The access control market has come a long way over the past several decades. Homeowners have gone from requiring a key to open their doors to being able to simply wave their cellphone (which themselves have evolved from chunky pieces of plastic to slick mini computers.)
Instead of having to remember to carry around a keycard to swipe into their office, employees can authenticate their identities using the latest biometric technology.
Access control is following the modern technology trends of ease-of-use and convenience, which in this market’s case generally means the use of touchless technology. Touchless solutions can create less friction, literally. Users don’t have to worry about remembering their physical credential or having to come in contact with a “high touchpoint” during this time of increased hygiene concern.
On that note, the COVID-19 pandemic severely altered the access control market and, in many ways, accelerated its evolution. Ahead, we’ll look at the pandemic’s impact on this market, what solutions have benefited from it and how integrators can take advantage.
The Pandemic Shifts Focus
It’s crazy to think that it has been nearly two full years since COVID-19 began to consume North America along with the rest of the world. While many were expecting, or at least hoping, to get back to some semblance of normalcy by now, the Omicron variant has made the first couple months of 2022 look a lot like those of 2020.
It was then that brick-and-mortar businesses started going into hibernation and employees began migrating to a work-from-home situation.
Though the pandemic initially created a slowdown in security and integration projects due to buildings being closed, the industry quickly saw a demand for solutions that would get people out of their homes and back into offices, stores, restaurants and more.
According to Despina Stamatelos, Genetec’s commercial senior manager for access control, the pandemic transformed the needs of end users as they grappled with new sanitary measures and regulations and led to an interest in new access control solutions.
“This includes being able to manage occupancy rates and track contagion in the case where an infected individual came in proximity with others. Additionally, end users are looking for new ways to manage access with minimal friction. And so, we saw an uptake in frictionless biometrics as well as mobile credentials.”
Businesses were hit hard by the pandemic. Not only did they see a decline in customers, but they also had to deal with constantly changing regulations and protocols. Jeremy Allison, senior product manager for Paxton, says the pandemic has put employee and visitor safety on the radar for all companies.
“We’ve seen a lot of demand from customers to transition to touchless credentials and for remote access. Companies now want to be ready if guidelines or policies need to change at any time and the systems they use need to have the features to provide them with that flexibility.”
Touchless & Frictionless
The industry had been seeing an increased demand for mobile credentials and the pandemic has only accelerated their adoption. By utilizing a smartphone as a credential, the user doesn’t need to worry about coming into contact with a high-touchpoint surface. Identiv GM of Premises Mark Allen adds that another benefit is Bluetooth-based mobile credentials can be more secure than a keycard.
Biometric methods, such as, hand waving, iris scan and facial recognition readers, are poised for increased adoption. In fact, OMDIA says facial recognition readers are expected to grow by 27% CAGR by 2025. Biometric access control solutions are quick, accurate and frictionless.
It is important for integrators to gain an understanding of their customers’ needs and create awareness of the existence of these solutions and their benefits. Let the customer know how these solutions can both solve a current problem and be able to adapt to changes in the near future.
“Just a simple conversation with the customer about company policies and how they have handled the pandemic will help integrators with which system and features need to be sold. For example, if the customer states they are now 50% remote/hybrid working. This easily opens up the conversation for mobile credentials and remote building management,” says Allison.
Touchless Solutions from the ISG
The ISG’s nationwide network of identification and security experts offers a full range of Identiv biometric and touchless access solutions, plus many others. Tell us your story, your expectations and let us discover together how ISG biometric solutions can improve your organization.
Contact us today for more information about our related solutions for student, employee and visitor identification, access control, mobile credentials and much more.
