Communication is at the heart of any successful business and that goes for systems as well as people.

It’s so much easier to run an operation when we have access to critical information on an ongoing basis. Who hasn’t been frustrated by trying to back track to get data after an event, especially when trying to retrieve information on something that adversely impacts operations, such as a theft or a system failure?

Think about a data center. Something goes wrong with a server  and it’s your job to determine who was been involved. The room may have an access control system that shows who has entered and exited the room, but the individual server racks are locked with an ordinary key given to anyone with access to the room. Or, worse case scenario, there are no locks on the racks at all.

Instead, there is a logbook nearby with a note instructing anyone who accesses the servers needs to write down their name, date and time. But that simple task can be easily overlooked or ignored. So when the problem occurred, the only recourse was to look at the access data for the room itself and back track, hoping that you could determine from that who you need to contact and interview.

But what if your locks could do the “talking”? Advances in door controller technology now enable businesses to include wireless locks as part of the access system. Wireless locks on server racks or similar ones placed on drug cabinets can provide the detailed information that the written logs or door access can’t guarantee.

Healthcare operations, under the requirements of HIPAA regulations, need to have an audit trail telling them who is accessing drug carts or cabinets, or even medical files. Using a wireless lock linked to a door controller that captures access data will provide that critical information.

The use of wireless locks tied into the access system provides users with a higher level of security as well as a means to track and record data that may be needed when a situation occurs.

Additionally, this information isn’t just available to someone at the site where the servers are located, or limited to IT personnel working in the hospital. Instead, access to this data can be gained remotely, so the head of IT at the corporate data center can see who has unlocked a server at their facility across the country. And the person overseeing security for a group of hospitals can determine who is opening a drug cabinet even if they are in a different building or city. Further, any wireless lock can be tied to a specific video camera, such that an alarm on the wireless lock will cause that camera to pop up at a guard’s station to alert the operator and provide a live feed of the situation.

Wireless locks and how they interface with the overall security system has become an important line of defense and source of information for many enterprises.