You’ve decided to invest in a quality access control system because keeping your building secure and making access for the right people simple are both a priority for you. That initial investment is important, but you can’t just “set and forget” your security. Every security system needs regular preventative maintenance to keep your property secure and to maintain the benefits of your great system. Here’s how preventative maintenance makes a difference in the security and convenience of your property.

Vulnerabilities Add Up

Security is an arms race. While security firms are always designing systems that are better equipped to repel unauthorized access, criminals are always upping their game too. The digital nature of modern access control systems means they have code to be exploited. Much like how your computer and phone software needs regular updates to stay secure, your access control system needs it too. OpenPath is always coming out with new updates that account for the latest vulnerabilities that have been discovered in the system, and keeping up with them is essential to ensure your system remains secure.

Of course, there’s more to maintaining your system than just software updates. The physical aspects of your security system, like the locking mechanisms and the wires running power to them, can also break over time. It is important to have a professional look over the physical aspects of your system and ensure that they get the maintenance they need too.

Reduce Internal Theft

Employees steal from their employers. In fact, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has found that 75% of employees admit to having stolen from their workplace at least once. While extending your access control systems to key areas, like supply rooms, server rooms, storage areas, and more helps limit employee theft, it doesn’t eliminate it. Employees learn how the systems work and often come up with complex ways to defeat them. Regular maintenance can help prevent this.

Do a sweep to look for things like doors that have been propped open, security passes that have been shared and more. As Openpath uses phone access, it is important to remind your employees or whoever uses your door that they should not allow others to borrow their phone to enter the building. When you find a particular pattern of employee theft, your commercial door professionals can help you adjust your system or create new policies to prevent it.

Monitor Access

Regular audits of your system will help ensure that you are getting a clear picture of who is accessing your system and when–which is essential to keep your system secure. Openpath uses phones, which employees are much less likely to trade and borrow than keycards. Still, it is important to ensure that no one has been granted access to a space they don’t need to access and that old users have their permissions removed from the system.