The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly altered core organizational procedures. Due to the widespread adoption of remote work, access control systems requirements have evolved for onsite and offshore IT, facilities, and security teams.
Some existing challenges in the physical access control industry have been exacerbated by the new hybrid and remote working models, which have forced businesses to implement new technology earlier than they had planned. Organizations must quickly adapt to new health and safety regulations while retaining operational efficiency and financial success in a continuously changing global environment.
In light of this, HID Global, a worldwide leader in trusted identity solutions, releases the 2022 State of Access Control Report, which offers an insightful analysis of the market’s current state and trends.
The report, which was created by IFSEC Global in collaboration with HID Global, examined trends in the procurement, installation, specification, and use of physical access control solutions. It surveyed slightly over 1,000 respondents from North America (56%), EMEA (29%) and the Asia Pacific (15%).
Advancing access control systems beyond physical
According to the report, the following market conditions, technologies in use, and trends that security and IT professionals are observing and predicting for the future are as follows:
- Convenience: 60% of the respondents claimed that ease of use is the most important justification for switching to a new access control system. This means that in addition to securing premises, a new system must provide an easy-to-use procedure for administrators (security, facilities, and IT teams) as well as users (employees, residents, or visitors).
- Mobile Access and Touchless Capabilities: It is not surprising that there has been an increase in demand for mobile access, with 42% of respondents intending to upgrade to mobile-ready systems. While mobile access may be more convenient and secure for employees and visitors since they are more likely to have their mobile devices on hand than their access cards, security system managers may benefit from enhanced operational efficiency.
“We anticipate that even as the market expands quickly, technology will collaborate with physical cards. It’s not fair, in my opinion, to say that it will completely replace physical cards because, for one thing, those cards still have a footprint. It’s a natural progression,” explained Alex Tan, Commercial Director, Physical Access Control Solutions, Asean, HID Global.
Another factor influencing the demand for touchless physical access control was the pandemic. In response to the pandemic, almost 32% of respondents said they would improve systems to incorporate touchless solutions, with contactless biometrics also being taken into consideration.
- System Interoperability: Since customers are demanding long-term convenience while attaining cost savings, future-proof support is also becoming a major concern. In fact, 33% of respondents believed interaction with current security platforms was crucial, and over half (49%) chose the capacity to support new technology as one of the top three criteria in a new access control solution.
According to Tan, 44% of respondents think that smart buildings will be a major trend. Only open or standardized platforms will be successful in such a setting as opposed to proprietary technology that operates in isolation.
“Open standards make it possible to integrate both new and current implemented technologies into a single system, necessitating far less invasive updating. Therefore, whatever solutions individuals consider in the future when they want to invest, I believe open standards are the way to go as they give both the current and new systems the flexibility to be able to connect seamlessly,” he added.
- Sustainability: With roughly 28% of respondents consulting their sustainability departments when making purchases, organizations across all regions are clearly trying to understand how new investments and updates in access control systems can affect sustainable practices.
As the world moves toward a digital initiative, HID’s trusted identification solutions have made it possible to connect items that can be identified, confirmed, and monitored digitally and provide people with easy access to both physical and digital locations in response to the trends around a “touchless” environment.
