Best Ways to Ensure Only Authorized Personnel Access a Secure Facility?

SY0-701 By islever Editorial Last updated

Given a scenario, select mitigation techniques or controls to secure an enterprise environment.

Short answer

CD Badge access and access control vestibule verify authorized identity and prevent tailgating, ensuring only approved personnel enter a secure facility.

Question

Which of the following would be the best ways to ensure only authorized personnel can access a secure facility? (Choose two.)
  1. Fencing
  2. Video surveillance
  3. Badge access Correct Answer
  4. Access control vestibule Correct Answer
  5. Sign-in sheet

Key Takeaways

The question tests preventive physical access controls that verify authorization; the trap is selecting deterrents like fencing or detective controls like video surveillance, which do not distinguish authorized from unauthorized individuals.

This SY0-701 question asks you to choose two controls that ensure only authorized personnel can enter a secure facility. The correct answers are badge access and an access control vestibule because they authenticate identity and physically prevent unauthorized entry.

Common mistake: Many learners choose fencing and badge access (A and C), thinking a perimeter fence restricts access. Fencing only delays or deters intruders and does not verify whether someone is authorized.

Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

Badge access requires a valid credential to be presented and verified, so only individuals with proper authorization can unlock a door or turnstile. An access control vestibule (mantrap) physically enforces one-person-at-a-time entry and can be integrated with badge readers to stop tailgating, ensuring that each person who passes is individually authorized. Together, badge access and an access control vestibule provide both identity verification and physical enforcement, directly satisfying the requirement that only authorized personnel can access the secure facility. This layered approach is the standard best practice for high-security physical access control.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

Fencing (A) is a deterrent and delay control: it blocks casual intrusion but does not verify identity, so anyone who breaches the fence can enter. Video surveillance (B) is a detective control that records activity for later review but does not prevent unauthorized access at the moment of entry. A sign-in sheet (E) relies on honesty and provides only after-the-fact accountability; it neither authenticates nor physically restricts movement. Therefore, options A, B, and E fail to ensure that only authorized personnel can access the facility.

Community Comment Notes

Shaman73 and chasingsummer both selected C and D, with Anyio emphasizing the keyword "authorized" personnel as the deciding factor. Laura5859 argued for A and C, reasoning that securing the entire campus would require a fence, but the question specifically asks to ensure only authorized personnel—not just to secure the perimeter. koala_lay also agreed with C and D. The community consensus strongly supports the source answer of badge access and access control vestibule.

Exam Strategy

When a question asks how to ensure only authorized personnel can access something, focus on controls that authenticate identity and enforce entry, not controls that merely deter or monitor. Eliminate fencing, cameras, and sign-in sheets because they do not verify authorization in real time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is fencing not a way to ensure only authorized personnel access a facility?

Fencing is a deterrent and delay control that blocks or slows intrusion, but it does not verify identity. Anyone who climbs over or breaches the fence can enter, so it cannot ensure only authorized personnel gain access.

How does an access control vestibule prevent tailgating?

An access control vestibule (mantrap) uses interlocking doors to allow only one person at a time into a small space, often requiring badge authentication before the next door opens. This physical design stops unauthorized individuals from following an authorized person through.

More SY0-701 FAQ →

Community Votes

CD
80%
AC
20%

80% of anonymous learners picked answer CD. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.

Discussion 5 contributions

Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.

From public community threads 5

  1. Shaman73 👍 12
    • C. Badge access • D. Access control vestibule
  2. chasingsummer 👍 3
    C. Badge access and D. Access control vestibule.
  3. Laura5859 👍 2
    The question asks how you can secure a facility. I feel like that refers to the entire campus, which would require physical barriers such as a fence and secure access to buildings. Secure building access can be accomplished with Badge Access.
  4. Anyio 👍 2
    Keyword = "authorized" personnel
  5. koala_lay 👍 3
    Agree to answer C & D

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