US government advised to improve access control provisions at multiple federal facilities

Biometrics

The US government has been advised to bolster security and access control provisions at its federal facilities, a recent news report has been able to suggest.

Around 14 years ago, the George W. Bush administration issued a directive to ensure federal workers and contractors are who they say they are when entering federal buildings. However, in a report published in late December 2018, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has revealed that progress has been lacking, especially in the digital age.

The organization revealed that agencies were taking steps to improve security, but not quickly enough. Of the five selected agencies reviewed by GAO, several issues came up in regards to the physical access control systems (PACS) — which verify identification information at many agencies.

PACS include personal identity verification (PIV) cards, card readers and any other technology that electronically confirms employee and contractor identities in order to validate their access to facilities.

Lori Rectanus, director of the physical infrastructure team at GAO, commented: “So, yes, we do run the risk of either nefarious actors pretending to be government employees and contractors getting into buildings or even employees themselves are disgruntled or contractors who may be getting in inappropriately and getting access to places that they shouldn’t.”

Tensor Biometric Access Control Systems – reliable and secure access restriction solutions

Biometric technology uses human physical attributes as locks and keys, making it particularly suitable for access control systems on the buildings of large organisations. Using biometrics for security and identification requires meeting two challenges: they must be cheap enough and sufficiently simple to be used by ordinary users. Furthermore, for enhanced security, these biometric access control systems should combine two or more types of authentication, such as coupling fingerprints with key codes or passwords to provide greater trust that who is logging in is only who is expected to do so.

Tensor Plc, the UK’s number one manufacturer and installer of time and attendance and access control systems, supplies a range of top-range, reliable and affordable biometric access control systems based on Smart Card electronics combined with a biometric fingerprint reader.

In an elegant case and easy to use, this product is for those who want the absolute peace-of-mind, certainty and the assurance that only the right people can gain access to your sensitive or dangerous areas.

If you’d like to find out more about the extensive range of access control solutions supplied by Tensor, just contact us or Book a Demo, we’d be more than happy to answer all of your questions and queries.