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The access control system is a combination of hardware and software implemented within real estate companies providing a high level of security for properties.
Property management remains a real challenge for owners as the real estate industry hasn’t been the quickest to adopt technology thus far. Security of information systems, as well as physical building access, are some of the most complicated aspects to manage within property management solutions.
New access control solutions transform the approach to property security, implementing multi-factor authentication and smart security equipment to manage objects anytime, anywhere, from anywhere. Access control technology helps to prevent potential malware activities as well as handle the challenges property owners struggle with due to the absence of a common solution.
Common challenges in traditional access control systems
New access control technology – what are the types?
Each type of access control solution differs in its levels and steps of security and the correct choice for your business depends on the requirements of your business and property usage.
Discretionary Access Control (DAC)
This type of electronic access control system works by searching and matching given name(s) against the list of verified user names in the database. The security level is quite low as it contains only one-factor authentication by names via biometric cards, bar code scanning, or electronic keys.
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
This access control type provides more limited access to information depending on the user role within the company, meaning employees can access only information related to their direct duties and tasks, no more no less. It helps avoid unauthorized data access as would be the case of completely unrestricted access to the information within an organization.
Mandatory Access Control (MAC)
This access control system implies a hierarchy of data access that eliminates the possibility of accessing data by workers who have nothing to do with it. All accesses are managed by system admins and cannot be changed even by team leads within the company.
Security compliances for access control systems
When choosing security access control solutions for real estate business, following the common security standards is pivotal, particularly:
- ISO 27001 – international security compliance responsible for managing information security within software systems, especially while transforming the data from devices to the system;
- PCI DSS Requirement 9 – limits access of users and devices to systems data, its changing and copying;
- SOC 2 – provides access control solution of the two-factor authentication and data encryption to protect private data from unauthorized usersvisitors;
- CJIS – helps to limit data (system) access according to a certain timetable forbidding entering the building in the non-working hours even for otherwise authorized visitors.
What access control technology is used for
The property management system is in demand not only among landlords who are seeking to secure their properties from robbers or unreliable tenants. Apartments, offices, stores, and any other types of buildings (properties) require a high level of protection to forbid physical access for unwanted visitors.
Here below you can find out more about how access control technology is applied for different purposes.
Apartment access control
Apartment access control allows entering the apartments or rather apartment buildings only for its residents recorded in the property management system database and managed by admins like real estate agents or property owners.
It expedites the process of authorizing official tenants as well as detecting undesirable visitors, providing a high level of property security. The control is executed using smart cards, electronic keys, face or touch recognition, voice recognition, or any factors the owners prefer or feel comfortable with.
Industrial access control
Industrial or commercial properties require more restricted access to buildings with multi-factor authentication as compared to apartment real estate. Industrial properties include offices, bank buildings, airports, medical facilities, and so on.
This type of property should commonly have two entry access – for staff and for visitors. Staff access needs to be of the highest security using biometrics recognition, smart electronic keys, smartphone authorization to get into particular parts of the building that are closed to common visitors.
Benefits of new access control technology
Evolving technology solutions aim to provide the highest level of security for properties by managing not only private data of property management software but also controlling physical access to buildings. Access control solutions provide regular visitors with a seamless experience interacting with software as well property owners while unauthorized visitors have no capability to enter the building without system recognition.
We have collected the main benefits and privileges security access control solutions bring to your property management, personal as well as industrial.
Features of real estate access control app
The range of features of access control technology within your property management system, which is built-in or is planned to be developed, depends on the architecture of your software and the needed security measures for your property specifics.
Access control share
Depending on the chosen way of authorization, property management system supervisors or property owners are able to share access to the building with tenants or new workers via sending the smart key or registering them in the recognition system at once. All visitors allowed to enter the building should have their authorization form like:
- Biometrics that enable face or touch recognition
- Smart cardelectronic key
- Pin code
- Approval of entry via mobile app or phone number
It is recommended to implement two-factor authentication meaning putting visitors through several forms of verification.
Automatic locks as per calendar/commands executing in pre-specified times
This is a good feature that property protection systems have and automatically managed locks are good for different types of property: homeowner buildings, offices, stores, etc. System admins set the times that the different members can attend the building for each day.
In addition, you can set the option of disabling smart keys to keep the doors closed during the nighttime, which is mostly related to apartment and office properties.
Access for temporary visitors
Provisional access is commonly required for part-time workers, mission participants from other company branches, regular guests to tenants, and so on. However, the permission is defined by the property owners or supervisors.
Location management
A property management system entails managing and providing security protection for several locations simultaneously. All these locations, system admins, and security access control solutions are managed from a single property management software.
Cloud-based security
The tendency of running business software solutions in the cloud is evolving in many industries nowadays, paving the way for the adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) technology. IoT is tasked with connecting all internal systems, applications, daily operations, and internal databases within a secure cloud.
Cloud ensures secure transactions of private information from various sources to the database accessible and able to be managed from different devices and company branches.
Popular access control hardware suppliers on the market
The choice of access control system depends on the type and specifics of the managed properties and the level of security they require.
Here is the compilation of the popular and commonly used third-party electronic access control systems being implemented in property management software or other internal software systems. Along with payment for hardware, users should pay a monthly fee for its maintenance and actual security management from the vendor.
Soloinsight 
Soloinsight provides a security system for properties with a huge number of visitors like offices, governmental facilities, stores, banks, and so on. The range of security measures this vendor offers includes the following:
- Visitor identification via QR codes in the mobile application;
- Limit access to elevators;
- Turnstile control;
- Photo recognition of unwanted visitors.
HID is considered to be a high-grade access control system. The company offers an extensive variety of access control technologies to be implemented into your security or property management software system. Particularly, the hardware may contain:
- Secure system access in the cloud via smartphone or on-site system;
- Visitor management using recognition cards;
- IoT-powered connection of devices;
- Biometric technology.
Kisi is a cloud-based access control solution providing all necessary equipment that is most suitable for large businesses for:
- User management – provides employees the right to set up accesses, choose the system admins, add or delete users;
- Event management – watching events in real-time in order to monitor the security level;
- Locks management – doors are locked according to a particular work schedule.
Best practices for access control technology integration
Identifying the role of access control
The electronic access control systems offer to set different roles and access levels to buildings depending on the position within the company or participation in the property management. It should not be a prompt decision but a well-thought-out security plan should be in place, organizing the system supervisors, accesses, and permissions to particular users where the highest level of building access and management must be available only to a limited group of people for better security.
Taking a layered approach to security
A layered security approach entails implementing multi-factor authentication for authorized visitors in order to decrease the potential of unauthorized access by third persons who get possession of someone`s entry card, for example.
One of the methods could be an individual or general pin to unlock the doors, facial recognition, or any physical barriers in addition to smart keys. Although, all physical barriers must be implemented according to the security standards providing swift and safe escape routes from any part of the building in case of emergency.
Building the right systems
Each type of property requires an individualistic approach to its security system and access control solutions. If your property management software unites several objects of different purposes, then your real estate software development partner should conduct research on the needed security measures before implementing access control technology, selecting the most efficient security practices, and accesses to buildings.
Access control systems implementation with Altamira
The access control technology is not a separate security system but it is one of the operating security measures controlled from custom property management software that your business uses or needs to implement. Access control solutions are tasked with restricting physical building access and can easily be managed remotely from the cloud-based platform available on all sorts of different devices.
Access control measures need to connect software with hardware devices implemented within your properties. Due to our extensive experience working with IoT technology, all these devices can be connected to one another and the general property management system to manage accesses, collect data about each visitor to define the level of access, collect data from devices like videos and audios, and so on.
Custom property management development solutions are in high demand among property owners and property visitors and both sides would love to have contactless access and management of properties, ensuring a high level of data and building security.
Access control technology is no longer something innovative and unheard of but a must-have solution for real estate businesses, especially those that deal with lots of property items. IoT-powered connection of these smart devices with your management platform gives you full control over your properties remotely including a visitor management system for real estate, access restrictions, monitoring with no additional resources, and security guards.
We advise you to contact our specialists with your in-house development team in order to conduct an analysis of your current secure access management system and build the precise plan of its scaling, implementing access control solutions in it. Our development team has all the required resources to innovate your property management during the next several months.