Safeguarding Your Office Building

As we continue to navigate the new world of work, office buildings have to accommodate the need for a safe and secure environment.  They must be adaptable to the new fluidity of the blended workplace and understand how teams operate in a hybrid lifestyle.

This makes seemingly simple questions such as ‘How many people are in the building today,’ more complex to answer.

Technical security solutions for people counting like accurate touchless entrance control systems can help.  These advanced systems provide real-time data on the number of people in a building, enabling organisations to adhere to occupancy limits, and fire safety compliance, monitor employee and visitor office usage, and ensure safety protocols are followed.

Entryway Security Solutions for Office Buildings

The key to success is creating a robust security plan that can adapt, be built upon and evolve as sites grow and change. Here, we highlight five essential entrance control solutions that can offer the necessary office building protection for the benefit of teams and visitors.

Access Control Systems

Access control systems are the foundation of modern entrance security. They can grant or deny access based on authorised credentials, such as key cards, biometrics, or smartphone apps. They offer a higher level of control over who enters your building, and they provide an audit trail for tracking access.

Benefits:

• Enhanced Security: Unauthorised individuals are prevented from entering restricted areas.
• Convenience: Authorised personnel can move freely while keeping others out.
• Auditability: Monitor access and generate reports to track movements and maintain a record of entries.

Security Turnstiles

Security turnstiles provide a physical barrier to entry, effectively managing foot traffic into an office building. Turnstiles can be integrated with access control systems to ensure only authorised personnel can enter. They are available in various types, including full-height and waist-high options depending on the security performance requirements of the building.

Benefits:

• Deterrence: Turnstiles act as a visual deterrent to unauthorised individuals.
• Efficiency: A controlled entry point reduces the risk of tailgating.
• Customisation: Turnstiles can be tailored to fit the aesthetic of your office space.

Speed Gate

A speed gate is an advanced and efficient access control system designed to regulate the flow of individuals entering or exiting secured areas. Speed gates are characterised by their sleek and modern design, arranged in lines to provide stylish security and to seamlessly blend with their environment.

Benefits:

• Deterrence: Their design prevents tailgating or piggybacking, as only one person is allowed through the gate per valid authentication
• Security: Integrated with biometric capability or facial recognition to further reduce the risk of unauthorised entry
• Compact footprint: Taking up less room than traditional turnstiles, allowing for more efficient space utilisation in reception areas and entryways.

Security Revolving Door

A security revolving door is a sophisticated and highly secure entrance control solution designed to provide controlled access to buildings and facilities. It consists of a motorised rotating door system that only allows authorised individuals to pass while providing an added layer of security.

Benefits:

• High-performance security: Only one person can pass through at any time, preventing tailgating and unauthorised access.
• Space utilisation and traffic flow: Security revolving doors make efficient use of available space, both in terms of their compact footprint and their ability to manage pedestrian traffic smoothly.
• Architectural versatility: Security revolving doors can be customized to blend seamlessly with the overall design and aesthetics of a building’s entrance. This allows architects and designers to incorporate security features without compromising the visual appeal of the entrance.

Security Booth

A security booth is a physical structure or enclosure designed to enhance security at access points to buildings or facilities. Operating as an airlock, these booths feature an interlocking system composed of two doors, electronically connected.  This means one cannot open until the other has closed.  Using authorised identification, an individual must close the first door before the second door opens, allowing them to pass through.

Benefits:

• Enhanced surveillance and deterrence: Security booths serve as visible and elevated posts for security personnel, which can deter potential threats and intruders.
• Controlled access points: Security booths are strategically positioned at entry and exit points, which allows security personnel to control, restrict or deny access and monitor individuals entering or exiting a facility.
• Mobile: Security booths are mobile and can be relocated as required, enabling flexibility in deployment to areas with changing security priorities.

Securing any office building for the modern workplace requires a multi-faceted approach, and choosing the right entrance control solution is a crucial component of this strategy.

Serving as the first point of contact between a building’s occupants and the outside world, the first impression of the visitor and the critical need for security against unauthorised access.

Investment in technologies, biometrics and smart access control that maintain employee safety and reassure teams are essential. Teams should be confident about staying safe and well in the workplace, to enable a free-flowing, social and productive environment.

In an era where smart entrance systems and touchless access control are proving crucial for the office environment, Gunnebo presents this insightful guide to security. Download your copy below.