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Securing your estate beyond the gate

Gated communities and lifestyle estates are commonplace in South Africa. These sanctuaries offer residents peace of mind and freedom. Protecting these spaces requires a modern, intelligent approach. Gone are the days of a fence and gate to do the trick. A truly intelligent system protects both physical and digital perimeters. It must be a fully integrated ecosystem.

ATG Digital believes that effective security rests on six pillars. These are visitor management, tenant management, perimeter security, power continuity, cloud intelligence, and legal compliance.

Digital first visitor management

Visitor and contract management can be an estate’s weakest link. This is particularly true if it still relies on manual systems, such as sign-in books or unsecured PIN codes. These methods are vulnerable to error and exploitation.

An intelligent security system uses a strong, digital foundation:

• Digitise your visitor registration to create a verifiable audit trail.

• Capture a visitor’s driver’s licence and vehicle details at the gate.

• Pre-registering guests with unique, single-use codes is essential.

• For enhanced security, consider combining these with facial recognition or licence plate recognition technology.

Century City in Cape Town is an excellent example of ATG Digital’s solutions in action. It started by digitising visitor registration with At The Gate scanners. This improved traffic flow and exposed vulnerabilities. For instance, it showed tenants were signing in as visitors. A digital approach also streamlines the visitor experience.

Seamless tenant management

As estates grow, managing residents becomes complex. Security solutions should integrate seamlessly into daily life. Intelligent systems offer multiple credentials, like QR codes and biometrics. These are far more secure than cloneable access cards. With solutions like At The Gate, tenants enjoy frictionless entry. It also maintains a complete audit trail. The compiled, analysed data informs and enables suitable scaling.

Physical and virtual perimeter security

To ATG Digital, perimeter security comprises AI-enabled cameras and licence plate recognition to detect threats early. However, they cannot stand alone. Integration with other systems is essential to track the movement of individuals (or potential intruders) inside the premises. This multi-layered approach secures the perimeter and the property at large.

Smart perimeter security includes the digital realm. Your IT and cloud systems are just as important. Cloud-based access control allows for remote monitoring and protects against data loss. Cybersecurity must include data encryption and secure storage. Without this, estates leave dangerous blind spots.

Power and operational continuity

It goes without saying that operational continuity is critical, more so in South Africa, where we are prone to power outages. A security system is only as good as its uptime. An offline camera or a gate that fails creates a serious vulnerability. Eliminating downtime ensures that security stays robust at all times, building trust with residents.

An intelligent solution must have built-in power backup and cloud redundancy. Larger estates can explore off-grid power like solar or battery systems.

Harnessing intelligence for security

The real power of smart security is actionable intelligence. A pile of data is useless without analysis tools. AI and cloud intelligence empower security teams to focus on real threats.

Again, the Century City security operations centre is a model case in point. The centre analyses data from cameras and software in real time. The intelligence assists with redeploying security personnel, placing them in high- and low-volume areas as needed. By cross-referencing licence plate data, it can proactively counter a rise in housebreaking. This ability to learn and adapt separates a true intelligence system from a data dump.

POPIA compliance

Security managers are all too familiar with the contentious issue of data protection and statutory requirements at the gate. Estates must handle personal information securely. They must comply with the POPI Act. ATG Digital bakes in legal compliance early in the R&D; phase. As such, its system provides auditable records and secure storage for all personal data, from visitors to staff.

Selecting a security solution should be done through the lens of investing in your estate’s future (not a three-quotes-check-box exercise). Keep in mind that the solution should protect your community, enhance their living experience, and provide peace of mind.

For more information contact ATG Digital, +27 10 500 8611, [email protected], www.atgdigital.biz

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