For any organization with mission-critical operations, avoiding disruptions is a must, but without understanding how and why disruptions occur, this can be a challenging task. Too often, organizations look for ways to mitigate damage caused by disruptions rather than looking for ways to stop disruptions from happening. This can be a major missed opportunity when protecting mission-critical operations, leading to costly delays and even personal harm to employees.

While it’s impossible to anticipate every incident, some of the most disruptive are caused by individuals looking to harm facilities, operations, or people. However, many organizations have no tools in place to check in and verify guests beyond a pen and paper sign-in sheet. This method offers little protection, can be easily bypassed or faked, and provides little value should an incident take place. Without the ability to identify potential threats and block their entry, organizations have a gaping vulnerability.

Visitor management systems offer a digital alternative that can help organizations verify guests, identify potential issues, and prevent unwanted visitors from gaining access to mission-critical areas. It starts with requiring every guest to present a photo ID upon entry to a facility. The ID is scanned, and the guest has their picture taken. Within seconds, that information is screened along with facial recognition against national databases, watchlists, legal injunctions, and an organization’s own banned visitor list to confirm the person’s identity. Issues are flagged and appropriate personnel are alerted, while permitted guests are given a printed badge. This demonstrates they have gone through the check-in process. The badge can restrict access to certain sensitive areas. With a visitor management system, organizations have the ability to standardize the check-in process for all guests, stop potential issues before they become major disruptions, and create digital logs that can be accessed at anytime from anywhere.

To further enhance the effectiveness of a visitor management system to support mission-critical operations, it’s important to understand that not all solutions are created equal. Some require costly proprietary hardware, which can slow down implementation, hinder the check-in process, and lead to issues if the hardware breaks or malfunctions. Having flexible hardware options, like tablets, laptops, and handheld scanners, means organizations can use the tools that fit their budget and environment to create the best possible check-in experience. No organization wants a guest to feel unwelcome when they arrive, but they do want to make sure they are taking every precaution to create a secure environment.

For this reason, organizations may also want to look for visitor management systems that integrate with other safety tools, like mass notification and incident management platforms. Should an issue arise, it’s vital to alert the right people as quickly as possible so they can intervene and provide assistance before circumstances escalate. Integration with mass notification tools can send alerts to targeted groups, like security teams or the entire staff, as texts and/or audio and visual signals. This multifaceted approach ensures those who need to know get the information as quickly as possible. From there, incident management tools can be used to collaborate virtually with key stakeholders and gain real-time insights as a situation unfolds to help bring about a successful resolution.

The other component organizations should consider is safety drill management. Conducting safety drills can be an effective way to prepare for and minimize the impact of a disruptive event, but carrying out those drills is sometimes easier said than done. Some visitor management systems also offer the ability to help organizations schedule, assign, and conduct safety drills with a digital tool. This eliminates bulky binders and complex coordination by centralizing management in a single system and creating digital records as drills are assigned and carried out. Organizations can then use these records to demonstrate compliance with local ordinances.

Protecting mission-critical operations means having the right tools in place. Visitor management systems offer an enhanced solution for organizations to leverage when trying to achieve that goal. By putting in measures at the front entrance, organizations can potentially stop disruptive incidents before they even have a chance to occur.