Building Access Fabrics

Building access fabrics is the implementation of access control, the selective restriction of access to a particular place, building, room, resource or installation. To gain access to a restricted location an individual generally needs to have authorisation or to be given permission to enter by someone that already has authorisation.

Most buildings contain assets that need to be kept safe, secure and protected from theft. Authorised access might be controlled using; doors, gates, turnstiles, secure installations such as safes, barriers, bollards, and so on. Installation of access control may be a requirement of insurance policies.

Access control systems might be monitored or controlled by staff or might operate autonomously, for example, with the use of locks. Locks and keys are one of the most common methods for controlling access, but they are relatively inflexible, and keys can be lost, misplaced, stolen or copied. Greater flexibility can be achieved and the inconvenience and expense of changing locks and re-issuing keys avoided by electronic access control systems.

Electronic access controls can be an efficient and flexible way of securing buildings. Once an electronic access control system is installed, access points can be monitored and controlled remotely or programmed to operate automatically giving authorised personnel access to specific facilities at certain times.