Market report underscores “growing demand” for mobile access solutions

The document is based on a survey of just over 1,000 respondents from across North America (56%), the EMEA (29%) and Asia Pacific (15%) regions aimed at discovering trends in the procurement, installation, specification and operation of physical access control solutions.

The report describes the current state of the market, the technology being used and trends that security and IT professionals are witnessing and foreseeing in the years to come. Those trends include the desire for convenience, mobile access and touchless capabilities, system interoperability and also sustainability.

Convenience

Ease of use is the most crucial reason to upgrade to a new access control system. That’s according to 60% of the survey respondents. This means that, in addition to securing premises, a new access control system must provide a smooth and straightforward process for both users (employees, residents or visitors) and administrators (security, facilities and IT teams).

Mobile access and touchless capabilities

It’s no surprise then, that demand for mobile access is showing an uptick, with 42% of respondents planning to upgrade to mobile-ready systems. While security system administrators benefit from increased operational efficiency, employees and visitors may find mobile access more convenient and secure since they are more likely to have their mobile devices to hand than their access cards.

The pandemic also played a role in the demand for touchless physical access control. Circa 32% of respondents stated that they would upgrade systems to introduce touchless solutions in response to the pandemic, with contactless biometrics also being considered.

System interoperability

Future-proof support is also a growing concern as users are pushing for long-term convenience, while also wanting to achieve cost savings. In fact, almost half of the respondents (49%) selected the ability to support new tech in the future as one of the Top Three features in a new access control solution, while 33% listed integration with existing security platforms as being important.

As a result, consultants and integrators are moving away from proprietary models and embracing open standards-based technology wherein software upgrades can be securely managed through the cloud. One-in-five respondents added that interoperability and open standards will be one of the top trends set to shape the industry in the near future.

Sustainability

Organisations across all regions are making a clear effort to understand how new purchases and upgrades in access control technology can have an impact on sustainable practices, with 28% of respondents having consulted their sustainability departments about their buying decisions.

Access control readers that have ‘Environmental Product Declarations’ and intelligent power management, for example, support green building ratings. Additionally, the deployment of mobile access and virtual credentials removes the need for plastic cards and so spares the carbon footprint associated with their lifecycle. When integrated with a building management platform, it’s possible to maintain for the continuous adjustment of building resources based on occupancy.

*Read the 2022 State of Physical Access Control Report in full here