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ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in opening solutions, highlights three key benefits for its customers: Innovation:  The company is dedicated to leading and pioneering new advancements in the industry, not just keeping up with current trends. Security:  ASSA ABLOY's core mission is to protect people and property through a range of solutions, including both access control and traditional mechanical locks. Team Support:  With a large team of specialists in the Carolinas, they offer comprehensive support. This includes assistance with specification writing, electromechanical support, training, and distributor support to ensure their customers have everything they need. LocDoc's Opening Management System (OMS)  is a data-driven solution designed to help property managers and building engineers efficiently manage their doors, locks, and keys. How it Works: LocDoc technicians conduct a door survey, placing a unique sticker  on each door or "opening." These stickers, along with the survey, collect critical data, including: The specific hardware on each door. Keying information, including which keys work with which doors. Service history and specifications for the opening. This data is compiled into a comprehensive system that allows you to easily track all the hardware and key management across your facilities. Key Benefits: Centralized Data:  The system provides a single, organized record of every opening, eliminating the need for scattered paper records or binders. Improved Key Management:  You can track every key cut and determine exactly which doors are affected if a key is lost or compromised, allowing for a faster and more targeted response. Enhanced Security:  By having a clear, digital record of all openings and keys, you can better protect your people and property. Better Decision Making:  The system gives you the data you need to make informed decisions about security and maintenance, ensuring all your hardware is consistent and up to date. OMS Overview Brivo's access control system is highlighted by three main features: Scalability:  The system is highly scalable, using the same equipment whether you're managing a single door or hundreds of doors across multiple facilities nationwide. Usability:  It is a cloud-based, browser-agnostic system. This means you can easily log in and manage the system from any browser without needing to install specialized software. API Integrations:  Brivo offers a wide range of integrations with thousands of other software platforms. This allows it to work seamlessly with existing systems for tasks like tenant management, membership management, and single sign-on with platforms like Active Directory. LocDoc, in partnership with Eagle Eye Networks, offers an intelligent video security system with three key benefits: Simplicity and Accessibility:  The system allows you to easily view live and recorded footage from anywhere using your iPhone or Android device. Cost-Effective Integration:  It can utilize your existing cameras and wiring, eliminating the need to spend thousands of dollars on new equipment. The footage is pushed to a cloud-based system. AI-Powered Intelligence:  The system uses artificial intelligence to make your cameras smarter. This allows you to quickly find specific events by searching for keywords such as "backpack," "car," or even a specific "license plate," rather than sifting through hours of footage.

Over the past 18 months we’ve all become increasingly aware of how easily germs can be passed from one person to another. Whether it’s covid, a greek labeled variant, influenza, or just a common cold, some of these will make headlines around the globe while others just make you miserable. Being exposed to any of these infectious diseases could make you miss school or work. A few years ago, no one would have thought twice about grabbing a shopping cart or shaking someone's hand. Now people are heavily conscious of germs, shopping carts are being sanitized by a team before shoppers even touch them, masks and gloves are common items to have on hand in purses and pockets, and handshakes have fallen out of favor with the repeated mantra of social distancing and 6 feet apart. There’s been a heightened focus on frequent hand washing and it’s now uncommon to see restrooms that don’t have motion activated toilets, sinks, soap dispensers, dryers and paper towel dispensers to reduce touching anything with your hands. Now the focal point has shifted from having clean hands to the areas we touch after they've been cleaned. Many universities, businesses, schools, and facility managers are facing the same dilema: How can we prevent or reduce the spread of any viruses whether now or even in the future? During the beginning of the pandemic our awareness of touch points grew by epic proportions. The sheer amount of things we touched just to enter a building and get to our office was overwhelming, not to mention the common touch points for hundreds of people entering and exiting. Just stop and visualize everything you touch walking to your office; the door handle to enter, the light switch if you’re the first one there, maybe you stop by the breakroom to put your lunch in the fridge, or grab a coffee from the coffee machine, you open your office door, touch your desk, open your laptop, or even start typing on a keyboard...the list goes on and on. Everyday, these touch points collect their fair share of microorganisms. However, when someone is infected with a virus, these seemingly harmless touch points quickly become a source of infection and transmission. Although there are plenty of commonly touched areas, The most common touch point to enter any building is the door handle. As people enter and exit a business the door may be touched hundreds or thousands of times in a week. If someone with germs or a virus on their hands touches that door, that means those hundreds or thousands of touches become possible infections or simply a hot spot for spreading germs. Reducing touchpoints has been a media hot topic especially with schools getting back to normal and offices slowly coming back to life with in person returns. Bringing large amounts of people into a shared space carries some risks and it is imperative that you help your customers and your Team stay healthy! This can be a perplexing problem for a business that depends on customers entering and exiting their building to buy their products, or even a property owner whose tenants are needing access in and out of a building. We need to help bridge the gap so our customers and clients feel safe when they get back to business as usual. By removing frequently touched items, you can help your team reduce the amount of pathogens in the environment and reduce the chance of passing a virus around your Facility or business. Touchless environments used to be something out of a science fiction novel or even as a special feature in hospitals. Now they are in demand and even considered a necessity in multiple areas of a building. With just a few components, any opening can become touchless and hands free! This ensures that there is zero contact on a surface that could be crawling with bacteria and allows everyone in the facility to have peace of mind that their health and safety is priority. Either through motion activation or access control (swiping a badge or using your phone to access the door), you can set up your doors so that they swing open without any touches. This will eliminate your touch points, help lessen exposure, and keep your team safe. Not only can this help prevent another pandemic from spreading so quickly, but your customers, who are just as worried as you are, will feel safer, and probably more likely to visit your business or property. So how can you make your building low touch or touchless? We’ve broken it down into 4 steps! Use Automatic Door Openers: These can be installed on High Traffic Exterior or Interior Doors and opened by using Motion Activated Buttons or a mobile app. Automatic door openers have already been useful and you’ve probably seen them with ADA push plates. Now, powered automatic door openers can be combined with a touch free wave to open switch or even a mobile pass on your cell phone that allows people to enter and exit without touching door handles. Leave interior doors open: Doors inside your business (that aren’t a security risk) can be left open! These could be in Breakrooms, Storerooms, Copy rooms, and even hallways. Being able to walk through multiple doors inside your building that you would normally use a handle or knob can help reduce touch points! You can easily do this with a door closer with a hold open arm. Add Arm or Foot Pulls: For the budget conscious, these low cost additions can be added to restroom doors, conference doors, or any pull to open doors to minimize touching with your hands! Simply use a forearm on an arm pull or your foot to utilize the foot pull! Add Crashbars: Crashbars are great to allow doors to be opened with a nudge of the hip. No matter if your hands are full or if you just want to minimize another hand touchpoint. Reduce those touch points in your facility and keep your team and your customers safe! Oh, and don’t forget to wash your hands!

As a busy property manager in Charlotte, you've got a million things to do every day, and they're all competing for your attention. Managing an office building, apartment complex, university dormitory, or other property is a challenging job that can be especially difficult if you are responsible for multiple properties and have to travel between them frequently. If this sounds like you, there's something you can do to make life easier: mobile access management. Mobile access management combines access control (key card / fob system) that is connected to the cloud with smart locks and apps for your phone making it easy for administrators to adjust privileges for users. Using a mobile credential makes it possible for every single person at your property to open, close, lock and unlock doors from anywhere in the world. This has enormous benefits: Mobile access management lets people you approve use their phones instead of key fobs or keys. This means no more juggling multiple keys or fobs to get in and out of your building. It also means no more replacing lost keys or fobs (which can be costly). The tenants themselves are responsible for managing their own access with their phone. So as soon as an employee leaves or a tenant moves out, their credentials can be automatically revoked. That's one less thing for you to worry about. Granting access to an apartment complex or office building in Charlotte used to require either a physical key or an electronic fob. Now, mobile access offers a better way: using your smartphone to open doors across locations. Mobile access replaces key fobs and key cards with smartphone apps. To open a door, employees, residents and guests simply tap their smartphone against the smart lock reader or use the mobile app. And because mobile access control systems are digital, administrators can adjust access privileges on-the-fly — anytime, anywhere — even when they’re not at the property. To get started, you need a key card or access control system. These Access Control systems are usually already in place on most commercial buildings, but if you don’t have one on your building, don’t worry, we can help with that. What Are The Benefits of Using a Key Card System or Access Control System? No Lost Keys: One of the benefits of using an access control system is the elimination of physical keys. Sometimes keys are lost and rekeying a building and distributing new keys can be costly. Having a key card system or access system can utilize key fobs, key cards, and even electronic credentials that work on your mobile phone or smart watch. If a key card or key fob is lost, you can easily disable it and assign a new credential without the expense of rekeying a whole office building. Having Audit Trails: Another benefit for an Access Control System is the data they track. Once a user is assigned a credential, you can see if and when someone entered an area and a specific time. Physical keys don’t leave an audit trail. Key Management: Depending on your role, you may need to enter many different buildings or rooms. This can be a hassle if you have to have a physical key for every door. With an Access system, it’s as easy as a few clicks to assign areas and buildings for different users. Increased Control: Using an Access Control System makes it easy to manage who can enter, which doors they can open, and specific times they can access the building. Why Would You Want To Upgrade Your Existing Key Card System? Some older existing systems were run on old windows computers housed at multiple locations. Having to travel to each location to make changes to who had access to the building was wasting a lot of time. With New technology, we can convert old access systems to a Cloud Based Management Software to easily make changes no matter where our customer is. No more traveling to different locations and working on old computers. This system can be accessed from your mobile phone, laptop, tablet, and even a desktop at home. Some of the benefits are: Using Cloud Based Technology Gives You Freedom: no driving to different locations, easily managed. You Can Manage One Location or One Hundred: have multiple properties? No problem! Manage from ANY Device: mobile phone, tablet, laptop, desktop – no complicated software, just an easy interface. Reduced Maintenance: with a Cloud Based System, you don’t have to mess with physical servers, software licenses or updates or patches. Secure Credentials: You can quickly issue or revoke in the system from anywhere in the world. Issue Digital Credentials: This is a credential shared to a smartphone and is great for people that forget their card and even vendors. Next, a mobile key or credential is able to be utilized and assigned to users. A mobile credential is like a key but in a digital version. This digital key is sent to your phone through email and is assigned to your device. Here are some of the Features of a Mobile Credential: Tap a single button to open the closest door Have one credential/ key for multiple facilities and building amenities. Add favorite doors that you frequent to the main menu Use Siri voice commands for hands-free operation It's an increasingly popular solution for organizations in Charlotte that want to offer greater convenience and flexibility to their employees, tenants and visitors, while maintaining a high level of security. Your property is your business, and you need to be able to manage it from anywhere. With mobile access control management, you can grant necessary access and control the property from anywhere at any time. Ready to take control of your buildings? Contact us today to set up a consultation and make your life easier.

ADDING AN ACCESS CONTROL SYSTEM TO YOUR CHARLOTTE, NC BUSINESS’ SECURITY PLAN WILL ENSURE THAT NO ONE GETS INTO YOUR BUILDING THAT YOU DON’T WANT TO BE THERE. Commercial Access Control in Charlotte – As a business owner in Charlotte, North Carolina, you probably feel a little overwhelmed by the wide variety of security options open to you. It can be difficult to know which security features actually work, and which ones will just drain your business’ budget. At Loc-Doc, Inc., we know which security features are actually beneficial to businesses in the area, and one of these is commercial access control. ​ If you have a large number of employees working for you, commercial access control systems are also highly beneficial. This is because you will not have to change all the locks on your business’ doors every time an employee loses their key– you simply reconfigure the access control system. In addition to this, you don’t have to worry about an employee secretly duplicating their key and giving it to someone who doesn’t belong at the workplace, and you don’t have to give each employee different keys for each room or area you want them to have access to– you simply configure their keycard to give them secure admittance. ​ With all of these benefits, adding an access control system to your business’ security plan will ensure that no one gets into your building that you don’t want to be there. To find out more about how your business can benefit from an access control system, give us a call at Loc-Doc, Inc. today.

Looking for more than just surveillance when choosing a camera system for your property? With countless camera options nowadays it can be overwhelming as a consumer to choose the right one or even if you need one! Being able to see exactly what's going on at your place of business from your phone or computer is amazing but what if there were more analytics giving you the ability to improve your business operations! Track how many people visited your location, stopped by your display, and even ow often they passed by your store. Be alerted if someone was loitering, vandalizing your business or even dumping trash! It's time for you to take advantage of this technology! Contact us today for more information about our cloud based camera systems!

If you are a business owner in Charlotte, North Carolina, don’t just let anyone install the doors at your location– turn to us at Loc-Doc, Inc. With over 50 years of combined experience in the industry, we know exactly what to look for when it comes to securing your business, and it all starts with having the doors at your office building or your warehouse installed correctly. FORGOING PROPER COMMERCIAL DOOR INSTALLATION COULD COMPROMISE YOUR CHARLOTTE, NC BUSINESS SECURITY. Commercial Door Installation in Charlotte – You wouldn’t leave your front door wide open for a burglar to walk right into your home at night . . . and the same is true for your business. However, without proper commercial door installation, this is essentially what you are doing. If your business has recently moved from one commercial location to another, or you built a new building to operate out of, you may be tempted to let the person you purchased your new doors from installing them, as well. At Loc-Doc, Inc., we strongly advise against this because forgoing proper commercial door installation could compromise your business’ security. Securing your business these days involves so much more than just turning a key to lock the doors. It’s increasingly important to be able to monitor who comes and goes, especially if you have 24-hour operations. Access control is a great way to keep track of your employees, manage the security of your business, and decrease the likelihood of a break-in. Ask us about commercial access control installation for your business today and enjoy greater peace of mind! Our commercial door installation service involves a lot more than just making sure the door we install can open or close correctly and that it doesn’t come off the hinges. We make sure that not only is the door functioning properly, but its locks are also completely secure and cannot be easily tampered with. If you have been looking for a company to install a few new doors at your business location, don’t let just anyone handle the job. Turn to the security experts at Loc-Doc, Inc. for professional, affordable, and unprecedented service.

If you are in need of a Traffic Control solution, then you are in the right place. We have electronic control experts ready to install new gates or take a look at a malfunctioning one. Whether is is a sliding gate, a parking gate arm, a center split gate, or any other type of gate, we got you covered. There are a ton of different Traffic Control solutions out there. If you are feeling overwhelmed with options or even wondering if a Traffic Control solution is necessary for your property, we have the expertise to advise you. Most Traffic Control solutions involve some type of gate. There are sliding gates, parking gate arms, and even custom gates to name a few. We specialize in all types of electronic access control. Not sure if you need this type of solution? Here are some reasons you may want to have a Traffic Control Solution installed: Non-residents parking in the complex is causing residents to not be able to park in their designated areas. If people are using the complex as a cut through, a Traffic Control Solution can discourage thru traffic. Being able to track who enters and leaves the area and at what times. This is also a great way to prior plan for events and move ins. Our Technicians can even connect your Traffic Control Solution to an existing Access Control System! This allows people to use their access control credentials to enter and exit the complex or parking area.

Do you struggle with wanting to improve your Leadership skills or develop personally to be a better leader? On this episode of Coffee Break, Chad Lingafelt shares the 5 books that helped him develop personally and the impact it had on the way he leads our organization. Book 1: Turn the Ship Around – L. David Marquet Turn the Ship Around! is the true story of how the Santa Fe skyrocketed from worst to first in the fleet by challenging the U.S. Navy’s traditional leader-follower approach. Struggling against his own instincts to take control, he instead achieved the vastly more powerful model of giving control. No matter your business or position, you can apply Marquet’s radical guidelines to turn your own ship around. The payoff: a workplace where everyone around you is taking responsibility for their actions, where people are healthier and happier, where everyone is a leader. Book 2: Powerful – Patty McCord McCord advocates practicing radical honesty in the workplace, saying good-bye to employees who don’t fit the company’s emerging needs, and motivating with challenging work, not promises, perks, and bonus plans. Her road-tested advice, offered with humor and irreverence, provides readers a different path for creating a culture of high performance and profitability. Powerful will change how you think about work and the way a business should be run. Book 3: Radical Candor – Kim Scott The idea is simple: You don’t have to choose between being a pushover and a jerk. Using Radical Candor—avoiding the perils of Obnoxious Aggression, Manipulative Insincerity, and Ruinous Empathy—you can be kind and clear at the same time. Radical Candor is about caring personally and challenging directly, about soliciting criticism to improve your leadership and also providing guidance that helps others grow. It focuses on praise but doesn’t shy away from criticism—to help you love your work and the people you work with. Book 4: The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team – Patrick M. Lencioni Lencioni’s utterly gripping tale serves as a timeless reminder that leadership requires as much courage as it does insight. Throughout the story, Lencioni reveals the five dysfunctions which go to the very heart of why teams even the best ones-often struggle. He outlines a powerful model and actionable steps that can be used to overcome these common hurdles and build a cohesive, effective team. Book 5: Traction – Gino Wickman Do you have a grip on your business, or does your business have a grip on you? In Traction, you’ll learn the secrets of strengthening the six key components of your business. You’ll discover simple yet powerful ways to run your company that will give you and your leadership team more focus, more growth, and more enjoyment.

You Don’t have to dread having Meetings! On this episode of Coffee Break, Chad Lingafelt chats with Thomas Heavey, our Training Director, about how we’ve transformed our Team and Company Culture through informative Meetings. We dive deep into Why we do Team Meetings, How we do Team meetings, & the Benefits of these meetings. We have 3 Major Meetings at Loc-Doc Security: All Team Meeting on Monday Morning to Kick off the Week (15 minute Conference Call) All Team Meeting on Wednesday Morning (90 minute Group Gathering at Headquarters) Leadership Meeting Alternating Weeks (90 minutes) How you manage your meetings reflects the leadership and management of your Organization! If the meeting is inconsistent with starting on time, or there is no specific goals set or outcome for the meeting, your business is probably run in the same fashion. You can send a clear message about your culture to your team by the way that you or your leadership conducts meetings. Be sure that your team members know in advance what is expected ; having clear expectations of start and end times can help inspire efficient and productive meetings. Here are 7 Tips that have helped to improve our meetings! Tip 1: Start on Time We ensure each meeting starts on time and ends on time, that everyone is on the call or in their seat because we respect each team members time. It’s a simple but effective message to send when your meetings start on time and end on time. We strive to honor our dismissal time so that our team and our customers won’t be impacted by any late arrivals. One of the first things that we do to kick off our Wednesday Team Meetings, is to have each team member share 1 positive thing that happened during the week. Starting the conversation on a positive and encouraging note helps to drive the right culture of positivity leaving everyone in a great frame of mind and receptive to learning. Tip 2: Keep it On Track We have a set agenda or format to keep the meeting on track. After discussing and informing the team of new items to be aware of or upcoming events, we usually break into small groups to focus on specialized training for each department. This ensures that we utilize the time wisely and our small groups can focus on developing their skill set within their own realm. For example, we have different education specifically for team members in the electronics division, locksmith division, and even accounting department. Instead of broad education with all team members, we get down to the micro level. Tip 3: Use Technology and a Shareable Platform We use Google slides to present in meetings which is easy to utilize, has the ability to have multiple contributors, and everyone is able to manage their portion of the presentation.We also use RingCentral for communication. Our meeting is live streamed to team members that work remotely and each meeting is archived for reference. Tip 4: Collaborate with your Leadership We gather once a week with our leaders to communicate 4 things in each department. A Big Win – Something Accomplished that they’ve been working on. Benchmarks – What is expected and is it being met? What they need help with Next Big Thing – What they are working on? We ensure this meeting is efficient by making it technology free (no cell phones or distractions). This helps us stay in unity throughout the week and has helped to speed up the growth of our organization by creating motion. Tip 5: Future Minded Goals We look at the calendar and plan out themes for each month and topics of education. Tip 6: Avoid Calling People Out Avoid being reactive in order to initiate positive change. Look for trends and issues that can be addressed broadly instead of calling people out in a team setting. Those conversations are usually best had in a private one on one meeting. Tip 7: Prepare Mentally to Set the Tone The person leading the meeting has to be prepared mentally to communicate clearly and set the tone. If your leader is tired or groggy, your audience will respond in the same fashion. For more information about our meetings, or for shareable examples of our meetings, contact us through email info@locdoc.net

Chad Lingafelt chats with Frank Schwartz President of F3 Charlotte and Head of Training & Development at G3L Leadership. Frank is a clever and quick witted personality with a passion for developing leaders. On this episode, we dive into creating opportunities for leadership within your organization, touch on millennials leading in the workplace, and discuss how you can be a more effective leader. Follow Frank: Twitter: @leadwithvirtue & @darkhelmetf3 LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/frankschwartz/ Subscribe | New Episodes Tuesdays 9am EST

We are counting down the top 5 takeaways from 2019. EP 21 – Kurt Graves on Carefrontation Kurt Graves from Vistage talks about Carefrontation (Care + Confrontation) and how to have real conversations as a leader. EP 22 – Scott Baker on Company Culture Scott Baker shares how to cultivate a positive company culture. EP 48 – Frank Schwartz on Leaders Leading Leaders Frank Schwartz of G3L Leadership Professional Training & Coaching, talks about SAOF and shares what it takes to lead a group of leaders. EP 39 – Lucas Boselli on Qualities Necessary to Lead Lucas Boselli shares his leadership style, capacity, and the preparation you need to become a leader. EP 26 – Blair Primis on Leading through Change Blair Primis shares on how to lead an organization though change and the 4 R’s of leadership to get you there. A special thanks to the following people behind the scenes who make this possible. First, Aaron Beaver who has improved the quality of the video, audio, lighting, and so much more. He joined our team in July and has really brought great energy, a wealth of knowledge, and a dedication to quality. Next, Jessica Lingafelt, who coordinates the guests, handles show notes and summaries (like the one you’re reading now), thumbnail graphics, scheduling of episodes, blogs, and a lot of back end operations. Last, Chris Lowery, who runs the control board and makes sure the cameras are on the right people at the right time. We couldn’t have made 52 episodes this year without all of our wonderful guests who were willing to participate and share their experiences. We are super excited about Season 3 and all that is to come! We have a lot of great guests lined up for the New Year so make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any of this amazing advice to become a better business leader!

We are kicking off the new year and season 3 strong with this new episode of Coffee Break Podcast! Listen as Chad Lingafelt chats with Neil McLean, EOS Implementer, all about traction, setting and achieving company goals, and if your business is taking a bus or taking a plane to get there. Connect with Neil directly to implement EOS at your business! Direct Line: (803)546-9223 Website: www.sagaciouspartners.com Profile: www.linkedin.com/in/nmclean

When it comes to securing your business, you want to make sure that the commercial door locks on the doors at your warehouse or office space are highly secure. If you come to us at Loc-Doc, Inc., we can help. When you call us for a free estimate for your Charlotte, North Carolina business, we can give you a good idea of what changing out all of the locks on your business will cost and help you devise ways to further secure your business. CONTACT US FOR A FREE ESTIMATE ON INSTALLING NEW COMMERCIAL DOOR LOCKS AT YOUR CHARLOTTE, NC BUSINESS. Commercial Door Locks in Charlotte – The door locks that are on the front door of your home should be different from the commercial door locks you use at your office. THIS IS BECAUSE: While a traditional door lock can keep thieves from entering your home, criminals can easily pick these locks at your business, giving them almost instant access to your business's important documents, funds, servers, and other assets. When you’re at work, you probably leave your keys in a variety of different places or give them to other employees to use. This could result in one of your keys being duplicated and given to someone who should not have it. Traditional locks can be easily sawed off or pried open to give an intruder access to your business. TOP REASONS FOR REPLACING DOOR LOCKS It’s inevitable – there will be a time when your door locks fail or you have some other reason that they need to be changed. Other times, knowing when to replace your door locks isn’t so clear. Here are some top reasons you’ll want to make a change: You hire new staff at your home or business. Your door lock is damaged or malfunctioning. You’ve lost your keys. Your entire home or business needs to be outfitted with new doors. Your door locks have sustained too much wear & tear, making them less secure. Unlike traditional locks, commercial door locks are designed to keep intruders out. Don’t let your business go unprotected another day because, just when you think something won’t happen, it probably will. At Loc-Doc, Inc., we can ensure that your business is secure, that your employees are safe, and that ultimately your business interests and assets are completely protected.

STOP CARRYING AROUND AN EXCESSIVE NUMBER OF KEYS AND GET A KEYPAD LOCK INSTALLED. Keypads are an awesome alternative to regular keyed entry locks. By utilizing a number pad and a programmed code, they allow you to unlock your door with a code. They are highly secure and can be utilized along with a high security deadbolt to really up your security. Keypads also give your home a more modern look, if that is your thing. Nowadays everyone has heard the term “Smart Home”. It refers to having your air conditioning, lights, music, refrigerator, and everything else in your house automated. Go ahead and add your door locks to the list by installing an integrated touch screen keypad. Keypad locks are a great way to lose your keys, for good. Not having that extra set of keys in your pocket feels kind of nice. Especially when you realize that you will never be locked out again. There is something oddly satisfying about typing in a code to enter your code. Just push a few buttons, listen to the sound of an expertly engineered lock retracting from your door frame, and then step into your home. Loc-Doc Security stands behind all of its installed products. If you don’t believe me, just ask owner Chad Lingafelt, who happens to have a Yale Assure Keypad Lock installed on his front door.

Are you working for your camera system or is your camera system working for you? Having cameras at your property helps you protect the value of your business and gives your customers a sense of safety while on the premises. Although some camera monitoring setups can be extremely complicated, it doesn’t have to be! Today we are talking about how to simplify your security camera system and some of the benefits of a simplified Cloud Based Camera System. At Loc-Doc Security, Our Mission is to help you protect your people and your property. We continue to share information like this to help you be informed so you can know the best solutions for the security of your property. First, let’s explain the different systems available. DVR (Digital Video Recorder): If you’ve ever had cable television, you may have experience with a DVR player. This device will record tv shows directly to itself so you can watch it later. It was also a popular option in the early 2000s for use in Security Camera Systems. It would normally be set up with analog cameras with cables run directly to the DVR. It usually required space in a secure room and a computer setup to view the live and recorded video. Although there has been great innovation in the security camera industry, there are still some commercial properties and businesses that use DVR. One of the major drawbacks of utilising a DVR camera system is having to be physically onsite to view any footage. The other drawbacks would be storing the footage on a local drive at the site. If there was an issue with the DVR or it was intentionally damaged or stolen, all the footage would be permanently gone. Cloud Security Camera System: A cloud based security camera system uses similar technology as any other cloud based streaming service. If you’ve ever used Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, or Google Drive, you’ve used a cloud based service. The same technology is used for a Cloud Based Camera System. This type of platform allows cameras to be installed wherever an internet connection is available and be independent from a physical recording device. This also uses PoE that we mentioned in a previous article. All footage goes immediately to the cloud using a bridge to stream it and making it available for you to view on a mobile phone, tablet or computer from anywhere. A cloud based camera system is the best for those that want maximum flexibility in surveillance. With the cloud, you have immediate backup of any footage as well as immediate access to live and recorded video. Here are some of the benefits of a Cloud Based Camera System: You Will Save Money & Space! By using a Cloud Based Camera System, your video footage captured (data) of your property is safely stored in the cloud. This means you don’t have to worry about expensive or large hardware that will eventually break down or potentially risk losing your data. A traditional video surveillance system can be complicated and expensive mostly because of software to buy and install, having to manage licenses, codes or keys, and constantly maintaining an up to date Operating System for it to function properly. Using the Cloud eliminates all the headaches that come with a traditional system. Plus, since the data is in the cloud, it is available from any device that has an internet connection, and can be quickly accessed and distributed at the touch of a button. You can quickly view live cloud video, search historic video, adjust camera settings, and email videos – from any mobile device. It’s not complicated and actually simple for anyone to use! Event Detection & Notification in Real Time A Cloud Based Camera System offers unique features like event detection and notifications that happen in real time. You will always know what’s happening on your property with unlimited motion detection for each camera! You can rest assured that cloud video surveillance images are continuously analyzed in real-time and you can be alerted when an event occurs. Some of the functions include Line Crossing, Intrusion Detection, Loitering Detection, and Object Counting that can monitor patterns to help you make smarter business decisions, look at potential avenues for saving money, an ability to improve sales, and increasing your visitors’ satisfaction. Another tool that can be beneficial to some is the First Responder Real Time Cloud Video Access. You can grant access or designate in advance certain first responders who can receive real time cloud camera access during an emergency situation. Your cameras stay private until they are activated in an emergency situation. By granting this access, you can eliminate any delays and help in an Emergency situation. Central Management, Flexibility & Scalability Do you have multiple business sites? Large groups of people on your team? No problem. Using a Cloud Based Camera System means you have access to all the Central Management tools that you need! This allows you to delegate who has access, revoke access to users no longer on your team, and track user activity of the cloud video surveillance system. The best part is that you can do All of this from any web browser anywhere in the world. There are no plugins or software to install. If you use a Mac or a PC it doesn’t matter. It works across all platforms and all devices from iPad to Android and even Chromebook! The other thing that comes to mind is the question ” Is my data safe?”. The short answer is “Yes”! All data and video is encrypted, and there are no open ports to the Internet. Only the right people that you authorize will get access to your data. Another positive is the ability to be flexible and scalable. This cloud video surveillance system gives you the flexibility to choose your own cloud video cameras, or use the cameras that are already installed. These are just a few of the many benefits of a cloud based camera system. For more information on these solutions, or for a custom crafted solution for your facility, request a consultation with our Professional Security Experts easily and on your schedule!

As a busy property manager in Charlotte, you've got a million things to do every day, and they're all competing for your attention. Managing an office building, apartment complex, university dormitory, or other property is a challenging job that can be especially difficult if you are responsible for multiple properties and have to travel between them frequently. If this sounds like you, there's something you can do to make life easier: mobile access management. Mobile access management combines access control (key card / fob system) that is connected to the cloud with smart locks and apps for your phone making it easy for administrators to adjust privileges for users. Using a mobile credential makes it possible for every single person at your property to open, close, lock and unlock doors from anywhere in the world. This has enormous benefits: Mobile access management lets people you approve use their phones instead of key fobs or keys. This means no more juggling multiple keys or fobs to get in and out of your building. It also means no more replacing lost keys or fobs (which can be costly). The tenants themselves are responsible for managing their own access with their phone. So as soon as an employee leaves or a tenant moves out, their credentials can be automatically revoked. That's one less thing for you to worry about. Granting access to an apartment complex or office building in Charlotte used to require either a physical key or an electronic fob. Now, mobile access offers a better way: using your smartphone to open doors across locations. Mobile access replaces key fobs and key cards with smartphone apps. To open a door, employees, residents and guests simply tap their smartphone against the smart lock reader or use the mobile app. And because mobile access control systems are digital, administrators can adjust access privileges on-the-fly — anytime, anywhere — even when they’re not at the property. To get started, you need a key card or access control system. These Access Control systems are usually already in place on most commercial buildings, but if you don’t have one on your building, don’t worry, we can help with that. What Are The Benefits of Using a Key Card System or Access Control System? No Lost Keys: One of the benefits of using an access control system is the elimination of physical keys. Sometimes keys are lost and rekeying a building and distributing new keys can be costly. Having a key card system or access system can utilize key fobs, key cards, and even electronic credentials that work on your mobile phone or smart watch. If a key card or key fob is lost, you can easily disable it and assign a new credential without the expense of rekeying a whole office building. Having Audit Trails: Another benefit for an Access Control System is the data they track. Once a user is assigned a credential, you can see if and when someone entered an area and a specific time. Physical keys don’t leave an audit trail. Key Management: Depending on your role, you may need to enter many different buildings or rooms. This can be a hassle if you have to have a physical key for every door. With an Access system, it’s as easy as a few clicks to assign areas and buildings for different users. Increased Control: Using an Access Control System makes it easy to manage who can enter, which doors they can open, and specific times they can access the building. Why Would You Want To Upgrade Your Existing Key Card System? Some older existing systems were run on old windows computers housed at multiple locations. Having to travel to each location to make changes to who had access to the building was wasting a lot of time. With New technology, we can convert old access systems to a Cloud Based Management Software to easily make changes no matter where our customer is. No more traveling to different locations and working on old computers. This system can be accessed from your mobile phone, laptop, tablet, and even a desktop at home. Some of the benefits are: Using Cloud Based Technology Gives You Freedom: no driving to different locations, easily managed. You Can Manage One Location or One Hundred: have multiple properties? No problem! Manage from ANY Device: mobile phone, tablet, laptop, desktop – no complicated software, just an easy interface. Reduced Maintenance: with a Cloud Based System, you don’t have to mess with physical servers, software licenses or updates or patches. Secure Credentials: You can quickly issue or revoke in the system from anywhere in the world. Issue Digital Credentials: This is a credential shared to a smartphone and is great for people that forget their card and even vendors. Next, a mobile key or credential is able to be utilized and assigned to users. A mobile credential is like a key but in a digital version. This digital key is sent to your phone through email and is assigned to your device. Here are some of the Features of a Mobile Credential: Tap a single button to open the closest door Have one credential/ key for multiple facilities and building amenities. Add favorite doors that you frequent to the main menu Use Siri voice commands for hands-free operation It's an increasingly popular solution for organizations in Charlotte that want to offer greater convenience and flexibility to their employees, tenants and visitors, while maintaining a high level of security. Your property is your business, and you need to be able to manage it from anywhere. With mobile access control management, you can grant necessary access and control the property from anywhere at any time. Ready to take control of your buildings? Contact us today to set up a consultation and make your life easier.

What is an exit device? An exit device is a door hardware component that is meant to act as an emergency escape mechanism. They are sometimes called panic bar exits since in an emergency situation, people tend to panic while trying to escape a building. They are usually found inside the door on the middle section. The bar extends along the width of the door and is opened by pushing on the bar. Push bars are used in buildings to make them safer by allowing people to exit a building quickly by simply pressing a bar that unlatches the door. Occupants in buildings with push bars can leave the building quickly since the bars are typically spring-loaded and swing in the direction of an exit. An exit device will always release the door under any circumstance. Casualties for many modern disasters have been lessened because of devices like push bars. Push bars, panic bars, and other exit devices ensure that an exit door remains secure. Push bars can guarantee a confident lock on doors that are meant to be exit-only. Panic bars sound an alarm when a door is accessed that is meant to remain closed. Other commercial security exit devices work to maintain a sealed lock on rarely used doors.

Have you noticed your door slamming shut when it used to close smoothly? Why is the door slamming? Why isn’t the door latching shut like it used to? The answer could be simply a change in the season or weather! Door closers are the mechanical piece mostly found at the top corner of the door and are important in keeping doors and locks secure. Though they come in all shapes and sizes, their purpose remains the same. Door closers are designed to close a door after it has been opened. They can also be electronically powered to help open doors for people that aren't able to open them independently. We see these on many commercial buildings to help meet ADA compliance. They are also used on fire doors and other types of exterior doors to help prevent the spread of flames and smoke in the event of a fire. Door Closers are also used to keep out drafts and regulate room temperature in interior spaces. Without door closers to ensure your exterior doors seal properly, your building could be at risk! Sometimes, at the end of long work days, employees are more focused on heading home than making sure the door closes behind them. It takes only a few seconds for an intruder to intercept an open door and enter your property without your knowledge. Door Closers help prevent that by ensuring that the door is latched shut. Why does the weather affect your door closer? Inside of the door closer is hydraulic fluid. The change in cold or hot weather can affect the hydraulic fluid and lead to a loss of pressure. They should be checked in every season and adjusted as the weather changes.

What is a Key Card System? What is a Key Fob System? Today we are going to answer the question: What is a Key Card System? A Key Card System is a way to control who can enter a location. This can be a way to control who can enter certain areas, like employees, contractors, janitorial staff, and even visitors. Today we will look at what makes up a key card system and the benefits of using one. At Loc-Doc Security, Our Mission is to help you protect your people and your property. We continue to share information like this to help you be informed so you can know the best solutions for the security of your property. Most Key Card systems are made up of several components like a power supply, main panel, card reader, and electric strike. Generally, a user would produce a key card or key fob that is scanned at a reader near a door. This credential opens the door and gives access to the area. This is also good for knowing who has been in what locations and for how long. A power supply does exactly what it says and supplies power to the main panel. The main panel is connected to a card reader and communicates with each other and the electric strike. When a card is presented to the card reader, the panel will communicate and check if the user has access to the door. If it does have access, the panel will send a signal to the electric strike to open the door. This all happens rapidly with the permissions set up and data transmitted in milliseconds. All of these components are variable and able to be expanded depending on the size of the location. One of the main components that is not shown is a computer controlling the users and access parameters. These days, a physical computer is no longer necessary and 100% of these systems are cloud based. This is a huge benefit when managing multiple locations. What Are The Benefits of Using a Key Card System? No Lost Keys – One of the benefits of using an access control system is the elimination of physical keys. Sometimes keys are lost and rekeying a building and distributing new keys can be costly. Having a key card system or access system can utilize key fobs, key cards, and even electronic credentials that work on your mobile phone or smart watch. If a key card or key fob is lost, you can easily disable it and assign a new credential without the expense of rekeying a whole office building. Having Audit Trails – Another benefit for an Access Control System is the data they track. Once a user is assigned a credential, you can see if and when someone entered an area and a specific time. Physical keys don’t leave an audit trail. Key Management – Depending on your role, you may need to enter many different buildings or rooms. This can be a hassle if you have to have a physical key for every door. With an Access system, it’s as easy as a few clicks to assign areas and buildings for different users. Increased Control – Using an Access Control System makes it easy to manage who can enter, which doors they can open, and specific times they can access the building. Why Would You Want To Upgrade Your Existing Key Card System? Some older existing systems were run on old windows computers housed at multiple locations. Having to travel to each location to make changes to who had access to the building was wasting a lot of time. With New technology, we can convert old access systems to a Cloud Based Management Software to easily make changes no matter where our customer is. No more traveling to different locations and working on old computers. This system can be accessed from your mobile phone, laptop, tablet, and even a desktop at home. Some of the benefits are: Using Cloud Based Technology Gives You Freedom: no driving to different locations, easily managed. You Can Manage One Location or One Hundred: have multiple properties? No problem! Manage from ANY Device: mobile phone, tablet, laptop, desktop – no complicated software, just an easy interface. Reduced Maintenance: with a Cloud Based System, you don’t have to mess with physical servers, software licenses or updates or patches. Secure Credentials: You can quickly issue or revoke in the system from anywhere in the world. Issue Digital Credentials: This is a credential shared to a smartphone and is great for people that forget their card and even vendors.

One of our favorite features for mobile access credentials is Brivo’s Twist & Go for iPhone or Android. Here are 3 ways that this Bluetooth enabled feature will make entering your facility easy to use. 1) Security Gates: Many facilities have security gates to keep unauthorized vehicles out of their location. From commercial buildings to HOA communities, security gates are often a great help for security purposes. However it can become a burdensome and annoying process. Sometimes it requires an intercom system, which requires someone to man the opening. Sometimes it is a fob or a code, which can be lost or forgotten. With Twist & Go, the entrant simply presents their phone and twists, which will activate the entrance. This can save time and money on a massive scale, especially for more heavily trafficked entrances. 2) Building Entrances: Another important security point for a business is the entrance of the building. Many companies need to keep the entrances of a building secure from unauthorized access; some attempt to do this with physical keys, which can be lost and which wear down over time. Not to mention these need to be replaced or rekeyed with each loss to prevent security compromise. Others will use a fob system or a keypad but these also require the employees to keep track of their credentials. With a Twist & Go feature, employees can enter the facility with a flick of the wrist! 3) Interior Doors: There are countless interior doors at a facility that need to be secured. Generally these are offices or rooms that keep secure and valuable equipment or information. Many companies are content with a different key that is only presented to the authorized employee. However, with employment changes also will come changes in key security as well, which will require rekeys. Twist & Go technology offers a seamless process for access to secure rooms. Simply remove the old user and add the new one with a few taps on your phone. You can even set the schedule your employees will have access. With Brivo Twist & Go, you can open and secure your building easily with a simple mobile device! With us as your security guide, you can trust that we will be there to help you make the best choice and take care of what’s important to you. Let’s meet and talk more about how you can protect what’s important, be it people, property, or products.