There are many great benefits to installing an access control system for your business including increased security. In this article we will discuss the best extras that come alongside access control.

Access control systems enable facilitate protection

Access control systems only allow those who are authorised to enter a building. Approved people usually have a unique code, key fob, or card etc that grants them access to the building. By implementing an access control system, it ensures that anyone who isn’t meant to be on site, cant access areas of the building that require a pass. This is beneficial as it means that those working are protected from anyone unauthorised wondering around.

Additionally, it works well for employers as you can restrict access to the building – for example some employees may only have front door access on their key fob whereas other staff may be able to access restricted areas in the building. Essentially you are able to tailor you access system to work in specific ways for different people.

Highly flexibly access

Another great benefit of access control is that they can easily be changed or disabled. So, if someone was to lose their access card/fob, as soon as it is reported, it can be disabled so it no longer works. This is also useful for catching those who are trying to gain entry to the building under false pretences.

Furthermore, unlike the traditional key, if lost, it can be easily replaced for the same job/purpose in minutes.

Monitoring the flow of people

Another great benefit includes being able to see who exactly is in the building and who isn’t. You can also monitor what time people left and entered the building, being a great help in case of a fire or health and safety emergency.

Additionally access control systems make life easier for your security staff as there will be no chance of someone slipping through the cracks unauthorised.

Makes employees feel safer

To ensure you can maintain a productive workforce, you must accommodate a secure working environment so that staff feel safe. By having an access control system in place, it ensures to staff that those entering the building are approved which inevitably offers peace of mind that their working environment is a safe one.

Unison for your Access Control System

At Unison we offer access control systems to our clients in a wide range of different ways so that it suits individual business needs. No matter the size of your building, installing an access control system is the best way to enhance the security of your site.

We offer access control cards, door entry systems, intercoms and monitors so whatever your preference is, we have the right one for you.

If you are interested in having an access control system installed on your premises, get in touch with us today!

The main precautions responsible businesses can take are installing CCTV cameras, access control, and external gates and barriers. Commercial security systems are an important investment for protecting valuable equipment in offices, and it is important to choose a company that knows what they are doing, so you get a cost-effective and fit-for-purpose solution.

Unison Supply & Install Office Security

Unison supply, maintain and install a variety of CCTV cameras, vehicle barriers, automatic gates, access control and more to corporate offices in the West Midlands and throughout the UK.

CCTV Installation

A CCTV installation is the most popular choice when it comes to office security. Cameras installed in prominent areas are an excellent deterrent against criminal activity, the more visible the better.  In the case that any vandalism or criminal activity does occur, stored CCTV footage can be submitted to the police to investigate the crime and hopefully catch the perpetrators. It also helps employees and visitors to the premises to feel safe in their environment.

Today, CCTV systems are much more sophisticated and make use of cloud-based technology avoiding the need for bulky on-site systems. You can even see live feeds from your phone for ultimate practicality.

Gates and Barriers

Fitting gates and barriers, either manual or automatic and an excellent way to visually fence off your office environment. This is especially useful when looking into the safety of vehicles in the office car park or people gaining unauthorised access to the building. Automatic gates will have a higher upfront installation cost, but they do have a much better user experience.

Access Control

Access control systems involve using a fob or code to gain entry access to a building or room. This is excellent to restrict access to important areas and ensure you can track who enters and exits the building. It gives employees better confidence in feeling safe at work, without the risk of something happening to them. Different access levels can be set for different employees e.g., a receptionist having access to the front building, but a manager and senior staff being the only ones having access to their own office etc.

Get a Quote Today

Office security systems are a good investment for every business, and the decision should not be taken lightly. Speak to Unison today to get a free quote to suit your business requirements.

Covid 19 and the subsequent lockdowns that we are living through has put most business activity on the backburner. Yet the question we must ask is;

Shouldn’t this be the ideal opportunity for businesses to install security gates, barriers or CCTV?

Understandably, businesses quite often delay business security upgrades due to the constant battle and hazards of vehicular and/or human traffic at their premises. So, surely now – in the climate of closed premises and staff working from home – is the perfect time to choose and install the security gates, security barriers and CCTV that your business has needed and put off for some time.

Bus & Train Stations

With daily and average passenger numbers considerably down for the near-distant future, installing turnstiles and/or security gates would be comparatively hazard-free and logistically simple! Our turnstile installers are available for any project across the UK. For turnstile security solutions,  contact us today.

Stadiums & Airports

With no crowds and no incoming or outgoing flights for the foreseeable, now is the ideal time to review and upgrade your security systems. Whether that’s automatic car park barriers, sliding gates or perimeter security fencing, Unison’s security installation teams are available UK wide.

Warehouses & Logistics Sites

This industry is also currently seeing a reduction in site traffic, so installing security gates and car park barriers would be quick and hassle-free for our installers and your business. From Cantilever gates to sliding gates, and a range of carpark barriers, Unison’s security installation options are widely suited for transport hubs with lorries, trucks and large vehicles.

Schools & Offices

Again, with daily staff and pupil numbers vastly reduced due to lockdown, now is a more than appropriate time to update your security measures. Unison is available for CCTV installations and maintenance, and can even provide car park barrier installations for schools and offices.

If you need any of our security installation services, contact us today.

If you’re unsure which fencing type to use for your business, we’ll go through the advantages of both types to help you decide.

Security Mesh Fencing

Also known as mesh panel fencing, it consists of either woven or welded mesh. Here are the advantages mesh fencing brings:

• It can be built higher and can be designed to curve around at the top if required, adding an extra element of security. Palisade fencing lacks this customisation. The height and design make it harder for potential intruders to climb over or vandalise.
• It is durable. Bad weather will not damage or weaken it and it is rust resistance. It will stand up against being hit by objects such as footballs if used in a school or park.
• Quick and easy to install on any surface, increasing its versatility for various security uses.
• It can be partnered with other security measures, for instance, CCTV or security lighting. These can be seamlessly added onto the fencing without affected the design or the aesthetics.
• Better visibility when looking through it compared with palisade fencing, which due to its thick bars is difficult to see through.

Palisade Security Fencing

Usually made of thin steel bars, let’s have a look at its benefits:

• The pointed ends act as a further deterrent. Each bar has three sharp extensions at the top, which would cause pain for an intruder if they were caught on them.  
• The design is hard to mount because it lacks anything to grip on to. If someone did try to climb over, it would likely take a while and make a loud noise, hopefully alerting you to the situation.
• Low maintenance other than checking for loose screws and bolts. It can also be easily painted or powder coated to suit its environment.
• Is not as physically imposing on a setting as it isn’t as high. Doesn’t give the sense of being enclosed in, hence used in public places more.
• Easily installable with matching gates which provide access to premises.

Contact Us Today

If you would like more information about the security fencing we offer or have any other questions, please contact us via email at sales@unisoncctv.co.uk or phone us on 0121548470.  

To start off, automatic sliding gates are always an easy choice. They offer a contemporary look to your exterior, whether it be to match your curated home design or to give your business property a professional and well-kept look. Aesthetics aside, they provide excellent safety and privacy for your home or business. Due to the ground track automatic sliding gates operate on, they are incredibly sturdy and difficult to breakthrough. That is if intruders aren’t already deterred by such a great obstacle, it’s not easy to scale a fence and go unnoticed, and if a property has a security feature such as a fence, it is highly likely they will have more on-site. Depending on your needs, automatic sliding gates are also compatible with a variety of entrance possibilities, such as proximity card readers, intercom systems and token acceptors.

If you’re looking at swing gates as an option, these are much simpler to construct meaning less cost to the buyer. Conveniently swing gates open quicker than automatic sliding gates, however, are a lot less sturdy. If your property is situated on high terrain, they may not be the choice for you, as unlike automatic sliding gates, swing gates are negatively affected by high winds. On a positive note, they are very versatile if you have less space, meaning they are better suited for the home. Similarly to Bi-Folding gates which require no track.

Bi-folding gates are the best option for a property where security and speed is of utmost importance. Due to their high-powered drive motor, they are primarily used for emergency service vehicles and places with a fast turnaround of traffic. As with most automatic gates, these can be tailored to the businesses needs making them a desirable option. For personal use wooden Bi-folding gates are a great option, they offer a privacy screen with no gaps, shielding your belongings, and your family.

Cantilever sliding gates are similar automatic sliding gates but with a few differences. They are perfect for uneven surfaces, as they have no track and are very durable. All mechanisms and electronics are hidden behind their sleek build, and due to the floor-mounted roller, they have the smoothest opening transition. With any automatic sliding gate, you are increasing your property value while also providing extra security, a win-win all round.

How much will it cost?

If you’re concerned about the long term cost, all automatic gates are very low. When not in use they cost around 1.5p per day, and when they are in use, they cost 3p per day on average. A small price for the safety of your property. With stats showing that more individuals are broken into during the summer months, we want to make sure you are as safe as possible. At Unison Integrated Technology we have 365 days a year callout, and unbeatable tech support if you have any problems. Get in touch to discuss your needs today.

Ever wondered why there are seemingly random bollards in the middle of busy pedestrian areas or perhaps you’re a town planner and you’re looking for a quick rundown of the traffic advisory leaflet from May 2013 to determine where you should place bollards as a security measure with as little disruption to pedestrians as possible. Well whoever you are, you are in the right place. Below we have summarised the leaflet into bitesize chunks, making it slightly easier to read:

Positioning

For security purposes, bollards must be positioned no more than 1200mm apart to be effective. When the bollards are placed this maximum, 1200mm, apart, they have been found to have little impact on pedestrian traffic. The bollards are shown to have less impact than other commonly occurring urban features such as kiosks.

Why might pedestrian movement be limited?

The leaflet finds four things that might limit pedestrian flow: route capacity, comfort, convenience and conflict. Route capacity is the rate at which people can pass through the space given and comfort being how comfortable it is to do this. Convenience is the ease at which they can pass through without changing their route and conflict is the added obstacles that cause a change in behaviour. These are used to assess how bollards have an impact on pedestrian flow. Below is a summary of the impact on each of these features:

Route Capacity

Behaviour was affected when the bollards were placed perpendicular to the direction pedestrians were walking but when placed parallel to the direction, more space was not being used.

Comfort

Comfort did not seem to have a negative impact across all the observed bollard placements.

Convenience

Speed was impacted by the bollard placement. Sometimes people who passed through the bollards walked faster than those who didn’t. However, the chosen path was not affected by the bollards.

Conflict

Conflict was observed and the route of direction was changed by pedestrians accordingly. They were observed to avoid conflicts by pausing or twisting while passing through bollards at the sam time as other pedestrians.

Guidance highlighted by the leaflet

The leaflet highlighted the following recommendations to meet security needs while minimising any negative impact on pedestrians:

• The width of the bollard placement should be larger than the protected exit
• Bollards should not be placed near narrow passageways
• Bollards should not force pedestrians to walk close to the road
• Potential pedestrian routes should be identified, and bollards should be placed to limit any disruption to these routes
• Bollards should be placed perpendicular to the direction of travel
• Areas that might have queues surrounding them or other conflicts should not be restricted by bollards
• Height and visibility should be taken into consideration
• Consider specialist site assessment in high or complex flow conditions

What is an integrated system?

An access control system can tell you exactly when someone entered the building or when unauthorised access occurred but without CCTV in place, this is the only information you will have. By installing CCTV cameras to watch an area that is also protected by access control, you will be able to note who is coming in and out of the building through recognition.

What are the benefits?

Knowledge of who is walking in when.

Although an access control system will let you know that access is authorised, coupled with CCTV, you will be able to tell which employee is entering when. Certain access control solutions use fobs which are not tailored to each employee. However, an integrated system uses both access control and CCTV to give you, as a business owner, greater knowledge of who is entering your premises.

Keep an eye on missing cards

This method also works well when an access card or fob has been reported as missing. If this card is then used to enter the building, you can see who has walked in. By capturing the image of the person entering the building, you can also keep an eye on anyone sneaking in after the door has been left open. If a door has been left open, your access system will be able to tell you this but with CCTV you will be able to tell if this has been an issue or just a mistake.

Prevent crime through deterrence

Finally, when you have CCTV alongside your access control system you can prevent crime through deterrence. It is common to advertise the use of CCTV as a warning. This is furthered with access control as a complex system will be harder to break and therefore limit anyone entering the building.

Automatic Car Park Barriers 

Automatic car park barriers are a popular choice for car parks in retail and office settings. They can automatically lift when there is car motion or be ticket operated, providing a smooth and efficient operation. We offer various sizes and styles and beam lengths. They are sleek and modern in design and will offer a reliable long-term investment. 

Manual Car Park Barriers 

Manual car park barriers are a low maintenance and cost-effective option of manually controlling access to restricted areas. The manual car park barriers work via a spring-loaded locking system enabling authorised personnel access to the padlock and put it into a raised or lowered position.  

These manual car park barriers can be installed to cover both roads and entrances up to 7 meters across. The arm of the manual car park barrier is aluminium and can be finished in the traditional red and white or yellow and black vinyl hatching or at request other colours.  

Height Restriction Barriers 

Height restriction barriers are useful to only allow smaller, lighter vehicles into a car park or area. These can be adjustable and will warn of the height so vans and lorries will be unable to access unsuitable areas. These are often used in underground, low level or multi-story car parks which are useful to prevent any vehicles having difficulty or getting stuck.  

Trust Unison to install your car park barrier! 

Unison are reputable supplier and maintainer of parking barriers for both the commercial and public sector. We provide height restriction barriers, as well as automatic and manual car park barriers. We provide everything in-house, working with only the best equipment available.  

We are experts in the industry and can give you qualified advice and recommendation for the best car park barrier to install. Every requirement is slightly different, so we will work with you to create a fit-for-purpose and secure design.  

Contact us today! 

Discuss your ideal security car park barrier with the experts at Unison today. Call us on 01215448470 or email on sales@unisoncctv.co.uk  

CCTV is something that has just become a feature of modern life. We’ve all waved at the camera in the supermarket to see ourselves on the screen behind the counter. But CCTV has obviously not been around since the dawn of time, in fact, the earliest documented use of CCTV wasn’t until 1942. We’re going to take you on a whirlwind tour of CCTV supply and installation. 

1942 – CCTV and the War

The first use of cameras to monitor an area for security purposes came from Germany in World War Two. Walter Bruch, a German electrical engineer and pioneer of German television, invented CCTV to monitor the launch of V-2 rockets. During this period, the US also monitored nuclear weapons tests through CCTV to maintain a safe distance. 

1949 – Commercial CCTV 

A US contractor, Vericon, started promoting CCTV to commercial audiences. The CCTV ran entirely on wires and did not require a government permit. This CCTV was predominantly used for businesses. They only comprised of camera and monitors and, therefore, couldn’t be used to record footage, only for live surveillance. It wasn’t until a couple of years later that primitive reel-to-reel recording systems were introduced. Even then, these tapes were unreliable and expensive, so, as you can imagine, were a rare occurrence. 

1969 – Home Security Patent

In 1969, Marie Van Brittan Brown won the US patent for home security systems. This encouraged people to look further into the concept of CCTV. It was no longer a distant curiosity but became something people wanted in their day to day lives. 

The 1970s-2000s – Introduction of VCR

Video cassette recordings were good for more than your mum’s home videos, they introduced recorded CCTV cameras. VCR made the previously inefficient service significantly quicker and easier. 

However, there was a limit to how much could be recorded on a VCR and this meant a lot of things were lost. If you’re a fan of true crime, you’ll know that a lot of key recordings that could have aided police investigations were recorded over through to the 90s. 

Today – CCTV as we know it 

Nowadays, we have network video recorders that encode videos to stream the footage for storage or remote viewing. NVR provides higher quality than VCR and CCTV is now state of the art. 

Check out Unison CCTV’s packages and provisions for various industries here or contact us. 

CCTV (Closed-circuit television) is a system in which a camera is used which signals are not publicly distributed but are monitored for surveillance and security purposes.   CCTV allows the system to use video cameras to monitor what is going on in or around a property.  This transmits the signal to either one monitor or a set of monitors.  The cameras communicate with monitors or video recorders and they gain a designated ‘close circuit’ to indicate that the content is limited to only those authorised to see it.

In the past, the older CCTV systems used small and very low resolution black and white monitors.  The more modern CCTV displays are now colour, high-resolution displays and you can even zoom in on an image and are clear enough to see a person’s features.

More and more people are using CCTV systems now at their home and their place of work.

Why CCTV is so important

They act as a deterrent for criminals.   This is probably the biggest and most obvious benefit of having CCTV.  Once they are installed people instantly feel a sense of security.  Homeowners will feel safer and more protected if there is CCTV security systems installed.  If the criminal sees the cameras they may decide that it is easier to move on elsewhere.  They may deter an intruder from your home.  Having a camera directly pointed at them and the thought of being captured red-handed is intimidating enough for criminals to move on.  It will prevent you from becoming an easy target.

Having a CCTV system and cameras installed in strategic places will help when you want to monitor actions.  Some cameras are not only capable of recording video but also audio as well.  They can help you make correct and fair decisions when settling any disputes, domestic or professional scenarios.  Some CCTV systems can even be viewed on smartphones or tablets.

Having CCTV in place can decrease your insurance policy costs.  Insurance companies see that you are at less risk of having any criminal damage so therefore will reduce the costs.

If your home is not properly secured and you are burgled, you may find that the insurance company will question your claim.  They have the right to refuse to pay out for any loss.

CCTV for Evidence

As well as being a criminal deterrent, CCTV can also be used for evidence towards insurance claims that you may not have had otherwise.  The more evidence you have to support your claim, the better.  This can prove beyond any doubt the circumstances surrounding your claim.

If your property is in a high crime rate area then having a CCTV system in place can help give an increased sense of reassurance and security.

Protecting your home or business may not be as complicated or expensive as you might think.  Organisations need to be proactive in protecting themselves.

If a CCTV system is installed correctly and used responsibly, you will realise and accept that there are so many benefits of having CCTV.