Improving Health and Safety with Intercom Systems
While intercom technology and video surveillance provide a number of benefits on their own, combining the two can help organizations be more effective in managing visitors, occupancy and security.
In the last 345 days, organizations and communities all over the world had to adapt their day-today operations. Schools, commercial offices, hospitals, government facilities and countless others have been working to mitigate the impact and health risks of COVID-19. We are now seeing these facilities reopen their doors and implement new technologies while leveraging existing security infrastructure. A simple intercom system has been a security staple for a long time, but has now provided a new set of necessary capabilities.
Enhanced Visitor Management
Visitor management has been a piece of technology companies, organizations, universities, hospitals, etc. have been focusing their resources in recent years. As the pandemic increased the threat to public health and safety, the focus has been narrowed. It has become more important than ever to monitor traffic in and out of facilities to protect the health and safety of its visitors and staff. Intercom systems have been proving their importance for years and security technology has become more sophisticated along the way. Intercom capabilities have extended way beyond what they used to be. When a simple intercom is used in conjunction with an IP-based video system, intercoms can then provide visual confirmation of the visitor requesting entry into the facility.
Verifying a person’s identity and ensuring they have the proper credentials is key in visitor management. Integrating an intercom with a camera allows for real-time visual communication between the front office and outside the door. Thermal imaging has been another technology deployed in visitor management systems. The intercom is integrated with a thermal imaging camera that detects elevated temperatures and allows operators to communication health and safety protocols upon entry. For example, if a parent is dropping off a student and an elevated temperature is detected upon entry, the designated staff member can then talk through proper protocols to ensure the proper temperature is detected before access.
Occupancy Management
In today’s world, we are living at certain capacity, limited occupancies, and with facial covering requirements. Intercom systems have been proven to help manage these new guidelines and protect the community. This will allow a necessary personnel to visually confirm the person requesting access has proper facial covering and credentials to access the facility. This has been especially helpful in college dorms, where visitor access might be limited or not allowed at all during certain time frames. Through a video intercom, the lobby staff can confirm the identity of the student and ensure they have proper access to the building. This can also be handled through access control devices.
Remote Security Management
IP-based video intercoms also provide the ability to manage all these capabilities mentioned above, remotely. There’s increased flexibility and it allows for facility directors to move about the building while still managing entry and access to the building if need be. In the example of a college campus, the residence hall director would be able to answer the door from their room by connecting through her smart phone when someone requests entry.
End users have been and will continue to find value in a video intercom solutions that allows them direct communication to those requesting access to their facility, ensure the proper identity and credentials, and help them maintain the overall health and safety of all those who pass through their doors.
