Compared to access control and video surveillance, Visitor Management sounds like it should be easy to deploy, but there are a few considerations before diving in with a new system:
1. Compatibility
To create a comprehensive, unified system, it’s crucial to ensure that the visitor management system is compatible with existing systems, such as access control and video surveillance. Otherwise, data can become siloed as well as difficult to access. Examples of such integrations include:
- Access control: Integrated visitor management systems provide guests with access to specific areas with temporary credentials such as visitor badges, digital passes or visitor keypad PIN codes.
- Video security: Organizations can connect their visitor sign-in and monitoring system with commercial video security cameras to capture images of visitors as they enter and exit the facility.
- Alarm systems: Visitor management can be integrated with alarm systems to trigger alarms in the event of a security breach, such as unauthorized visitors or entering a restricted area.
- Reporting systems: A reporting system can also be integrated with visitor management systems to generate detailed reports and provide insights into visitor activity or the visitor management process.
2 .Data Privacy
Personal data is often subject to strict regulations, depending on the industry and location. As a result, any visitor management should abide by these regulations and protect data privacy. Visitor data should be stored securely and only used for the intended purpose. In the event of a breach, the organization should be able to detect it quickly and take appropriate action.
3. User Adoption and Training
Users must be familiar with all features and functions for an organization to leverage a visitor management system effectively. If the user interface is not intuitive, it can be difficult to get people on board. And, of course, sufficient training and support is also essential to ensure user adoption.
4. Customization
Another challenge is ensuring that the visitor management system can be customized to fit the company’s specific needs. This includes customizing access rights, workflow processes and other features.
5. Maintenance and Updates
Regular maintenance and updates keep the system running smoothly and ensure that it is up-to-date with the latest software and technologies. Bad actors are always looking for vulnerabilities in systems, and the best visitor management security systems will include automatic software updates to ensure you’re running the most advanced version of the visitor management system available.
6. Budget
Another critical aspect is the budget when developing a visitor management system. Different options are available, ranging from open source to enterprise systems depending on the number of users and features your business requires. There are also the hardware and installation costs to consider for devices like kiosks and commercial door locks.
Beyond thinking through your purchasing criteria, it’s also important to understand that latest trends and technology in visitor management systems and software
7. Cloud-based visitor management solutions
Cloud-based solutions offer several benefits, including scalability, cost savings and improved security. Cloud-based visitor management systems allow organizations to store data in the cloud, reducing overhead costs. They also help streamline operations and reduce the administrative burden of managing visitor data. Thanks to the cloud, organizations can access visitor data anytime and anywhere. And if visitors can pre-register and check in remotely with cloud-based visitor management software and apps, it helps reduce wait times.
8. Mobile solutions
Instead of relying on paper forms and physical access control badges, visitors can leverage mobile credentials via their own mobile devices to access the facility through a touchless sign-in process. This enhances building security, while reducing costs and time spent manually managing visitors through a paper logbook and issuing ID cards or badges. Mobile solutions also allow organizations to easily communicate with visitors, if necessary.
9. Artificial intelligence (AI)
AI is increasingly used to help identify suspicious visitors and alert security personnel. For example, AI-enabled systems can be programmed to recognize behaviors or activities indicative of a security breach and check against active watch lists through facial recognition and analyzing visitor data for patterns. AI also helps automate processes like check-in and visitor check-out, and can be used to automate communication with visitors.
10. Touchless technology
The latest visitor management technology enables organizations to pre-register visitors remotely and check them in without needing physical contact. Touchless access control helps limit contact between visitors, security personnel and others in the facility without compromising on guest experience or security.
As a systems integrator, CM3 installs visitor management systems that work with access control and video surveillance systems. Please reach out for a complimentary consultation of your security system.