – like magic!

Thermal cameras which have typically been used to detect changes in temperatures for the purposing of monitoring potential fire hazards or detecting the thermal footprint of intruders from long distances, are now finding a whole new purpose in screening body temperatures of visitors and staff members arriving at sites. A smart thermal camera can quickly raise an alert if someone is detected with an elevated temperature – a powerful tool during a global pandemic and a great way for businesses to reduce the spread of disease or illness amongst staff and visitors.

What about high risk activities performed on-site such as cash in transit or delivery of high value goods? How do you monitor these events when the same level of staff may no longer be present or are working remotely? With access to video surveillance, dedicated monitoring stations can provide on demand virtual escort for staff – providing a safe overview of these activities with the ability to provide a swift and appropriate response should an incident arise. Even having the control room safely supervise a lone worker arriving or leaving site can be a great comfort to staff and managers alike.

At Red Flag Systems we specialise in the supply and installation of commercial electronic security systems. Utilising the latest in security system technologies we’ve been helping our customers throughout Melbourne and Victoria ensure that staff can still work safely, and operations can still be carried out securely. If you’d like to find out more about how we can help you, just give us a call on 1300 685 504.