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Before the COVID-19 global pandemic, businesses were already adopting touchless technology throughout their environment. However, when COVID-19 took the globe by storm it left many businesses nearly inoperable.

Many were closed due to national regulations, while others may have tried to stay open yet suffered staff shortages or supply chain issues. Now that the world is slowly returning to a new normal, businesses are not willing to put their livelihood in jeopardy again.

Ensuring employee safety

As employees are returning to work, employers are considering what they can do to ensure employee safety and reduce touchpoints in the workplace. One key way to do this is to create a touchless access control environment.

One key way to do this is to create a touchless access control environment

This enables touchless entry into building facilities or controlled environments, where previously other means of access control may have been enabled. The adoption of hands-free entry and access controls is a vital element in creating a safer work environment for employees. By implementing this proactive approach to safety, the organisation will see an array of benefits. They have broken down the top five.

Access control technology

By utilising touchless access control technology like the Rock from Alcatraz AI, employees are no longer using the same hub for scanning credentials. Be it a fingerprint scanner or passcode pad, employees are no longer forced to partake in these germ-sharing environments, keeping employees healthier and more productive. Alternatively, facial authentication offers hands-free, frictionless technology that is not only a cleaner option but also far more user-friendly.

Placing all of this down to scan a fingerprint or swipe a badge is incredibly inconvenient

The staff is busy. They are hurrying from meeting to meeting with handfuls of documents, maybe their lunches tucked under their arms, and if they’re lucky, a coffee in what free hand they do have. Placing all of this down to scan a fingerprint or swipe a badge is incredibly inconvenient.

Alternatively, by using an employee's face as their credentials, they do not have to place all of their items down to enter a space. By simply looking at the scanning device they are granted access, creating a touchless access control entry environment.

Physical access control

Speaking of identification badges, many organisations use them. Be it for original access into a building or privileged access to heightened security areas. However, they are far from a secure method to verify one’s identity. Proximity cards, fobs and passcodes can all be lost, stolen, or shared. Due to risk of spoofing these credentials, using them as the primary means of physical access control decreases the overall security of the environment.

Implementing a new source of security controls into the organisation requires an investment. However, when looking at any business decision users must consider the return on the investment. With the utilisation of touchless access control technology, they are not only promoting a healthier work environment, but users are also making it easier for the employees to use.

Overall security integrity

By using facial authentication as access credentials they cannot be lost, stolen, or shared

These two things alone boost morale. Furthermore, when the staff is happy and healthy, they are more productive, and that reduces the threat of staff shortages due to illness. Additionally, users are increasing the overall security integrity of their infrastructure by using credentials that cannot be compromised.

How does advanced technology like facial authentication increase the integrity of the business’s security? By using facial authentication as access credentials they cannot be lost, stolen, or shared. Furthermore, with Alcatraz AI’s technology, the Rock, uses artificial intelligence to allocate for the basic appearance changes an employee may experience. For example, progressive aging, weight loss or gain, changes in facial hair, hair style adjustments, wearing or not wearing glasses.

Touchless access control

Additionally, the Rock also uses an anti-tailgating feature, which sends alerts in real-time to the proper staff members if an unauthorised individual is in a controlled space they should not be in. Physical access controls have been utilised since the beginning of business operations. Whether it was something as basic as locking the front door when the office was closed, to administrative staff having keys to various spaces they will need access to.

The world of security is advancing with the utilisation of individual biometrics as credentials

These methods eventually evolved into passcode pads and proximity cards. The world of security is advancing with the utilisation of individual biometrics as credentials. The adoption of touchless access control began before the COVID-19 pandemic; however, as operations began opening again, organisations soon realised they needed to move to the implementation phase of hands-free operations – including touchless access control.

Turnstile with facial authentication

The implementation of touchless authentication can be seamless, with unlimited opportunities. Users may opt for a turnstile with facial authentication in the front lobby which only allows staff to enter the office space itself. Regardless of the physical security needs, facial authentication can help mitigate the risk of internal threats while reducing common touch points among staff.

Facial authentication offers a touchless and frictionless approach to physical security, and those that have implemented it have found it helpful in expediting the return to normal operations. Schedule a free 30-demo to see how the Rock can improve security for the workplace.

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