When managing an office, one of the most critical things you will need to address is how you approach security in the facility. Quite a number of firms out there don’t take this very seriously, and this in turn means that they end up having offices that are easy to compromise. When you run a high value office, this is an issue that you should aim to avoid as much as possible. To make this happen, it’s important to think of how to get the locks in a systematic manner.
The big picture
The first thing you need to sort out is what you aim to achieve by getting the access control systems. For instance, do you want to make it easy for people to come in and out of the office, or do you want to restrict it completely? Are you interested in making some parts of the office more secure than others? Keeping all these things in mind is important, since it then helps you figure out what types of solutions to get. In most cases, working with a locksmith from the word go is the best way for you to figure this out. They will ask all the important questions that will help you get the best solutions at the most reasonable price.
Keep in mind the special areas
When making decisions on how to improve or establish security in the office, you also need to keep in mind that there are some special areas that will need more attention than the rest. This means that the locks you choose for them need to be especially suited to their role. Some of these include:
• Fire exits: It’s important that fire exits be available to anyone who needs them during a fire. However, you also need to reduce the abuse of such areas. To do this, you will need to get locks that will help you achieve both.
• Areas that contain high value assets: If there is a part of the office that contains high value items such as money or expensive electronics, you would definitely need better locks for them. In some cases, you can even consider getting ones that are much safer than the ones that are used in other areas of the office.
Your chosen lock systems should be easy to monitor
In many office settings, it would be important for you to keep an eye on the accessibility of the office. For instance, if one of the passes is stolen, it should be fairly easy for you to get notified that it has been used in the office once it has been reported as stolen. In addition to that, you may also need to assess the patterns of access that different staff members have in order for you to optimize the security of the facility. To facilitate all these, it would be vital for you to invest in a lock system that is automated and which keeps a database of the use of the various passes and locks.
Ease of maintenance and repair
Having a lock system that fails in an office can be very catastrophic. If it’s automated, for instance, it means that all the employees in the office might find it difficult to access it, and this will definitely be a major problem. This becomes even worse if it’s apparent that it will take a lot of time for you to get the problem solved.
To avoid this, it’s always a good idea to pick a lock system that is designed in such a manner that it will be easy for you to get repairs and maintenance done. In addition to that, you may also need to identify locksmiths you can trust to quickly come over and solve the problem no matter what time of day it is.
Reliability
If you are in charge of security in such an office, reliability of the lock system is something that you should always insist on. Doing so will definitely make it easier for you to do your job. This is especially so when it comes to automated locks, such as the biometric ones. In such cases, failure often leads to a lot of problems, since you may end up wasting a lot of time trying to fix the problem.
The two simple rules you should follow in order to make this happen include buying locks that are made by high quality firms, as well as ensuring that they are installed and maintained in the right manner.
In summary, picking the lock system to be used in a corporate setting should not be one in an arbitrary manner. By following the above, you will end up gaining the most out of the systems, and will end up having very few problems with the choices you make.