Today’s businesses face a growing range of security threats. For many, cybersecurity is a top concern. After all, hackers are constantly finding new ways to overcome all the security measures that are meant to deter them. They’re clever, and their persistence makes them even more of a nuisance. They also have plenty of technology at their disposal to use against their targets and all the cybersecurity developers working to thwart their efforts.
With so much focus being placed on cyber threats, many modern businesses lose sight of the importance of physical security to an extent. That’s an oversight many come to regret due to the rising volume of break-ins, vandalism and other onsite threats they’re up against. At the same time, internal security breaches are a growing concern for companies, and physical security measures can help to keep those at bay just as they do outside forces.
Exploring the Benefits of Cloud-Based Access Control for Businesses
Numerous security solutions are available to help mitigate the ever-growing threats facing companies these days. Those include video monitoring, alarms, biometrics, smart locks, and an array of other options. Businesses can also use cloud based access control measures to add another layer of protection and reinforce the solutions they already have in place. Cloud-based access control offers a range of benefits. Consider some of the ways adding them to your repertoire can help bolster your company’s security.
Reduced Hardware
One of the advantages of cloud-based access control solutions is reducing the amount of hardware needed to keep a business safe. There’s no need for dedicated onsite servers for these security measures; everything is stored and controlled virtually. Though it’s still necessary to have certain types of hardware involved, such as biometric scanners, locks, and other features, far less actual hardware is required when you transition to a cloud-based access control system.
That decreases the amount of time you’ll spend installing new equipment and maintaining it. It also reduces the risks of hardware malfunctions. It leaves your business less vulnerable to security breaches along the way.
Speed and Simplicity
Another benefit of cloud-based access control is faster installation. Since there’s no physical hardware to install, it’s easier and less time consuming to set up and start taking advantage of. That keeps downtime and potential security lapses at a minimum. It also greatly reduces the risk of human error during installation and setup, which can save you even more time and hassle. You won’t have to spend excessive time programming the system and inputting employee credentials, access control parameters, and other information, either. It’s a faster, simpler solution to your security needs that doesn’t force you to sacrifice effectiveness and reliability.
Remote Monitoring and Management
Cloud-based access control solutions can also be monitored and managed remotely. You don’t have to be onsite to keep watch over the business and take action when necessary. You can link to the business’s security cameras for real-time monitoring of the premises. Access permissions can be granted, revoked, and modified as needed from anywhere. That applies to the company’s network and databases as well as its doors and equipment. Whether you need to allow an employee to enter a restricted area after hours or keep a recently terminated staff member from logging into the company’s financial records, you can do so from a laptop, tablet, or phone no matter where you are.
Remote monitoring can reduce response times to security threats as well. Cloud-based solutions can be linked to other security measures and systems a business is using. From there, they can send out alerts about unauthorized access attempts, suspicious activity, and additional issues. That, in turn, allows you to take the necessary actions to prevent breaches, such as quickly denying access, contacting law enforcement, or locking down the business or a specific portion of it. The faster you take action, the fewer repercussions the business will experience at the hands of intruders.
Automatic Backups and Updates
Furthermore, cloud-based systems are automatically backed up and updated. Security measures and features are constantly growing and changing, and keeping up with those new developments could be a full-time job. Taking time to install the latest features manually as they emerge would be all but impossible. With standard security measures, though, not installing the most recent updates would leave your business vulnerable to the security risks they’re designed to prevent. You don’t have to worry about that with cloud-based access control solutions. It’s all handled for you, and that further prevents gaps in security, unnecessary downtime, and many other issues.
Automatic backups give you plenty of advantages as well. They can protect businesses against a variety of problems. Those include power outages, hardware failures, natural disasters, and cyber attacks. They’ll help to prevent security breaches and reduce the toll of unexpected issues. They’ll reduce recovery times as well.
Scalability and Customization
The scalability and customization of cloud-based access control are certainly worth mentioning as well. These solutions can be designed to meet your business’s unique security needs and integrated with other systems and measures you’re currently using. When you incorporate them into your company, you won’t have to invest in hardware and software that work with them; they’ll work with what you already have in place.
As your company grows and branches out, cloud-based security measures evolve along with it. There’s really no limit to the features you can add, the number of locations you can cover, or the amount of data you can store. You can add or remove access control measures and users as needed and change access credentials as you see fit. When you install new security hardware, your cloud-based access control can be modified accordingly.
Ramping Up Security With Cloud-Based Access Control
Security threats are on the rise, and they’re only going to grow more common and complex in the years to come. That’s the case with cyber attacks as well as physical ones. As such, today’s businesses need to keep their guards up. Several security solutions are available at this point, but not all of them are right for all companies. That being said, cloud-based access control can be tailored to meet the needs of any business and integrated with other measures they already have in place. These solutions offer a long list of benefits for businesses and can help them protect themselves both now and in the future.
