Making the Right Choice

With the escalating need for higher levels of security, many organizations look to access control to help meet the demand. What role should access control play in cooperation with other systems and tools?

Some organizations use access control everywhere for everything, which brings up the question: When is it overkill?

Here is a simple checklist to provide a starting point in determining where access control is needed:

• Is the entry/exit door an authorized ingress point to the facility?

• Is there a need for an audit trail of those entering the facility or area?

• Is there a need for after-hour access?

• Does the department contain mission-critical data or equipment?

• Does the area contain hazards or dangerous material or equipment?

• Does the area require higher levels of privacy protection?

Determining where and at what level access control should be implemented should be the goal when evaluating access control needs — not simply throwing some technology at a perceived security problem. Achieving comprehensively controlled security while maintaining an open working environment is a delicate balancing act.

Once the need for access control has been established, the next step is to select the level of security needed for each area within a facility. To provide an overview of the different choices for access control devices, refer to the following survey, which goes from most basic and widespread to more sophisticated — and more costly — options:

• Keypads can be used alone or in conjunction with other access devices for more secured applications. Inexpensive and effective, some keypads also incorporate the scrambling of digits to keep watchers from learning code patterns.

• Barcodes are an inexpensive option; however, duplication is possible and the access card can store relatively little information.

• Magnetic stripe technology is cheap to produce and widely used, but cards can be duplicated and they deteriorate with wear. These cards also have a fairly limited data storage capability.

• Wiegand cards contain specially constructed wires embedded in a card to induce a current in the coils of the reader. The cards are almost impossible to duplicate, are not affected by external magnetic fields and are durable.

• Proximity systems incorporate the use of a card or token that is presented on or near a reader. Proximity technology allows for higher throughput of personnel at a given access point, and the cards are durable and user-friendly.

• Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is essentially an electronic barcode that has traditionally been used to track and manage inventory but has recently been adapted for access control. An RFID system transmits a stored code from a chip to a reader without direct contact or line-of-sight scanning. This solution is flexible and has good integration potential.

• Smart cards are among the newest and most exciting phenomena in IT. Roughly the size and shape of a credit card, smart cards contain a microprocessor that stores and transmits electronic data. Smart cards restrict access to all but the authorized user(s), so they are effective in physically securing property and personnel at the same time. Data encryption provides an additional layer of security.

• Biometric technology is gaining widespread adoption in airports and other high-security locations, and it’s evident that this technology — based on unique physical identification — is far more advanced than traditional forms of security. Two promising biometric techniques are fingerprint identification and iris recognition. Fingerprint-based identification is one of the most effective ways to determine a person’s identity and is also relatively inexpensive. Accuracy is the main attribute of iris recognition.

In addition to technology choices, access control options include single-door or multiple-door systems and multiple-site configurations. Breaking the process down to simple standards of operation will assist in choosing a system:

• To achieve electronic key applications for accountability and to simply control perimeter access, look to keypads or card readers.

• For data centers, secured storage areas, or areas with mission-critical systems, a combination of card reader and keypad will eliminate the use of borrowed or stolen cards and is a cost-effective solution.

• For high security or high hazard areas such as labs, containment areas or top-secret areas, more costly biometric technology is recommended and warranted.

When making access control choices, take the time to analyze needs thoroughly to decide what areas to protect and to what degree. The ability to identify needs and then the appropriate application will yield a sound access control program. Also, the ability to integrate and use different technologies simultaneously can be a key advantage in more effectively securing a facility.

JAMES GOMPERS is founder of Gompers Technologies Design Group Inc. and Gompers Technologies Testing and Research Group Inc. He has more than 20 years of expertise in the security industry as a consultant from the end-user perspective. This is another in a series of articles he is writing for Government Security. E-mail him at jim@gompers.com