Imagine this: You come up short on inventory, and the rush is on to figure out who’s responsible. Unfortunately, you have a basic access control system, and there is no record of who was in the facility when. The time and effort it would take to find and interview every employee would cost you and your employees a great deal of your time. Eventually, you may have no choice but to chalk it up as a loss and move on. 

This is actually a common occurrence in retail, but we have good news! There’s an access control option that makes prevention much easier: Audit trails. 

Options for Audit Trails 

As with almost everything in the security industry, the solution depends on what you want to achieve and what would work best in your particular facility. Audit trails range anywhere from basic to extensive with the information they provide. As technology continues to progress, the capabilities of audit trails will expand, as well. 

If you don’t need a very extensive compilation of information, a basic audit trail for your facility would be suitable. These require a simple badge swipe or code input. It gives the facility manager (or whoever runs the audit) a list of who was in the building at what time. 

However, if you need a tighter grasp on employees who enter and exit your building, basic audit trails might not be sufficient; badges can be stolen, and codes can be seen—which allows opportunity for misconduct. 

Extensive audit trails include software that records who was in the building, what time they entered, what time they left, and which doors they used within the facility while they were there.

Some access control systems even offer the option of a REX (request to exit) switch on the inside portion of the door. This only allows patrons to exit through one particular door, and their request is noted in the audit trail. 

Know Your Facility’s Needs 

If you are overwhelmed by the audit trail options, take it one step at a time. Make a list of the average day-to-day routines in your facility, and then determine what level of security you want installed. Once you have a general idea of what you believe your facility needs, the audit trail system decision will be much easier. 

And, of course, feel free to contact us for a quick consultation. We have plenty of trained service technicians who can answer your questions on audit trails. Let us know and we’ll be happy to help you out. Happy auditing!