Why conventional locks are not enough
Traditional keys have significant drawbacks: they can be copied, lost or stolen. Access control systems solve these problems by keeping a complete record of entries and exits, allowing access rights to be managed, and letting a lost card be deactivated immediately.
Types of access control systems
RFID cards and key fobs
This is the most common solution for offices and residential buildings. Cards operate at different frequencies: 125 kHz (EM4100) or 13.56 MHz (MIFARE). 13.56 MHz cards are preferred because of their cryptographic protection, which 125 kHz cards lack; among them, MIFARE DESFire offers considerably stronger security than the older MIFARE Classic.
PIN code and two-factor verification
For rooms with higher security requirements, such as a server room, a cash office or an archive, the card is combined with a PIN. A lost card on its own opens nothing, and every entry is logged with the time and the user.
Mobile access (Bluetooth/NFC)
A smartphone replaces the physical card. It is a convenient option for remote management and for granting temporary access rights.
Biometrics: when it makes sense and what it requires
Biometric data is a special category of personal data under Article 9 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Processing it is not prohibited, but it requires an explicit legal basis, a data protection impact assessment and demonstrated necessity, meaning that the same purpose cannot be achieved with a card or a PIN.
For time and attendance, practice is restrictive: if a card does the same job, biometrics will hardly pass the proportionality test. For attendance tracking, a card or PIN is therefore the more appropriate choice, while biometrics are reserved for individual critical doors and only after a written impact assessment.
Where biometrics are used, the device does not store an image of the fingerprint but an irreversible mathematical template from which the fingerprint cannot be reconstructed.
Integration with video surveillance
Combining access control with a CCTV system makes it possible to capture a snapshot automatically at every unlock, which is useful when investigating an incident and during internal audits. The retention period and the rights to access the archive are defined in advance.
Management and reporting
Centralized software makes it possible to manage hundreds of doors from a single computer, generate reports, set working hours for each card and assign zone-based access according to security level.
