Access control

Physical access control manages who may enter a door, zone or site and under which conditions. A solution can combine credentials, readers, controllers, locks, sensors, software and procedures, with each component affecting the result. A valid credential does not prove the person’s identity unless the process provides additional verification, and an event log does not guarantee that a door closed correctly. Design should define zones, schedules, visitors, emergency egress, lost credentials, offline behaviour, retention and ownership of approvals. Biometrics or mobile credentials introduce different privacy and availability considerations. Testing should follow authorised and denied journeys, power and network loss, alarms and removal of access. Security also depends on physical installation and administration; adding a reader to an unsuitable door can create safety or bypass problems.