Public safety concerns that arose during the pandemic have put more attention on the physical security of a business and its premises. Companies that deal with the public were stretched almost to the breaking point by the need to exercise immediate, granular control over the flow of traffic in and around their buildings.
Even here in Central Florida, where the effects of COVID-19 have been less pronounced than on the coast, it was far from unheard of for local brands to face significant issues managing the public. It often fell to front-line employees to communicate the masking and social distancing policy to skeptical customers.
The results have been both unfortunate and predictable:
- Even with the best of intentions, many Floridians have found themselves confused about standards
- Employees have been put in uncomfortable and potentially dangerous situations to advocate policy
- Misunderstandings have cast a shadow over the reputation that businesses work hard to achieve
Now, there are finally hopeful signs that the situation is brightening in Florida. The state has received acclaim for its fast and effective approach to vaccinating its vulnerable senior community. According to NPR, just under a third of Floridians have been vaccinated. Despite slowing vaccination rates, Florida’s position is improving.
However, enterprises still need to be wary about what the future may hold.
Facial Recognition Technology Protects You Against The Unknowns Of The Post-COVID World
Despite the optimism around vaccines and significant improvement in case rates, the future still holds some major unknowns. It is impossible to predict, right now, whether today’s vaccines will require booster shots every year, similar to how flu season brings on a vaccination campaign every fall.
Likewise, Florida is seeing a significant amount of vaccine hesitancy. It seems unlikely that the state will reach the necessary level of vaccination for herd immunity. With that in mind, minor outbreaks could occur at any time in the future, not only during the seasons when coronaviruses tend to thrive.
As time goes on, more and more people are already setting aside personal measures that prevent transmission. Over the course of 2021, it is easy to see how it could become much harder to enforce your business policies. A new solution is needed to take the responsibility out of the hands of vulnerable employees.
That solution is facial recognition technology for check-in and check-out.
Prevent Bottlenecks With Fast, Effective Identification Of Visitors Using Facial Recognition
The entrances and exits of your building create natural bottlenecks for traffic. Managing the flow of people in and out can be difficult. Even with proper signage, there is no telling whether the public will observe the rules.
Facial recognition technology makes things easier for you and your guests:
1. Immediately Identify And Clear Employees And Verified Guests
Facial recognition technology uses advanced techniques, including AI and machine learning, to catalog your employees and others with legitimate access to your grounds. Once the system is set up, you can immediately clear expected guests and refer unexpected visitors to additional measures as needed.
Facial recognition can be combined with a number of other features to meet your needs. For example, the technology may be used as part of a plan to implement ID badges. Many companies use their system to strengthen their overall security posture, particularly in highly regulated industries like healthcare.
2. Enable Flow Control That Does Not Rely On Visitor Behavior
All other factors being equal, people are much more likely to comply with a technological system than they are with a harried employee. One scenario presents them the opportunity to “negotiate,” the other does not. With facial recognition, there is less possibility of human error and less “bad behavior,” too.
Facial recognition is not limited to mask policy enforcement, of course. But it is one of the most efficient ways to check on mask policy compliance without having to put your employees in the awkward position of asking a visitor to put on a mask. That means fewer interactions that can turn into confrontations.
3. Create A Precise, Lasting Record Of Entrance And Exit Times
There are many reasons for a business to seek robust information about the comings and goings of its visitors. Facial recognition can be used to confirm the exact time that a delivery was made, for instance. Even though you don’t know the name or appearance of the deliveryperson in advance, a record is created.
This helps you verify that third-party partners are doing what you expect them to do.
Enhanced crowd monitoring through facial recognition can also help you in your Human Resources operations. By referencing the times when employees go through various checkpoints, you can ensure that they are arriving and leaving on time. That creates an extra layer of verification for your other time management methods.
Facial Recognition Makes Your Business Less Susceptible To Hacker Attacks
All Florida business leaders need to know about “social engineering.”
Social engineering is a type of hacking attack that uses deceit and persuasion in place of or beside technological methods. Social engineering is becoming more common and has the potential to cost U.S. businesses millions of dollars. It is especially dangerous because the attacker often gains physical access to network hardware.
Despite all this, social engineering attacks are poorly understood by those targeted. It is very easy for someone to slip into a building under the guise of delivering a package, inspecting a wiring issue, or doing maintenance, only to use that access for nefarious purposes. Sensitive data can be stolen on a simple thumb drive.
In some cases, entire laptops and smartphones have been carried away.
Once malicious actors get hardware to another location, they have all the time they need to compromise it and gain control over stored data. Facial recognition is the most effective technology available for adding more physical control over your offices and critical infrastructure such as server rooms.
When facial recognition is implemented and used effectively, on-site social engineering can drop to zero.
Of course, there is still some leeway for human error. Employees must be informed about the signs of social engineering. They must know when to refuse to help someone in need and how to escalate issues when an unknown person is trying to gain access to your property. But, once again, confrontations can be minimized.
Plus, you will have records that you can share with law enforcement, auditors, and regulators as needed.
Assume The Best, But Stay Prepared With Facial Recognition In Central Florida
We would all like to believe the pandemic and the upheaval it has created are behind us for good. That said, the future contains ample risks as well as opportunities. Central Florida businesses like yours don’t need to leave tomorrow up to chance – Atlantic Communications Team is here to help you thrive.
With more than 30 years of expertise providing information technology services for enterprises in all industries, our team has implemented high-speed internet, world-class cloud computing, and more. To get started with facial recognition, simply contact us today.