Electric Door Strike Introduction
An electric door strike lock is an electromagnetic lock which can be installed in place of the standard manual locking mechanism on most doors. They can be purchased individually or as part of an electric door strike kit. They can operate on either AC or DC, and can be merged into your pre-existing setup with a minimum of effort.
In today’s world, good security isn’t just nice to have, it’s essential. The need to keep employees safe, limit access to high-value assets or data, or to restrict access to certain areas due to internal or external requirements requires that business owners and managers constantly review and upgrade in-place access control programs. Even in the best of areas, threats to physical security are present and increasing
Electric strike door locks can provide the cornerstone of a top-flight security system, either integrating with other access control solutions or as part of an all-new program and without requiring an expensive retrofit to doors and locks.
Access Control
A key to good security is limiting access to people who are authorized and have a business need, to be there. This creates a safer environment, and it also reduces the risk of loss from theft or vandalism. It can be as simple as a single manual lock on the front and rear doors, or as detailed as electric strike lock installations on each and every door in the plant, with video monitoring, alarms, and a human security force present.
Over the years, internal access control has become more and more of a necessity. Industry certifications, such as PCI (Payment Card Industry,) legislation such as HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act,) and the increase in data theft by internal actors have all lead to a need for greater control over who goes where within your facility. While manual locks can satisfy some of the requirements for physical access control, an electromagnetic lock, such as a door strike lock, connected to a monitoring and logging system, is able to meet the needs of physical access control as well as recording that access.
Another problem to consider is that of a terminated employee. A fired employee may not return all of their keys right away, claiming that they’ve been mislaid or that they don’t have them on-hand. Keys in the hands of people who aren’t supposed to have them render a security program depending on physical locks nearly moot. Electric door strike lock-based systems don’t have the same vulnerability to lost keys since access can be controlled from a single, secured computer system.
Monitoring
A complete security process includes monitoring access and activity to the physical plant, as well as any sensitive areas or high-value assets. This is where a system with electromagnetic locks, including door strike locks, will start to show it’s value. Electric door strike systems include a provision to, at the very least, log when a door was unlocked, and by what code or key-card. This can be coupled with video or human surveillance to increase the amount of information which is available and recorded.
Responsiveness
Being able to quickly change security measures based on emergencies is easy to overlook when designing a security system. Power outages, fires, or medical emergencies may require that locks be overridden or disabled for a short period. Contractors and repair work can also require that locks be disabled for a short period. Electromagnetic lock systems can make this as easy as a few mouse clicks.
Electric Door Strike – Adaptability
Adaptability is the ability of a security program to change to meet new or changing needs. Many times, physical security measures tend to negatively impact operations because they are not flexible enough to handle operational changes. For example, a room which was once restricted to a few employees may need to be accessible to several dozens due to a new operational plan. That can mean replacing an outdated manual loc or issuing a large number of keys. With electric strike door lock systems, access can be easily changed within a few minutes, and without refit or key costs.
Cost Control
Cost is often a huge challenge when a business is looking at upgrading their in-place security program. Security costs are often considered an expense which doesn’t return any real revenue. Often, budgets for security measures are tight.
Many electromagnetic lock installations require that doors and thresholds be refitted in order to accommodate the new or upgraded hardware, often at significant expense. An electric door strike lock can often be installed in the existing door without a refit or upgrade, which can result in a huge savings.
Another area that electric door strike locks can save money is in the cost for keys. For example, consider a single locked room, say a file storage room, with a manual lock installed. If 6 people have been granted keys, that means at least 7 keys need to be maintained for that single lock.
If even one of the employees who has a key to that door to lose their key, a proper security program would mandate that the lock be replaced, and new keys issued. Depending on the quality of the lock, that could cost hundreds of dollars. In comparison, a missing keycard can be deactivated and replaced in minutes, normally at a cost of less than $5.00.
If we expand that example to a facility with 8 locked doors, each with different lists of employees who need access, any of whom might lose one or more of those keys, the problem multiplies. Electric door strike locks lessen the impact of those lost keys. And, because key-codes or key-cards can be disabled almost instantly, security issues due to terminated employees are lessened, even if they never return the key-card.
Installation costs for an electric door strike lock can be managed by us ofe an electric door strike kit. Many kits are available, and it should be simple to find the right one to suit just about any need.
Because they are standards based, an electric door strike kit will fit in to just about any solution you may be using, which makes it even more cost effective.
Conclusion
Now, more than ever, businesses need to put robust and reliable security systems in place. That’s not just limited to huge corporations, even small businesses are facing security threats that they need to counter. When thinking about adding or upgrading a security system, it’s worth considering as many options as possible.
A good place to start may be an electric door strike kit at fpc-security.com. It can provide increased safety, keep unauthorized people out of sensitive areas, and help tell you who is accessing what areas within the physical plant. Kits are available in different sizes and combinations, so finding the right one shouldn’t be an obstacle. Kits can also serve as the basis for a custom solution by adding more locks and other hardware, which means there is no practical limit to the size and scope of your installation.
