Top 4 Preventative Maintenance Tasks for Access Control Systems

You’ve got a great new access control system. But one day you walk in and it isn’t working anymore. Try as you might, your fingerprint won’t scan — or your card isn’t identified. What’s wrong?

Access control systems are a great way to restrict employees to the areas they need access to. Even better, access control systems can log which employees go in and when.

But that doesn’t mean the system works without any help. If you want your access control system to continue working, you need to maintain it.

When well maintained, your system will protect your company’s most important assets. It will separate customers and vendors from high value areas. It will direct employees to where they need to be.

When not well maintained, your system could take on a life of its own. It may not allow employees into their work stations. It may even open up areas that it shouldn’t.

As systems become smarter, they become vulnerable to problems such as cyber attack. Proper preventative maintenance can reduce these risks.

Here are the top four preventative maintenance tasks for your system.

1. Update and Back-Up Your Systems

Your system seems erratic. Sometime it’ll open, sometimes it won’t. Sometimes it will shut down. What’s going on? Well, if your system is in any way connected to your network, it could be malware.

Criminals are developing new exploits to try to attack security systems every day. As security companies discover these issues, they patch them. But you need to download those patches and apply them.

If your system isn’t up to date, it could be vulnerable. A cyber criminal will see that your system has fallen behind, and will strike. Cyber criminals generally go after the weakest targets. Not only do you need to protect your system by updating it, but you also need to keep it backed up. If someone attacks you system, you can re-deploy your backups and keep your data.

Many modern systems can upload encrypted backups to the cloud. Encryption secures your data even if criminals compromise it.

Centralized access control systems usually connect to a single database. The database includes user information and logging. Failure to maintain the database could lead to security issues. Database maintenance includes things like removing old users.

2. Check the Exterior Components

What if your problem is far less digital and more physical? You may go into work and find the access control won’t even turn on. There doesn’t seem to be any power… and the door won’t open. Now you might have a problem with exterior components.

Most access control systems have exterior components. These are sometimes known as the access control stem. This includes everything from batteries to power supplies and fuses.

Exterior components may be subject to damaging weather. They could also get damaged by wear-and-tear. You may need to replace some components at intervals. Your manufacturer will have information on how long they expect parts to last.

If an access control system does fail, it will often err on the side of securing the property. That can be detrimental. Employees won’t be able to access the things that they need to complete their work until it’s fixed. It’s better to get everything cleaned and replaced on a schedule.

3. Adjust and Clean Electric Locks

Everyone’s experienced this: you scan and you scan but you can’t get through. “Card read error.” “Cannot identify user.”

Electric locks may fail if they aren’t adjusted and cleaned. Many electric locks use touch screens or even biometric scanners. Without cleaning, these systems may not be able to read the information that they need to to let people in.

At the same time, clean any other exterior systems, such as video surveillance cameras. If videos and sensors aren’t cleaned, surveillance systems may not be able to react to threats. Even if they can react, you might not have a clean, clear video!

4. Seal and Weather-Proof Outside Components

Alright: the system isn’t working but you’ve already replaced the batteries and fuses. What else could be the problem? If it’s an external system, it could be water damage.

Even if external systems are weather-proofed, they can become damaged over time. You may need to seal them again. Water getting into the system could cause expensive damage later. This could could cause the system to malfunction.

After periods of extreme weather, such as snow, ice, or hail, you should inspect the system. Look for physical damage such as wiring problems. Fixing issues right away will reduce the chances that the system will malfunction.

By maintaining your access control system, you can improve security in your office. You can also reduce the chances that your system will need expensive repairs.

Want to find out more information about controlled access solutions? Contact the experts in Memphis, TN.