Take a second to picture a stereotypical Visitor Management installation. The kind of system doesn't really matter — it could be a software system, a log book or even just a package of expiring visitor badges on a desk.

Now...where in this imaginary facility is the installation located?

If you're like most people, you picture a Visitor Management system sitting in the lobby of a building, whether it's the ground floor of a multi-tenant office building or the entryway of a school.

Hospitals aren't much different: if you picture a hospital Visitor Management system in your mind, you're probably going to see it in the lobby.

It makes sense: hospitals are extremely busy places, oftentimes bordering on chaotic. This makes guest management key, and the first place that guests visit is usually the lobby.

However, many hospitals find putting Visitor Management systems in their main lobby to be an overwhelming task, as there are so many moving parts and factors to consider.

This can lead organizations to put off installing a Visitor Management system entirely, opting to postpone the expense and stress until they're better equipped to handle it.

But procrastination like this leaves a facility vulnerable and ignores a big detail that many hospitals overlook: there are several other "smaller" places where a hospital can effectively install a Visitor Management system.

Visitor Management doesn't need to be limited to the lobby

The school safety and security landscape is constantly shifting. As new threats emerge, new technologies and procedures must emerge to combat those threats. As a result, guidelines and recommendations for how to best protect schools shift constantly as well.

One of the organizations that keeps a close eye on that shifting landscape is the Partner Alliance for Safe Schools, also known as PASS. PASS was established in 2014 in response to the alarming number of violent incidents taking place at schools around the United States.

While PASS does a variety of different projects designed to boost school safety and security, the organization has become known for the PASS School Safety & Security Guidelines, a robust document that offers tips for keeping students and staff safe from harm.

The latest guide from PASS was released last week and features nearly 200 best practices for everything from securing parking lots to choosing surveillance equipment.

Two concepts are heavily featured in the PASS guidelines: Access Control and Visitor Management.

Access Control, Visitor Management and the link to enhanced school safety  

We've spent a lot of time in this blog talking about why Visitor Management is important for sites of all kinds.

While the specifics may vary depending on the industry, the basis of every Visitor Management system is the desire to keep a site and its personnel safe from harm.

This desire applies to all kinds of worksites, from hospitals to factories and everything in between.

However, it's not a stretch to say that Visitor Management is a little more important for overall safety and security in a few industries. Healthcare is one of those industries.

We recently discussed calls for increased safety at healthcare facilities and how a good Visitor Management system goes a long way toward achieving that goal of increased safety.

You may be wondering, "what makes healthcare so different? Isn't building safety basically the same everywhere?"

While it's true that there are common threads between site safety at all kinds of workplaces, there are unique aspects of healthcare facilities that make the need for hospital Visitor Management a little more pressing.

The unique safety challenges hospitals face

With Visitor Management, it's easy to talk about the good stuff.

When your system prevents an unwanted guest from gaining access to your site or a guest compliments the strong first impression he or she got from your sign-in process, it's fun to soak in the praise.

You take a step back, pat yourself on the back and think, "I am great."

And you are! There's nothing wrong with celebrating Visitor Management successes and basking in the glory of keeping your site and its personnel safe and secure.

However, there's also the other side of the coin.

Yes, the bad.

No one likes to discuss their failures, let alone celebrate them. But with Visitor Management, some failures are telltale signs that your Visitor Management installation isn't working properly, and needs to be looked at again.

Don't worry!

These failures aren't things that you need to dwell on or mope about. Instead, identifying these weaknesses can be looked at as a good thing: by finding issues and rectifying them, you'll ensure that your site remains secure.

You can't fix your problems without identifying them first

For most organizations, welcoming visitors is an essential part of running a successful operation. From schools to corporate offices, guests are a key part of a functioning workplace.

Guests are going to vary from site to site: they could be substitute teachers, delivery personnel, maintenance workers or associates from a company's satellite location across the country.

No matter the guest or type of site, the question is always the same: how should these guests be handled when they arrive?

Most sites have some kind of visitor procedure in place, whether it's a full-scale Visitor Management solution or a sign-in sheet left at the front desk. The kind of solution used is going to depend on a number of factors, including staffing levels, guest volume and budget.

However, there's one guest identification solution that can go a long way toward boosting site security without breaking the bank: visitor badges.

How can visitor badges be used as a security tool? 

There's no shame in being a little overwhelmed by them: ID card printers are complicated pieces of machinery.

Even the most basic printers contain dozens of moving parts, all of which need to perform perfectly in order for the end result to be a nice, professional student ID card, employee badge or other credential.

Troubleshooting issues is a fact of life with any kind of machine, whether it's a printer, a blender or a $100,000 sports car. And while we all do the best we can to keep our machines running like new, even well-maintained machines are going to run into trouble at some point.

In early May, we published a post on how schools should prepare for next year's student ID badging job, but one of the tips in that post can be applied to any big badging operation: test your ID card printer frequently.

When you test your ID card printer, the ideal result is that you don't encounter anything out of the ordinary: you design a test card, send it to the printer and it comes out great. Perfect! Time for lunch.

However, chances are that somewhere along the line, your card isn't going to come out looking perfect. The print will be off, you'll see a smudge or there will be some other issue.

Don't worry: these are common issues that every printer owner is going to encounter at some point, and there are quick ways to identify and solve the problem.

Don't let printer issues slow you down

Your office is getting ready to launch its new employee badge program, and you need to buy new ID badge holders.

Where do you begin?

When it comes to choosing this common ID accessory, many people will have only a vague idea of what they need: "some plastic thing to carry the card, and then a way to wear it too."

Accurate, but not very helpful!

In many cases, people are unaware of how many options there are for something as simple as an ID badge holder. Think of all the possibilities: Rigid. Flexible. Color. Clear. Shielded. Multi-card. Arm-band. Credential wallet. Premium vinyl.

The list goes on and on. It's enough to overwhelm any shopper, and definitely makes the buying process much more difficult.

However, it's a lot easier to zero in on the perfect badge holder for your needs if you're able to narrow down the list of options by asking yourself a series of qualifying questions.

When it comes to badge holders, ask yourself what you need

Physical access control systems can be configured in several different ways and can have a number of different components.

However, the main goal is always the same: to increase safety and security at a site.

Most people are familiar with the basic idea of access control, but oftentimes an access control system is viewed as just another way to lock doors.

After all, that's what they're supposed to do, right?Just let some people in, and keep other people out?

Well...not exactly.

While it's true that card readers and compatible locks are key parts of a good access control system, the truth is that an access control system is so much more than a series of locks and card readers.

Aside from managing access to doors, an access control system is able to enhance security at your site in a number of ways.

It has become a predictable pattern: each time a new survey on violence in healthcare facilities is released, the numbers paint an increasingly alarming picture of the daily dangers faced by doctors, nurses and other staff members.

Unfortunately, the latest survey to come out is no different, and this one should raise eyebrows among the hospital security community.

This recent survey was conducted by the American College of Emergency Physicians, also known as the ACEP. The ACEP is a leading advocacy group for emergency physicians and the patients they serve, so it makes sense that those emergency physicians were the ones responding to the survey.

The results gathered from the survey of more than 3,500 medical professionals do not paint a rosy picture of the healthcare safety and security space.

Nearly half of respondents reported being assaulted on the job

A good school ID badge can go beyond just identifying students and staff — it can also boost safety on your campus.

In an effort to make campuses as safe as possible, today’s schools are leaving no stone unturned when looking for the latest and greatest security enhancements.

Schools that previously left doors unlocked are now turning to smart lock systems that can be controlled remotely. Campuses that formerly used a volunteer with a notebook to register guests are now using robust Visitor Management systems.

In an ideal world, schools wouldn’t need to spend any time worrying about taking proactive steps to ensure the safety of students and staff, but the threats today’s schools face are too serious to ignore.

However, in a rush to add surveillance cameras and metal detectors, schools are overlooking a more basic way to enhance security: the use of school identification cards for students and staff.