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Our Guide to the NEW POD Turnstiles

Our Guide to the NEW POD Turnstiles

Turnstiles make up one of the most tried and trusted forms of perimeter security available on the market. Used by venues and businesses in a wide plethora of industries, turnstiles help business operators to maintain control over entry to their facilities in an efficent manner.

Where turnstiles have been adopted in sporting and music venues, data centres and government facilities they have almost always represented excellent value for money. Assisting operators to manage peak flows of traffic, they reduce the need for manned guards and reduce the liklihood of unathorised access through tailgating or piggybacking.

As technology has advanced, turnstiles have begun to become more advanced and even more effective in what they can offer to business owners. The latest being the creation of POD turnstiles.

What is a POD turnstile?

The POD turnstile is the coming together of a traditional turnstile operation with high-tech access control measures such as facial recognition and cloud based computing.

Designed to offer a secure, easy to deploy and easily moveable access control unit – it is already being rolled out in environments as diverse as the construction industry, to warehouses, airports, colleges, medial facilities and even music festivals.

How does it work?

The POD turnstile utilises facial recognition to grant access to a particular site. By using expertly developed algorithimic software, it can easily decipher the credentials of a visitor and either permit or prevent access to your property.

Using visual cues, it is able to understand ethnicity, facial changes such as beards, glasses, or signs of ageing and correctly grant access to employees, customers or general members of the public.

It can be used as a form of time stamping for providing accurate details of attendance for your payroll, log entrance of contractors, or used in more public facing environments.

Equally, POD turnstiles can be used as an internal measure to restrict access to sensitive areas of your site that are off limits to unapproved visitors or staff members.

Gateway’s POD turnstile offering

Here at Gateway, we are proud to be able to offer POD turnstiles that can be installed ready to go with a firm base and a power supply available in 24v, 110v or 240v.

Designed for heavy industrial usage, they are built to last with galvanised steel frames and powder coated cladding. Our POD turnstile is designed to be autonomous with hands free operation, but remains user friendly with passage indicator lights, a fire alarm, emergeny break glass and audible sounder.

Our POD turnstile’s can be equipped for a wide variety of uses including enforcement of legal compliance and the tracking of time and attendance of employees or contractors. Our system is customisable but comes ready to go with standard reporting sets available.

Whether your business runs from small retail premises or a large industrial site, Gateway Automation can help you to make the most of new technology such as the POD turnstile. We provide you with a free, no-obligation quotation and feasibility survey to assess your perimeter security equipment. We also offer a nationwide reactive call-out service to deal with any equipment issues and are proud to be Gate Safe accredited. Please contact us on 01522 682255 for more information.

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Why your company should consider turnstiles

turnstiles

Turnstiles – simple, effective, but often overlooked. They are a fundamental part of many successful large-scale sites such as sporting arenas, factories, and airports, but equally at home in hotels, gyms, and small business places. Let’s take a look at a few of the reasons that turnstiles never seem to go out of fashion when it comes to perimeter security measures.

1 – Security management

Turnstiles are often deployed at venues and facilities to manage access. Turnstiles can be full-height or waist height which means that they can be adapted to different circumstances – but generally, they retain the same end goal: to prevent unauthorized access and keep unwanted visitors out.

Turnstiles are tough, autonomous, and hard to breach. While full-height turnstiles offer a floor-to-ceiling system that is particularly difficult to exploit, even waist-height turnstiles attract attention of passers by or security monitoring systems should someone attempt to bypass them.

2 – Cost-effective solutions

Turnstiles can be a cost-saver for many businesses. Take a gym for example. Many gyms now offer 24-hour access to clients to meet the needs of those with unsociable work hours. By installing turnstiles that are operated through passes and fobs, they can reduce the need to employ staff on expensive nightly wages and instead rely on the physical barrier that turnstiles provide.

3 – Attendance measuring

Turnstiles are not only used to prevent admission, they can also be used to better facilitate and monitor it. By using turnstiles at sporting venues, receptions, or amusement parks – you can better monitor who and how many visitors attend your site each day and collect valuable data that can help you streamline your operations.

4 – Payment and sales

Turnstiles can be fitted with all manner of access control equipment and operated using fobs, keys, tickets and pin pads. For sites that are looking to reduce manpower costs, or those that operate outside of core hours, this can be a valuable tool for providing a seamless entry for customers.

5 – Visual deterrents

Perimeter security is as much about nuts and bolts effectiveness as psychological games. The steely imposing look of security turnstiles send a signal to criminals that entry will be difficult, and may have them asking questions about what further equipment you have in the interior of your property. Opportunistic by nature – many criminals will decide their time is better spent elsewhere.

How to choose the right turnstile for your business

If you’re interested in installing a turnstile gate at your premises then it’s important to seek professional and experienced advice.

To find out more about how physical security can benefit your business, please contact us on 01522 682255 for a free, no-obligation quotation and feasibility survey to assess your perimeter security equipment.

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What do you need to know when buying turnstiles?

turnstiles

Turnstiles are among the most popular forms of perimeter security across the UK. They provide businesses and organisations with a robust and highly secure way of managing access to a site – without the need for costly security staff. However, every business is different, and there’s no such thing as a one size fits all approach when it comes to perimeter security. Here are some points to consider before making a decision.

Location, Location, Location

The first thing you will need to discuss is the location that your turnstile will inhabit. Turnstiles are commonplace in football grounds, theme parks, sports stadiums, and military bases. However, the turnstiles used in these circumstances may be quite different to those at an apartment building, hotel, or even a train station. While for some businesses, security is paramount and aesthetics less important – for others, there is a need to balance out effectiveness with a welcoming and friendly vibe.

Fit For Purpose

What will you be using your turnstile for? There are a variety of different turnstiles available. As well as the environment of the turnstile, you need to think about other factors like traffic. For busy sites, with high numbers of footfall such as train stations – it’s important that access can be granted safely but also in a quick manner. Whereas for a warehouse holding sensitive or high-value goods, extra credential checks might be more important than flow rate.

Tailgating

Tailgating is when a person illegally gains access to a site – either by following in quickly behind an authorised visitor, or having a card passed back to them by another visitor who is in on the scam. This is a headache for many businesses, who only realise what has happened later on as they review CCTV footage. Or worse, when they have to clear up the mess left behind. You can combat tailgating with anti-passback features. They effectively prevent tailgaters ‘passing back’ security cards or fobs used for entry.

Cost

A good provider knows that businesses have to keep in line with budgets and should be able to provide you with a few different options.

Turnstiles can be integrated with a number of different access control options including proximity cards, tokens, keypad entry, and voice/video intercom control and can be customised to meet your needs. Whereas a more simple form of turnstile may cost you less.

While turnstiles can vary in cost, the important thing to keep in mind is the long-term savings they could provide. Turnstiles allow you to have better control over the entry points of your site, and provide a physical barrier that stops criminals and unwanted guests in their tracks. Not only this but turnstiles can often be controlled automatically and are an effective alternative to the hiring of in-person security guards.

Gateway Automation can help businesses and organisations to protect their assets from serious crime with minimum disruption while maintaining safe and comfortable working environments for clients. For a free no-obligation quotation and feasibility survey please contact Gateway Automation on 01522 682255. Alternatively, our brochure can be downloaded here

 

/ By Gateway Team / access control • bank security • biometric security • bollards • key pads • turnstiles/ 0 Comments

Physical Security for Banks to Consider

Banks 2While all types of business premises can benefit from a security review, some sectors particularly need to keep their finger on the pulse. One of those is banking as banks are traditionally a top target for criminals. Here we discuss the physical security for banks to consider.

The Importance of Security for Banks

While banks are typically highly secure, the potential high reward for criminals means that they remain a top target for organised gangs and individual criminals. The result of a successful crime can go on to have long-lasting implications on their business. Let’s take a look at a few of the ways that banks can benefit from bolstering their physical security tools and take advantage of emerging technologies.

Alarm Systems

From traditional intruder alarms, manned security, and CCTV, there are several security options that businesses in the financial sector can take advantage of. Having these systems installed helps provide peace of mind to employees and customers alike. They also help provide a level of control to the business.

Access Control

Access control equipment such as intercoms, keypads, cards, fobs, or even turnstiles can all improve safety levels on-site. From protecting staff, customer files to other critical assets. This is particularly useful in banks, where the safety of employees working in restricted areas needs to be secure.

Turnstiles

Banks are busy environments and they receive heavy footfall from customers, staff, contractors, and suppliers alike. With all this coming and going, systems must be in place to restrict access to specific areas to only those who need it and are authorised to be there. Access control equipment and turnstiles can effectively cordon off areas for these purposes. For instance, for cash-in-transit firms and technicians who must be able to access secure enclosures regularly throughout the week.

Biometrics

Biometrics is another exciting development that can give the financial sector the security levels that are so essential to their businesses. Biometric technology utilises forms of identification that are more difficult to crack or clone, such as fingerprints, iris scanners, and voice recognition. Rather than relying on keys, fobs, or passwords, which can be copied or shared, biometrics offer a reliable and personalised means of restricting access robustly.

Gates and Barriers

Another consideration for banks to review is perimeter security. It is vital to be able to control access to external areas that are reserved for contractors and visitors. Barriers for instance can be used to restrict vehicular access to authorised personnel. Swing gates, sliding gates, and bi-folding gates can secure your premises between visits, and bollards, or road blockers can be used to reduce the threat of ramming.

Provide a balance

With all these considerations in mind, it is important to not overlook the fact that banks are customer orientated environments. Banks need to balance ease of access to the public with a strong and robust approach to physical security. Compromise can be found with knowledge and expertise in this area. Security enhancements can be achieved in a way that is tasteful but still achieves its target of securing assets. Providing peace of mind to both customers and employees of an institution.

Gateway Automation provides a range of perimeter security systems to help businesses and individuals to secure their sites and also provides nationwide servicing and repairs to gates, barriers, and other perimeter security equipment. To find out more, please contact us on 01522 68255 or take a look at our brochure.

/ By Gateway Team / automated gates • bi-folding gates • biometric security • business security • gates • perimeter security • security • security posts • swinging gates • turnstiles/ 0 Comments

4 main methods of securing your business more effectively

When it comes to keeping your business secure, many business owners think they have it all covered. However, with crime rates on the up, there is little room for doubt these days. Here are some commonly utilised forms of perimeter security that your business should seriously consider adopting if it hasn’t already done so.

Gates
While it may sound obvious, the first place that needs to be secure is the entrance way. You would not believe how many people forget about securing this first entrance point to their premises. It is the first point of contact with anyone that visits or comes onto your site, so it needs to be majorly secure in order to prevent any unwanted access. This is where automated security gates come in perfectly, whether it be automatic swinging gates to bi-folding speed gates, they will all do the job of helping your premises become a more secure location.

Security posts
Security posts are great for any business or even retail store. They hold a simplistic design but can have such a powerful and secure impact. How you might say? Well, although they may be simple, their solid structure can stop a lot of vandalism and damage to your business. It can stop things such as ram raids and burglaries from occurring as it will prevent anyone from being able to hit your business with a heavy vehicle trying to gain access. Even with the plethora of different options available today, security posts are still one of the best methods to secure your business.

Turnstiles
When it comes to turnstiles, the first thing that usually comes to mind is football grounds and sports grounds, where you must go through them with a ticket or card in order to access the ground. Well, they are also great for businesses, mainly large businesses that have a lot of employees that come through the door each day. A turnstile helps to prevent unwanted access from anyone that is not meant to be there and only allows employees and authorised access through. This would therefore allow your business to be fully secure as you know that everyone that passes through it is meant to be there.

Biometrics
Biomet-what? Never heard of it? Well biometric security involves measuring unique characteristics of a person, such as fingerprints, voice etc. meaning it is one of the most secure methods you can get for your business. Having this within your business will allow for maximum security as it will only allow people in with those unique characteristics assigned to them. For example, people may have to sign in with their fingerprint, so you know anyone who is not meant to be there will not be able to gain access due to this high-tech security system in place.

There are many methods out there nowadays that can help keep your business secure, but the four main methods explained in this blog are the ones you want to be investing in first to ensure your business is as secure as it can be.

/ By Gateway Team / access control • gates • perimeter security • pharmaceutical • risk assessment • security • turnstiles/ 0 Comments

Perimeter security planning for the pharmaceutical industry

Two Engineers/ Scientists/ Technicians in Sterile Cleanroom Suits Use Microscopes for Component Adjustment and Research. They Work in an Electronic Components Manufacturing Factory.From corporate espionage and tampering to organised crime and terrorism – the pharmaceutical industry faces a great many threats in the modern world. In such a competitive market any disruption to your business can mean lost contracts and serious damage to your reputation. Protection against these threats must come in the form of a wholly rounded approach to security, but it begins with good perimeter security planning.

Perimeter security tips

After using a risk assessment to discover the potential threats against a company (warehouse, research facilities or HQ) and revealing blind-spots and weakness, a plan must be developed to restrict access to only approved visitors.

Each building will of course be unique and have its own set of challenges, however many of the fundamentals will remain the same. Controlling access requires an understanding of how the building operates, the threats it faces and how to overcome them. This can be developed through a thorough risk assessment and series of discussions.

Access control plays a key part in developing security for a site. Starting outside the building, heavy duty gates can be used to control or prevent pedestrian and vehicular access and send a strong visual signal to anyone seeking to infiltrate the building. Heavy duty gates act as a deterrent around the clock, but during daylight hours you can also use turnstiles to control exit and entry and monitor who is coming and going.

Vehicular access can also be slowed and restricted through the use of tools like security posts, speed ramps, flow control plates and automatic rising kerbs.

Many facilities in the pharmaceutical industry will have hundreds of visitors every day. They may equally have hundreds of employees travelling around the building. Such a high volume of people can pose security risks and it can be quite easy without the proper checks in place for them to gain access to controlled areas. You can give appropriate access through the use of biometric access control equipment like fingerprint identification, smart cards and other tools.

Get in touch

Arranging effective perimeter security is not something that you should go at alone. No matter the size or nature of your businesses, we can provide you with a free, no-obligation quotation and feasibility survey to assess the security requirements of your organisation. For more information on any of the security options above, or for further advice on how to protect your business premises from criminals, please contact us here or call us on 01522 682 255.

/ By Gateway Team / access control • gates • perimeter security • risk assessments • turnstiles/ 0 Comments

Perimeter security for beginners

Back CameraPerhaps your business has recently become a victim of physical crime, or maybe you are concerned that it may happen in the near future?

Whatever your motivation for wanting to improve security at your premises, there are lots of ways that you can do so. Here we will look at some of the most effective forms of perimeter security on the market today.

What is perimeter security?

For businesses in the UK, security should play a critical role in their activities. Whilst it’s easy to take a laid-back approach to your security protocol and think that it will never happen to you, in reality crime rates are on the rise with many businesses targeted with arson, trespass, criminal damage and burglary every year. So, it pays to be cautious.

Perimeter security is defined as a wide variety of tools, systems and approaches that come together to prevent unauthorised and unlawful access to your business premises. Let’s look at some of the most effective forms of perimeter security that we recommend here at Gateway Automation.

Risk Assessments

The number one place to start with perimeter security is to have a full risk assessment carried out. This way you can work out which parts of your site are potentially vulnerable and need to be protected and monitored. Many companies skip this part and end up wasting money on ineffective security systems.

Heavy duty gates

One common security tool that we advise businesses start with is a pair of heavy duty gates. Gates not only provide a practical tool in controlling or preventing pedestrian and vehicular access, but they also send out a strong signal to opportunistic criminals that your site is well fortified and not worth the time and effort it would take to break in and out again. We provide a wide range of Automatic, Bi-Folding, Cantilever and Manual swing gates.

Turnstile Security

Security doesn’t just mean locking the doors when you leave. A large amount of crime against businesses actually happens during daylight hours too. If you want to protect your building internally then you need to have good systems built-in to control access to purely authorised visitors only. Turnstiles provide a robust and secure method of controlling the entry and exit of employees and visitors to your site without the need for employing costly security or reception personnel.

Access Control Equipment

Another form of internal security that businesses should not overlook is that of access control equipment. Access control equipment can be added to doors with proximity devices, intercoms, keypads and even specialist fingerprint readers that limit access to whoever you decide. It can be tailored to lock down an entire site or simply specific areas that you want to keep safe.

Managing vehicular access

A key role that perimeter security plays beyond managing pedestrian traffic is that of preventing unwanted vehicles from entering your premises. Tools like security posts can be used which can be raised or lowered from the ground at specific times of the day, speed ramps can be used to reduce the speed of vehicles, flow control plates can guide traffic in specific directions and automatic rising kerbs can provide a heavy-duty ‘door stop’ to shut off access to car parks, loading bays and other restricted areas upon demand.

Barriers are also a commonly used tool to protect commercial sites and come in a range of styles from automatic barriers that can be controlled by security guards, CCTV, proximity cards, push buttons and tokens, to height restrictor barriers used to prevent large vehicles from illegally entering warehouses, garages and buildings to manual barriers which can be physically fixed in place upon demand.

Get in touch

Arranging effective perimeter security is not something that you should go at alone. No matter the size or nature of your businesses, we can provide you with a free, no-obligation quotation and feasibility survey to assess the security requirements of your organisation. For more information on any of the security options above, or for further advice on how to protect your business premises from criminals, please contact us here or call us on 01522 682 255.

/ By Gateway Team / security • tailgating • turnstiles/ 0 Comments

Turnstiles – an alternative to manned security

gateway blog 79One of the favoured options for perimeter access among UK businesses is that of turnstiles. They provide not only a robust and secure method of controlling the entry and exit of employees and visitors on to a site but also reduce the need for costly security personnel.

Where turnstiles come into their own, is their ability to prevent tailgating. While your typical door can quite easily be fitted with access control equipment like locks, keypads and other more complicated digital entry tools, they cannot control how long that door stays open and can’t stop someone from quickly entering behind someone else.

The problem of tailgating can of course be solved by employing full time manned guards and reception staff to process any visitors. However, the question often arises as to how practical this is in terms of cost to employ several guards rotating shifts to cover the hours your premises are open. Security guards are quite often the number one security related cost at commercial premises.

Instead, a better solution tends to be to install robust turnstiles with anti-pass back features that prevent tailgaters and the ‘passing back’ of any security cards or fobs used for entry. What’s more, these high-tech and robust barriers provide an effective deterrent to opportunistic criminals who might otherwise take their chances on trying to force entry.

Here at Gateway we provide a variety of turnstile solutions. Waist & half height turnstiles offer a stylish and modern looking security solution for protecting a site, allowing customers to feel safe but never intimidated by security measures.

They can be integrated with a number of different access control options including proximity cards, tokens, keypad entry and voice/video intercom control and can be customised to meet your needs.

We offer 4 different styles of waist & half height turnstiles including the TriFlo console, TriFlo Premier, TriFlo Sentry and Rotogate SI as well as the GA4000FH Full Height Turnstile.

We also provide free feasibility surveys to assess your requirements and non-obligation quotes. Click here to request a quote or download our free brochure.

/ By Gateway Team / access control equipment • biometric fingerprint readers • perimeter security • security • tailgating • turnstiles/ 0 Comments

How to prevent and reduce the damage of tailgating

Tailgating is one of the most annoying lapses in security that you can have happen and unlike many other security bloopers it is often it is the result of common courtesy rather than ineptitude or criminal intentions. Picture the scene – one of your employees swipes their security fob to gain access to the front door of your building, as the door is about to swing shut they notice someone else stood there and courteously hold the door open for them.  While your employee might not realise the gravity of the situation at the time, they could have unwittingly given a criminal access to your property that could quite easily go on to commit vandalism, theft, criminal damage or even a violent crime on your premises.

What can we do to prevent tailgating?
The first place to start when it comes to defending against tailgaters is to seek out a risk assessment. A professional company will be able to take an audit of your facility analysing the strengths and weaknesses in your operations and helping to develop a security solution that protects your assets and your employees. For example a risk assessment might result in  recommendations to install waist height or half height turnstiles or biometric fingerprint readers, both of which can be effective in preventing tailgating.

While you can put lots of measures in to place to prevent tailgating, your security is only as strong as the culture you build around it. If your employees aren’t trained in the risks of tailgating, and are not told to challenge unidentified visitors then you run the risk of your systems being ineffective.

Most businesses have some kind of important asset that they need to protect, whether that is expensive equipment, confidential information, restricted chemicals or something else. This is why it is important to not only secure your entry and exit points but also to lock down any important areas of your building with high quality access control equipment.

Whether your business runs from small retail premises or a large industrial site, we can provide you with a free, no-obligation risk assessment, feasibility survey and quotation to assess your perimeter security requirements. For more information please contact us

/ By Gateway Team / access control equipment • automatic rising kerbs • barriers • bollards • crash tested road blockers • flow control plates • gates • risk assessments • security • security posts • speed ramps • turnstiles/ 0 Comments

Why physical security is crucial in protecting your business from crime

While many businesses fall back on CCTV as a low maintenance form of security, as we explained in our recent blog it is anything but an all-in-one solution. CCTV has indeed proven to be weak in many areas and it is particularly worth remembering that a camera cannot physically prevent a crime from happening, only document it taking place. It simply records the event in the hope that police or private guards can be informed in time and a conviction can be secured later on.

Here at Gateway Automation we provide full risk assessments so that we can identify any vulnerabilities and then recommend the best tailored approach to protect your business. This often means a variety of different physical barriers designed to make your property unattractive to criminals and could include one or a combination of the following protections:

Creating a robust physical perimeter around your business site should be high on your agenda, but equally it is just as important to maintain your gates, fences and other types of security solutions, for if they are damaged over time due to intrusion attempts or even just accidentally damaged in your day to day activities then they could leave you vulnerable.

This is why we offer a nationwide reactive callout service with engineer response times of 8 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours and 7 days meaning that we can get to you quickly to repair any damage and keep your business safe and secure.

To find out more about our servicing and repairs options, please visit https://www.gatewayautomation.co.uk/servicing/ or contact us on 01522 682255 for a free, no-obligation quotation and feasibility survey to assess your perimeter security needs.