/ By admin / access control • access control equipment • access control systems • unauthorised parking/ 0 Comments

Is Your Business At Risk For Unauthorised Access?

unauthorised access

No matter the size or stature of your business, preventing unauthorised access and entry to your site is likely one of your key objectives when it comes to security planning.

While no two businesses are ever the same, almost all will hold assets, data, money, or staff members that need to be protected from criminal activity. Failing to do so can result in serious financial damage, reputational impact, poor staff morale, and even litigation.

Let’s take a look at some of the risk factors, and how you can protect yourself, starting today.

What is Unauthorised Access?

Unauthorised access is the action of gaining entry to premises without the proper credentials or approval from those in charge of a building or site. Trespassers may include criminals looking to exploit a business, employees gaining access to areas they are not allowed, or simply members of the public who should be restricted from hazardous areas for their safety.

Dealing with Threats

Now that we understand what unauthorised access is. Let’s take a look at some of the ways that entry is commonly gained and in turn, how it can be prevented.

Tailgating

One of the most common ways that criminals gain access to properties is through tailgating. This is when an unauthorised person follows behind someone else who has gained access in a lawful manner – such as an employee or approved visitor. Tailgating can be prevented through the use of turnstiles, bollards, barriers, and gates.

Forced Entry

Another way that criminals gain entry is through brute force or opportunism. For example, a weak security door, an old and poorly maintained gate, or a window that has been left open. Here, it is important to not only have a robust security plan in place that employees know to follow (i.e. shutting windows and locking doors) but also that the integrity of your security equipment is high. Choosing high-quality, robust equipment, and ensuring that it is properly looked after is key.

Key Cloning

Keys can prove a headache for many businesses. Physical keys can be easily lost or even cloned to provide easy access to criminal gangs. To guard against this – you can take advantage of high-tech equipment such as biometric fingerprint readers, and automatic number plate recognition systems to accompany gates or barriers.

Insider Access

Unfortunately, a sad reality is that occasionally access is given to criminals by existing employees. They may be looking for a quick and easy financial payoff, or even be forced against their will to co-operate with criminal gangs. No one knows your operations better than your employees and so their knowledge can lead to a smooth experience for thieves and burglars. To prevent this, you should install interior access controls so that staff are afforded entry rights according to the needs of their role, and seniority.

If reading these scenarios, you feel that your business could be vulnerable, then you should waste no time in reaching out for support and advice. Here at Gateway Automation we regularly assess properties for risk making sure that they are adequately secured and recommending any ways that we think security could be improved. Call us today on 01522 682 255 to discuss how we can help to keep you safe.

/ By Gateway Team / automatic barriers • barriers • bi-folding gates • bollards • car park security • gates • height restrictor barriers • manual barriers • perimeter security • sliding gates • swing gates • unauthorised parking/ 0 Comments

How to tackle the problem of unauthorised parking

clip_image002With an ever increasing number of vehicles on the road, the problem of parking, particularly in inner city areas, has begun to reach boiling point with thousands of land owners becoming increasingly frustrated by vehicles illegally parking on their land, obstructing their day to day activities.

However, this issue which is affecting businesses and landowners nationwide is not something that can be handled by the police, as it is a civil matter rather than a legal one. While in the past land owners were able to use clamping as a deterrent, this is no longer allowed, with The Protection Of Freedoms Act (2012) making it an offence to clamp a vehicle in England or Wales. So with this in mind, what alternatives are still available to businesses to tackle the issue of unauthorised parking on their property?

Barriers
One way to limit access to your site is to use barriers. Automatic barriers, height restrictor barriers and manual barriers all act as effective solutions for limiting access to vehicles or particular types of vehicles. They can be operated either manually – remaining up in business hours and locked down in the evening, or automatically – with access granted via CCTV, proximity cards, a key pad or tokens.

Gates
One of the most effective ways to limit access to a site is to install gates, a particularly effective choice if you are aiming to lock down a specific area such as a staff car park. Having unauthorised cars using up your employees’ parking spaces, or spaces reserved for clients and guests can be infuriating and cause real problems for your business, so gates, bollards and barriers are all good options. Read more about our swing gates, sliding gates and bi-folding gates.

Bollards
If you require a simple but effective solution for dealing with unauthorised access then bollards are a good option. Bollards are particularly effective if you are looking to prevent unwanted parking but also preserve the view of your business site. For example a car showroom might want to retain the views of their property for passing traffic so may opt for a bollard system rather than high fences which obstruct the view of the cars on their lot. Our GA7276H automatic bollards have been built for optimum performance and intensively tested to ensure reliability for over 3000 movements per day. In the event of an emergency or power failure they can be lowered manually and can also be operated simultaneously. Click here to read more about our GA7276H Automatic Bollards.

Gateway Automation provide a range products to help businesses and individuals to secure their sites and also provide nationwide servicing and repairs to gates, barriers and other perimeter security equipment. To find out more, please call us on 01522 682255.