In today’s environments, managing visitors is no longer just a reception task, it is a critical part of an organisation’s security, compliance, and duty of care. Every visitor entering a building introduces potential risk if their identity, purpose, and access are not properly controlled. A modern visitor pass system must therefore do more than record names; it must actively manage access, support regulatory requirements, and provide clear accountability. Digigreet’s visitor pass system is designed to meet these demands by combining structured check-in, controlled physical access, and built-in data protection into a single, integrated solution.
In modern facilities ranging from corporate offices to hospitals, schools to manufacturing plants, controlling who accesses your premises is fundamental to security, safety, and compliance. At the heart of this access control sits a deceptively simple yet sophisticated tool: the visitor pass. While the concept of issuing passes to guests might seem straightforward, the technology and processes behind systems like Digigreet's visitor pass solution represent a comprehensive approach to security that goes far beyond a simple piece of plastic or paper badge.
Digigreet's visitor pass combines traditional visual identification with advanced electronic access control, creating a dual-layer security solution that ensures visitors can access the areas they need while being restricted from sensitive zones where they have no legitimate business. This guide explains exactly what Digigreet's visitor pass is, how the system works, the security features that protect your organization, and the GDPR compliance mechanisms that protect visitor privacy.
The Two Components of Digigreet's Visitor Pass System
Digigreet's visitor pass is a dual-component system where each element serves a distinct security function, working together to provide both visual identification and electronic access control.
The Printed Visitor Badge: Visual Identification
When visitors complete digital check-in through Digigreet's contactless system, the platform automatically generates a professional visitor badge that prints at your reception desk.
This printed badge displays the visitor's name, the company they represent, a photograph captured during digital check-in, the visit date, and your organization's branding. Some organizations also include the host employee's name.
The printed badge provides immediate visual confirmation that individuals have completed proper check-in procedures. It enables staff throughout your facility to identify visitors at a glance, distinguishing them from employees. The photograph allows security personnel to verify that the badge wearer is the person who checked in. The visible date shows whether badges are current.
Importantly, this printed badge does not provide electronic access to any areas. It is purely visual identification confirming that proper check-in occurred.
The Physical Access Fob and Electronic Door Control:
The second component is a physical access fob that integrates with your Paxton access control system to provide electronic control over which doors and areas visitors can access.
When visitors approach doors equipped with Paxton access control readers, they present their fob. The system instantly checks whether that fob has permission to access that door at that time. If permissions are valid, the door unlocks. If the visitor lacks permission, access is denied and the attempt is logged for security review.
This electronic access control is where the sophisticated security operates. While the printed badge provides visual confirmation, the fob enforces granular control over exactly where visitors can go based on the principle of least privilege.
The UK Government's protective security guidance emphasizes that organizations should implement proportionate access controls ensuring individuals only access areas appropriate to their purposes.
How Zone-Specific Access Permissions Work
One of the most powerful security features is the ability to grant zone-specific permissions tailored to each visitor's legitimate needs rather than providing blanket building access.
Customizable Access Based on Visit Purpose:
During digital check-in or through pre-registration, visitors specify their purpose. Based on this information, Digigreet configures the fob with appropriate permissions.
A client visiting for a meeting receives fob access to the main entrance, reception area, conference room floor, and common areas like restrooms. However, the same fob is denied access to server rooms, executive offices, R&D areas, or financial departments.
A contractor servicing HVAC equipment receives completely different permissions: mechanical rooms, rooftop equipment areas, and specific maintenance zones, but no access to office areas or meeting rooms.
An auditor conducting compliance reviews might receive broader access spanning multiple departments relevant to their audit scope, but still restricted from areas outside their review.
This customization means visitor access is precisely matched to legitimate need rather than applying one-size-fits-all permissions that either restrict too much or grant too much access.
Temporary Access That Automatically Expires:
Access permissions are inherently temporary, expiring automatically based on configured parameters.
If a visitor is expected for a two-hour meeting, the system can automatically expire their fob access after three hours even if they forget to manually check out. This prevents situations where access credentials remain active indefinitely.
Access can also expire at specific times. A visitor attending an event until 5:00 PM might have fob access that automatically expires at 6:00 PM.
For visitors who properly check out through Digigreet when departing, their fob access is immediately revoked. The physical fob is returned to reception for reissue, but the electronic permissions are terminated instantly.
Real-Time Access Logging:
Every fob presentation to an access reader, whether granted or denied, is logged. This creates comprehensive audit trails showing which visitors accessed which areas, how long they remained in zones, and any unauthorized access attempts.
This logging enables real-time monitoring for security teams, provides investigation support after incidents, and demonstrates compliance with access control policies.
Pre-Approved Document Verification Before Access is Granted
Digigreet includes pre-approval workflows ensuring that visitors only receive access after appropriate credentials have been verified by your administrative team.
Document Upload and Administrative Review:
For visitors requiring credential verification such as contractors needing DBS checks, insurance certificates, or professional qualifications, Digigreet enables pre-registration where documents are uploaded and reviewed before the visit.
Pre-registered visitors receive invitations to upload required documents through secure portals. They submit DBS certificates, proof of insurance, safety certifications, or other required credentials.
These documents are routed to designated administrators who review them, confirm they are current and valid, and approve or reject them within Digigreet.
Critically, until all required documents are uploaded and approved, the visitor cannot check in and receive their access fob. This hard stop ensures verification occurs before access, not after.
Automatic Expiry Reminders Preventing Lapses:
When administrators approve documents with expiry dates, these dates are captured in the system. Digigreet automatically monitors approaching expirations and sends reminder notifications to both the visitor and your administrative team.
If a contractor's DBS certificate expires in 30 days, both the contractor and your compliance team receive automated reminders. If the expiry date passes without renewal, the contractor's access is automatically suspended until a current certificate is uploaded.
This automated monitoring eliminates manual tracking burden for organizations managing credentials for dozens or hundreds of contractors with different renewal dates.
The Information Commissioner's Office provides guidance emphasizing that organizations must ensure appropriate security measures including verification of individuals accessing facilities.
Full GDPR Compliance Protecting Visitor Privacy
Data protection compliance is built into every aspect of Digigreet's visitor pass system.
Encrypted Data Storage and Transmission:
All visitor data including personal information, photographs, uploaded credentials, and access logs is encrypted both during transmission and while stored in databases. This encryption ensures that even if data is intercepted or accessed by unauthorized parties, the information remains protected and unreadable.
Automatic Data Deletion After Retention Periods:
Digigreet enables organizations to configure automatic data deletion policies ensuring visitor information is removed when no longer needed. Most organizations configure retention periods between 30 and 90 days for routine visitor data. The system automatically deletes visitor records when they reach the configured age, ensuring consistent compliance.
Privacy by Design and Data Minimization:
Digigreet's check-in processes collect only information actually necessary for security, access control, and compliance purposes. Organizations configure exactly what information is collected, ensuring data minimization principles are followed.
Access Controls Restricting Who Can View Visitor Data:
Digigreet implements granular access controls determining which staff members can view visitor information. Reception staff might check visitors in but cannot view historical records. Security personnel can access real-time occupancy but may not view all personally identifiable details. Compliance administrators can review credentials without accessing detailed visit logs.
The system also logs all data access, creating audit trails showing who viewed what information and when.
Simple Operation for Staff and Visitors
Despite sophisticated security features, Digigreet's visitor pass system is designed for simple, efficient operation.
Streamlined Check-In Process:
Visitors complete contactless check-in by scanning QR codes using their smartphones. They provide basic information, confirm requirements, and have their photograph captured. The process takes a minute or two.
The printed visitor badge automatically prints at reception, and staff issue the pre-configured access fob. The visitor receives both the badge to wear visibly and the fob for door access.
Automated Administration:
The majority of administration happens automatically without requiring ongoing staff involvement. Access permissions are configured automatically. Fob access expires automatically. Credential expiry reminders are sent automatically. Access logs are created automatically.
Clear Visitor Experience:
Visitors receive clear instructions for digital check-in, obtain a professional badge and fob at reception, use the fob to access doors as needed, and return the fob when checking out.
Conclusion
Digigreet's visitor pass system represents the evolution of visitor management from simple sign-in books to comprehensive security infrastructure combining visual identification with sophisticated electronic access control. The dual-component system of printed badges providing visual confirmation and physical fobs enabling granular door access creates layered security that protects facilities while maintaining operational efficiency.
The system's strength lies in its combination of simplicity and sophistication. For visitors and staff, the process is straightforward: check in digitally, receive a badge and fob, access appropriate areas, and return the fob when departing. Behind this simple workflow operates advanced security including zone-specific access permissions customized to visit purposes, temporary credentials that expire automatically, pre-approved document verification ensuring only credentialed individuals receive access, automated credential expiry monitoring preventing lapses, comprehensive access logging creating audit trails, and full GDPR compliance protecting visitor privacy through encryption, access controls, and automatic data deletion.
What makes Digigreet's visitor pass particularly valuable for modern organizations is how it addresses the complete lifecycle of visitor access management in a single integrated system. From the moment a contractor or visitor is pre-registered, through document verification by your admin team, automated credential expiry monitoring with renewal reminders, seamless check-in with instant badge and fob issuance, real-time access control as they move through your facility, to automatic access expiry and comprehensive audit trail creation, every stage is managed systematically without requiring constant staff intervention. This end-to-end automation means your team can focus on hospitality and security exceptions rather than routine administrative tasks, while maintaining the rigorous security standards that regulatory compliance, insurance requirements, and duty of care obligations demand.
Organizations implementing Digigreet's visitor pass system report measurable security improvements including elimination of unauthorized access to restricted areas through enforced zone permissions, reduced credential compliance failures through automated expiry tracking and proactive renewal reminders, enhanced incident investigation capabilities through comprehensive access logs showing exactly who accessed which areas when, improved GDPR compliance through systematic data protection measures including encryption and automatic deletion, and strengthened overall security posture through professional visitor management that demonstrates organizational commitment to protecting people, assets, and information. Most fundamentally, organizational leadership gains confidence that visitor access is managed systematically rather than through informal processes vulnerable to human error, that security policies are enforced through technology integrated with physical access control rather than relying solely on staff vigilance, and that visitor management actively protects security while supporting compliance and demonstrating the professional operations that stakeholders, auditors, and insurers expect from well-managed organizations committed to maintaining safe, secure environments for everyone who enters their premises.
If this sounds good to you, why not book a free demo with Digigreet today?
Get in Touch