aug 9 2019

CARD READER AUDIT TRAILS: AUDIT THE DOOR

CARD READER AUDIT TRAILS: AUDIT THE DOOR

If you have read through our blog, you know that we are big fans of card readers. Keys and locks just don’t cut it anymore, in terms of commercial security. Limiting access times and specifying entrance on certain days of the week are great benefits to any business owner. But the ability to pull an audit trail from a card reader is, by far, its most under-utilized and beneficial feature.

The reason that card readers provide users with an audit trail is in hopes that the information stored within the lock, can be downloaded and used in a variety of beneficial ways.

THE BENEFITS OF AUDIT TRAILS

The first and most obvious use of this information is to track unauthorized entry attempts. These locks will not grant access to users who are outside the specified “time zone” but they will record someone attempting to enter at the wrong time. For example, An employees card is designated to work between 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Monday – Friday. An audit trail reveals that the same user was denied access at 11:30 PM on Saturday night. This will give you grounds the question the employee about what the purpose of their late-night visit was. If the card was lost or stolen and that same employee forgot to report it, it will also serve as a reminder to de-activate that card.

Secondly, the audit trail feature will help you get a better idea of how your system should operate. Let’s say the same employee that was mentioned above, has a large list of “access denied” entries at 7:45, along with a handful of others. Perhaps you should adjust your time zone to allow entry before 8:00 AM, rather than having employees wasting time standing in the parking lot.

Lastly, the audit trail will help you keep track of pin codes and cards. If you had an emergency code programmed into the lock, in case someone forgot their card, you will be able to see each time that code was used. If you find out that a card, that was initially set up as an emergency code, is being used frequently, it’s time to change that code. While code locks are great, they provide less security because a series of numbers can be given verbally to other people. As the person maintaining the system, you will not be able to track who used what codes. ID badges or cards are much easier to track. It is very uncommon that someone else used an access card on a card reader and then gave it back to the correct person.

If you are overwhelmed by the audit trail options, take it one step at a time. Make a list of the average day-to-day routines in your facility, and then determine what level of security you want to be installed. Once you have a general idea of what you believe your facility needs, the audit trail system decision will be much easier.

Contact Us Today

And, of course, feel free to contact us for a quick consultation. We have plenty of trained service technicians who can answer your questions on audit trails and card readers. Let us know and we’ll be happy to help you out. Happy auditing!