Insufficient Practices for Visitor Management Systems:
Depending on the industry, many companies tend to treat visitor management systems as an after-thought. If you’re an IT leader working in healthcare, or a government sector, you’ve likely begun phasing out manual check-in processes for digital visitor management. However, the system is only as strong as the strategies behind it.
Below we’ve outlined the common five worst practices our industry has encountered when interacting with various facilities. In conjunction, learn how to better protect your organization by implementing backed, visitor management solutions.
Not Adhering to One Main Visitor Entrance
Typically, businesses will have main entrances and exits, as well as a few (or several) emergency exits, depending on the size/capacity of your building. In our 20 years of security industry experience, we’ve found that businesses that have multiple entrances put themselves at a higher risk than businesses that utilize one main entrance to funnel visitors to a front desk or lobby.
Has your department been tasked with making sure every entranceway to your building is secured? Or are you looking to mitigate the risk to your main entrance? Implementing a digital visitor management solution, such as HID® EasyLobby®, can automate sign-in processes that are administered in one entrance/location and can help keep your staff and company data safe from unauthorized intruders. Additionally, securing a separate entrance for employees can help streamline visitors’ ability to check in, while making it convenient for staff to gain building access. Can’t avoid having multiple entrances for visitors? You may need to consider an enterprise-level visitor management solution with multiple network stations. ADVANTIDGE can help determine the best fit solution for your unique facility needs.
Failing to Document Visitor Data
Oftentimes if organizations are still relying on manual processes to document and check in visitors, data can become cumbersome to log or get logged incorrectly. One-time guests may pose less of a threat than contractors who have to access certain areas of your building. Failing to document who people are, why they are there, and where they are going on-site, can leave organizations vulnerable without that data.
Utilizing visitor tracking software, such as WorkforceID Visitor Management, or SAFE Visitor Management, can allow your employees to access real-time data and verified the identities of each guest that steps foot in your building. This can help keep your team safe, and provide you with actionable information in case of an emergency.
Granting Unexpected Visitors Access to Your Building
Does your organization have a walk-in policy? How do you handle unexpected visitors? Many companies do not have a proper system in place to account for unannounced visitors which can greatly inconvenience your security & IT department if they aren’t equipped with ways to handle walk-ins. Many companies today, will use signage or QR codes on the door of their main entrance to prompt unexpected visitors to self-sign in from their phones before being granted access into the building.
Additionally, visitor management software, like LobbyTrack, offers online pre-registration capabilities so visitors can use a contactless system. This streamlines registration gives security teams information in advance and allows reception to plan for incoming visitors. Hosts will get notified when their visitor arrives which can reduce the time needed for manual instruction. Talk to ADVANTIDGE about automating your visitor management solution so visitors can check in off-site, and your employees can be prepared for unexpected visits.
Failure to Integrate With Your Physical Access Security Tools
Many businesses require certain areas of their campus or facility to be managed with a physical access control system. If your organization lacks a system that controls visitors’ physical access to sensitive areas, there’s a lot at risk. If you’re in charge of monitoring the security and privacy of certain areas at your facility, then a visitor management system that issues secure access badges for intended guests will help you collect and process data on them, at any given moment. This way, you can track whether or not your visitor made it to their designated location, or if they have taken a suspicious detour. Talk to ADVANTIDGE about custom visitor credential issuance that can integrate with your physical access security plan.
Failure to Issue Custom Visitor Badges
As previously mentioned, many organizations require some type of access control for accounting, HR, and IT departments at their facility. However, when administering badges to visitors, some companies don’t realize they issue all-access passes, versus specified access, which leaves these rooms accessible and vulnerable. Custom visitor badging can allow companies to give visitors access to areas they are meant to go to and restrict them from areas they are not allowed to go. Additionally, if you’re concerned your existing visitor badges don’t provide status updates on where a visitor is while they’re on-premises, ADVANTIDGE can help. We offer visitor management solutions that can provide you with custom access badges, live reporting on visitors, and status updates on their location to ensure facility safety and security.
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