Page 89 - Security Today, September/October 2021

3. Hospitals are “open” environments. Intercom solutions at doors and entrances can allow facility staff to communicate with patients and visitors remotely from their reception and intake desks, limiting the need for face-to-face communication during the pre- screening process and prior to admitting them into the facility. Add- ing elbow, foot, or other alternative switches can further reduce risk of contact between infected and uninfected individuals. Once inside the facility, those same intercom solutions can provide access and crystal-clear communication to entrances to restricted areas, clean- rooms, isolation rooms, and maternity wards.
4. Retail stores. Intercom solutions and speakers can assist cus- tomers, help security guards to perform their jobs better, and enable communication between office staff and sales personnel. To control entrances, intercoms can be used at the door on a loading dock, for example, to allow security not only see, but speak with and monitor all staff moving in and out of that area.
5. Prisons and correctional facilities. Intercom solutions facilities provide efficient audio and video assistance for visitors, cell commu- nications, and with prison management systems to enhance a secu- rity guard’s insight into situations and events. Placed at door, inter- coms and gates to communicate with inmates and to control access to restricted areas, gates, sally ports, and door locks.
6. K-12 schools. Visitor entry can be controlled at the exterior doors, with an intercom solution that a receptionist or security guard can control inside the school. When visitors or vendors push the but- ton outside, their images and the audio from their voices can help determine why they want access to the school. The intercom enables a two-way conversation to help the receptionist or guard determine why a visitor wants access.
7. University campuses. An intercom solution can control entry at main entrances, in addition to serving as an additional layer of secu- rity at administrative offices and other areas with highly sensitive
information, but they are also ideal for use at delivery bays or other secondary entrances that have a lot of traffic.
8. Manufacturing facilities. Keeping downtimes to a minimum and steady production, without security issues related to uncon- trolled entry. Intercom solutions can control access to multiple doors. They can also provide general information throughout one facility or to specific warehouses, production areas, or other areas, while also helping security teams to respond to emergencies with both pre- recorded and manual announcements.
9. Multi-tenant facilities. Hundreds of people might enter and exit each day, an intercom solution can allow tenants, a concierge, and security officers to identify visitors quickly and easily before granting access. The ability to hear and see the visitor will allow for accurate decisions in those busy environments.
10. Government Buildings. Visitor identification and area restric- tion are two very important security concerns for local, state, and federal levels. Intercom systems that provide visual and audio verifi- cation help deter unauthorized staff or visitors from entering secured offices and areas.
Whether it is a hospital, school, prison, retail store, or more, all facilities need to control access. Part of controlling access is the abil- ity to see and hear the individual who wants it. Access control allows a team to safeguard a facility and allow entry, but it doesn’t provide real-time information. Video surveillance allows security teams to see and detect, but used alone, it has its limits with providing a com- plete view of a situation, as well. Audio via an intercom solution brings those two elements together – it adds interactivity, and it allows people to hear, be heard, and be understood. It also allows security teams to control entry to a facility effectively.
Bruce Czerwinski is the vice president of Sales and Business Develop- ment at Zenitel Americas.
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