What is access control?
Access control is essential for securing your business by limiting physical access to certain areas of the building, protecting sensitive data. Whether users are identified through usernames and passwords, biometric scans, key cards or otherwise, the installation of various access control systems will ensure that your business is constantly protected.
Depending on your industry or the size of your organisation, the access control systems that are the most applicable to you may vary, with each offering a different set of features. That’s why we’re here to share four different types of access control, to help make your decision a bit easier.
What are the different types of access control?
1) Discretionary access control
This type of access control system will allow the business owner to determine how many employees will be permitted access to any particular location. Using either key cards, a PIN or fingerprint scanner, users will be allowed to enter if the credential is on the system.
Although this method comes with heightened flexibility, it’s deemed not be as secure as other access control systems. For organisations that don’t require the highest level of security and instead value ease of use, this type of system may be more beneficial.
2) Mandatory access control
Being one of the strictest types of access control system, MAC is the preferred choice for businesses who require a heightened emphasis on security to protect their data, such as the government. Access will be permitted only by system administrators, based on a hierarchical approach, and any settings that have been put in place can’t be changed or removed without their permission. All users will be classified on the system – for example, if there were 200 employees, all 200 of them would need separate user permissions – and each person will be granted access to certain areas according to the programming.
Although mandatory access control systems offer an advanced level of security, the settings aren’t easily changed. If you did need to adjust something, you would need the administrator to reprogram the system.
3) Role-based access control
Onto one of the most common types of access control system, role-based access control assigns permissions to employees based on their role within the business (hence the name). This method makes the task of changing access much quicker, as opposed to MAC, and rather than every single person being added to the system, permissions are instead grouped by job titles. For example, if your business was made up of product managers, project managers and a sales team, you would only require three different security profiles. In doing this, it ensures that lower-level employees aren’t gaining access to highly sensitive information.
4) Rule-based access control
Although it sounds similar to role-based access control, these two systems aren’t to be confused. Most commonly used as a security extra, rather than acting as a stand-alone system, set permissions can be changed based on certain rules inputted into the system by the administrator. As an example, the start and end time of a working day can be established, due to the fact that no one should be accessing the building between these times, regardless of their title.
There are various steps you can take to secure your business. Access control should always be paired with a secure entrance solution, and that’s what we specialise in. From automatic doors to gates and barriers, we can provide you with everything you need to protect your premises, regardless of the sector you’re in. Get in touch with us today to discover the best option for you.