When college students move from residence halls to off-campus housing, many parents are concerned about their child’s safety, knowing the facility might not be as secure as their dorm. Recognizing these worries, property managers can update facilities to increase security, ensuring residents are safe and parents are at ease. One specific way to help address these safety concerns in an off-campus housing facility is to integrate an electronic access control system to increase building security.

With students regularly moving in and out every year, it can be difficult to ensure that only authorized individuals can enter the facility. By implementing an electronic access control system, property managers can easily grant or revoke access as needed, ensuring that building access is limited to those who are permitted. Knowing that only authorized people can enter the facility, residents will feel safer and their parents will have one less thing to worry about.

The benefit of upgrading to a new system doesn’t end there. Electronic access control systems also allow property managers to view a history of building access. The timeline provided in an access report is valuable in many situations, such as a theft investigation. After reviewing this information, those involved will have a better idea of who visited a specific area and the time frame and duration of their visit.

While upgrading to a new system might seem daunting, investing in an electronic access control solution can provide many short and long term benefits. During the upgrade process, property managers should consider both present and future factors that might impact the system and its hardware. As technology continues to advance, property managers might worry that their investment will quickly become outdated. To address this concern, they should consider an electronic access control system and door hardware with an open architecture design.

In addition, an electronic access control system also increases operational efficiency as property managers will no longer need to worry about key management. Instead, they can swiftly update the credentials to allow those authorized to enter, decreasing duplication concerns. Similarly, should a resident lose their credential, the property manager can easily revoke the key’s authorization, mitigating concerns should it fall into the wrong hands. As a result, building managers can focus their efforts elsewhere.

Overall, investing in an electronic access control system offers increased operational efficiency and facility security, and in turn, decreases safety concerns among parents who are worried about their children.