The role of gatekeeper to an area such as a building or office is a highly important one. You want the right people to gain access at the right time. And those who do not have the permission to access an area must be kept out effectively. Businesses are particularly at risk from unscrupulous elements here. They must manage and protect their space effectively.
Traditionally this was done by placing a security guard at a door who would let the right people in and keep the wrong ones out – kind of like the Swiss Guard in the Vatican City. This method was replaced by electronic gates and security passes. These were intended to automate the process and allow speedier, more efficient access. But these gates aren’t as effective as they were planned to be.
Technology will take up the slack and deal with the issues with the current systems. HLDS's Access Control technology is an efficient way of managing the access to a space without the issues of the current system. But, before we take a look at this AI powered gatekeeper tech solution, let’s dive a little deeper into current gatekeeping solutions.
The elements of gatekeeping
There are a series of elements that must be considered when looking at how to provide or deny access to an area. Each of these takes planning, time and expense. Let’s take a look at the elements of gatekeeping that are present in existing systems and the potential issues they cause -
Inspection personnel are constant elements of any gatekeeper system. With any current system, the need for human manual intervention is an almost constant issue. If you’ve ever worked in an office, then you’ll know the feeling of leaving the fifteenth floor to travel five minutes down to the lobby only to realise that you’ve left your pass on your desk. This is when the inspection personnel either send you back up or use a spare pass to let you through. How good would it be if this wasn’t needed? We’ll take a look in more detail at the tech that makes this happen later in this blog.
Space is needed for the gates, the systems, the office for the inspection personnel – all of these take up valuable real estate in any building that could be used to better effect. The construction of this space is also a major consideration and only adds to the cost.
Identification of people has become an issue with the pass system. People share passes, lose passes, forget passes and generally abuse the fact that a pass is a plastic card with a magnetic strip in it. Attaching ownership isn’t an accurate process, leaving a business or space vulnerable. If you find a pass in the street and have criminal intent, then it could be quite simple to gain access and carry out criminal or terrorist activities.
Access is the main point of these systems is to allow people to pass through. But, with all of the issues mentioned above, this means that accurate access isn’t always possible. People share passes, forget passes and eventually have to ask the inspection personnel to intervene.
Exclusions are another major factor here. You don’t just want your system to allow people in. You also want it to stop people getting in, whether that is time exclusions, personnel exclusions or the swift removal of someone who leaves the business and is no longer entitled to access. Tailgating has become another issue that the pass system hasn’t resolved, meaning exclusions don’t always occur.
The time required to make all of this happen is a cost to the business who operate and manage the area. One of the biggest costs to any business is staffing. We have already seen that inspection personnel are required at all times the area is in use. And this could be from early in the morning to late in the evening or indeed 24 hours a day. They say that time is money – and this is eminently true in terms of gatekeeping.
Digital identification methods
Gatekeeping doesn’t have to suffer from the issues outlined above. There are digital solutions that take away the need for ID cards and the problems that go with them. New systems using government issued ID such as a driving licence or ID card are already in play. This negates the need for personnel to be carrying extra passes, which can be lost or forgotten. But even then, ID can be lost or stolen, giving access to people who should be excluded. An AI powered gatekeeper might well be the solution.
HITACHI's Self-Sovereign Identity with PBI in major developed countries is a solution that doesn’t rely on ID cards of any form. Facial recognition, aligned with heat sensing technology will detect the identity of a person approaching the security gate access and either allow or deny entry based on a database. This AI powered gatekeeper eliminates sharing of passes, tailgating and many of the other concerns associated with the current system.
The benefits of systems such as HITACHI's Self-Sovereign Identity with PBI are twofold. Firstly, there is an increased level of security as facial recognition is the thing that triggers entry and exit. People can no longer beg, steal or borrow and ID card to gain access to areas that they have no right to enter. Secondly, the administration workload is decreased significantly. Inspection personnel don’t have to issue, re-issue and check ID cards. People will either pass through the security gates or they won’t. In fact, many of the functions of the inspection personnel can be moved to a remote location and outsourced, saving time, space and money.
If you are looking to manage your gatekeeping needs in a more efficient manner, then please get in touch. We’re here to help you with all your gatekeeping needs.
