How do access control measures protect a facility?

Access control measures are crucial in safeguarding a facility as they are designed to restrict entry to authorized individuals only. This approach prevents unauthorized access, which is essential for protecting assets, personnel, and sensitive information. By ensuring that only those with the appropriate credentials—such as employee badges, key cards, or biometric scans—are allowed to enter certain areas, facilities can significantly mitigate the risk of theft, vandalism, or security breaches.

This proactive measure not only protects physical locations but also helps maintain a secure environment by fostering accountability, as authorized personnel can be tracked and monitored within the facility. Each access point can be controlled and monitored, allowing security personnel to respond quickly to any irregularities or breaches.

In contrast, the other options do not effectively address how access control measures function. Allowing anyone to enter would defeat the purpose of security, while monitoring only interior activities does not prevent unauthorized individuals from gaining access. Securing only the parking lot also ignores other critical entry points into a facility, leaving gaps that could be exploited. Therefore, limiting entry to just authorized individuals is the fundamental essence of effective access control measures.