It’s no surprise that access control continues to grow as a product solution category. Customers are concerned with physical security and safety, compliance, workplace incidents, general public unrest and potential data theft.

Now, product integrations for identity, property and energy management, workplace optimization and tenant experience continue to expand the realm of security. 

What factors drive customers’ buying decisions? ASIS International, Alexandria, Va., recently teamed up with Brivo Inc., Bethesda, Md., for a deep-dive discussion on access control, and some results may surprise systems integrators. ASIS and Brivo presented the research initiatives in a March webinar, “Top Security Trends Decision-­Makers are Tracking for 2023 and Beyond.”

The report highlighted these 2023 access control trends:

• User experience and convenience are driving the direction and adoption of new physical security technologies.
• Data collection and system integrations are no longer “nice to have,” but business imperatives.
• Cloud-based access control with mobile and biometrics use is moving mainstream.
• Cloud adoption and security centralization are accelerating.
• Security integrators need to stay ahead of technology or get left behind.

Steve Van Till, founder and CEO of Brivo, said users are looking for digital experiences, and access control infrastructure is foundational. When asked about the importance of user experience in access control, an overwhelming 84% of respondents said it was either extremely important or very important.

“For us, the movement to mobile started in 2015. Bluetooth was one of the first, but each manufacturer’s product and software created a slightly different experience. You could access a building by leaving a credential in your pocket, or touching, waving your hand near the door keypad, for example, but it wasn’t a universal experience,” he said. “Now, an employee badge can be in Apple Wallet, providing a familiar application and a familiar gesture to gain access.”

Mobile means happy

Cloud-based access control solutions are driving a passive, frictionless approach users find convenient.

“Mobile makes it easier for users and managers to control and administer access credentials, and multifactor authentication is right there on the phone,” said Tim Norris, senior director of global product marketing for Brivo. Beyond user convenience, cybersecurity is critical around these credentials.

“The need for increased security is important, and multifactor authentication is a common form factor on the phone. With a card or a fob, someone might share credentials, and you don’t do that with the phone,” Norris said.

Mobile credential use is rising exponentially, and more than 60% of respondents are considering adding biometrics to their buildings during the next three years.

“It’s painless and provides a greater feeling of privacy as biometrics have shifted to the phone. There’s a higher degree of comfort in using something I own and carry,” Van Till said.

Collecting data and integrating systems for business and operations is an overarching imperative today. In data collection, 36% of users integrate security systems with other cross-functional areas within the organization, 33% use physical security data to make informed business decisions and 32% are now modernizing legacy security systems.

“The physical security data intelligence universe includes people, things, places and video events, and there’s a lot more than meets the eye,” Norris said. “Access control data is leveraged for real-time occupancy and space usage, to prioritize unusual activity and to add value to distribution, supply chain, operations and HR. Video is also a rich data source, with better processing at the edge that yields more data on access control.”

Integrators need to step up

The research indicates that end-users aren’t leaving it up to systems integrators to suggest technology to solve security problems. Only 28% of people who buy security said they rely on security integrators for their information. 60% considered integrators only somewhat knowledgeable; 13% dismissed them as not knowledgeable.

One global head of security who responded to the survey said, “I know I need the integrator to install and service, but I do my own research. I’m typically telling my guy what they need to go research to support me and my security goals.”

These findings suggest that it has never been more important for the systems integration community to advance their industry knowledge and training. Systems integrators need to understand trends and advancements and how they can be applied to the end-user to solve their problems.

Header image: stock.adobe.com / Golden Sikorka