Technology & Trends - Access control readers

It’s important for everyone in a high school to wear an ID Handwritten check in and check out books fail to alert the security risks posed by individuals on school campuses. Installing visitor management systems is imperative to screen and manage visitors and thereby enhance the level of safety in schools.  However, it takes training and practice to use school visitor management technologies effectively. Security technologies can go a long way toward making K-12 sc...

The security industry continues to move away from closed, proprietary systems and instead is fine-focused on open solutions that assist the move to total integration. The benefits of achieving this feat belong to both installing company and end user. Benefits of open security solutions Open, interoperable systems make it easier to integrate a wide array of sensors, devices and communication technologies across the enterprise. That means quicker installations, lower labour costs and heightened...

Better, faster networking plays into the optimistic outlook for the transportation vertical Our market has plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future of security systems in the transportation vertical. “Given the advances in processing power and technology, we can only imagine what the capability of an IP camera will be in five years,” comments Anthony Incorvati, business development manager, critical infrastructure and transportation, Axis Communications....

Overwhelmed by too many choices for an access control system? Where do you start? Always seeking to help, SourceSecurity.com asked access control suppliers to describe what differentiating characteristics set their systems apart from others in the market. AMAG: Easy migration, simple pricing model AMAG’s Symmetry platform includes access control, photo ID badging, visitor management and digital video server software, all standard in an integrated solution. The pricing model...

The obstacles preventing convergence with fire systems appear substantial The IT network began as a dedicated structure within a building or facility. From this starting point, we have seen telephones, HVAC, access control and increasingly CCTV/video residing on the same platform. If today’s facility managers were offered a new building with separate networks for each type of subsystem, they would react with incredulity. The exception is fire protection, where the life-...

Schools are beefing up their security, with access control their go-to technology Schools are back in session after the winter break, but security is a 24/7 matter any time of year. K-12 and upper education are on high alert, dealing with increased incidents of violence, crime and vandalism. Access control is often the chosen technology of this vertical market, pairing well with CCTV, emergency communications and lockdown. Integrators and dealers who understand the nuances of...

Airports, metro systems and other transportation centres must deploy multiple layers of access control for restricted areas. They need solutions that can accommodate high-volume traffic. Each transportation application has unique requirements, from systems that enable the use of multiple types of credentials on one reader, to reader options designed to match specific risk levels by incorporating PIN and biometric verification for higher security. HID Global’s IP-based networ...

NFC can strengthen security by turning smart phones into physical and logical access control credentials The trouble with access control cards is that people lose them, lend them to friends who use the cards, or lose them, or lend them to someone else. Losing a card is bad enough, but people that lose cards often make it worse: “When someone loses an access fob or card, he or she doesn’t always tell the security department right away,” says Paul Timm, pr...

More attention needs to be placed on the development of readers that can accommodate Wireless and Wi-Fi technology Many of the changes in the access control market are happening at the “edge” – at the reader level. Access control advances that continue to become more widespread include wireless and PoE-enabled access control hardware such as wireless locks and PoE door controllers, which both reduce installation costs. Other trends are related to mobility; on...

Unscrupulous companies reversing positive steps made by security industry to remove stigma of being known as "trunk slammers" ABC news report reaffirms need for industry action For the businesses that make up the electronic security industry, it’s an issue that undermines all the progress we have made to date. It’s deceptive door-to-door sales tactics, and it’s still having an impact on the alarm industry. It affects the entire industry – from lar...

Right after the Paris terrorist attacks, a headline I read throughout the media asked: “Did intelligence services drop the ball?” The question has a familiar ring, and you’ll find variations on it throughout the last and present centuries concerning events that range from presidential assassinations to 9/11, 7/7 in London and the 2008 Mumbai bombings. But physical security, rather than information gathering, is our scope here. From the moment I saw thermal imagin...

Dave Tyson has 30 years of experience in all facets of enterprise security The incoming president of ASIS has volunteered with industry groups for years. His goal: to help people get better at their jobs. With 30 years' experience in all facets of enterprise security, Dave Tyson, CPP, CISSP, looks forward to his 2015 term as President of ASIS International (ASIS). “I’ve spent a lot of years working to make a difference in the security industry,” Tyson says...

Observers say improved analytic technology and better support technologies are making video analytics effective Video analytics and biometrics entered the security technology market some years ago accompanied by great expectations. Both generally disappointed security directors and end users. Manufacturers oversold video analytics as a tool that could monitor video for hours on end without losing concentration — something human security officers couldn’t do. Analy...

Dozens of suppliers, dealers, installers and industry organisations participated in our First Annual Security Market Review and Forecast 2014 was a great time to be in the security industry, and 2015 will be even better. This is the optimistic view shared among industry leaders contacted by SourceSecurity.com and asked to reflect on the market in 2014 and to look ahead to the New Year. Dozens of suppliers, dealers, installers and industry organisations participated in our...

PSA Security Network is taking steps to help educate security professionals concerning both threats and opportunities related to cybersecurity PSA Security Network 2014/2015 Review & Forecast2014 was a year of great change and advancement in the security industry as a whole. We saw an uptick in DIY security solutions focused on residential and small commercial markets. Perhaps the biggest impact to the security market is that more pieces of security solutions are now cloud...

Success in the access control arena is enhanced if the business has a global presence Vanderbilt 2014/2015 Review and Forecast: In 2014, our industry continued to be quite dynamic. While there are several “conglomerates” in the industry, such as UTC and Honeywell, who have been consolidators, there are also other companies (like ours) that are focused solely on security. The industry moves in both directions—some companies consolidating and acquiring, while...

The SIA Security Market Index rose to 74.6 in November 2014, up from 72.3 in September SIA 2014/2014 Review and Forecast: The Security Industry Association (SIA) has begun to conduct a bimonthly survey of select SIA members to measure confidence in the security industry through the SIA Security Market Index. Using a scale of 1-100, the SIA Security Market Index reflected growing confidence among security industry business leaders throughout 2014 and into 2015. The SIA Securi...

A return to quality and service will transcend the overall desire for price in the marketplace in 2015 ACT 2014/2015 Review and Forecast: 2014 has proved to be a positive year that displayed an increase in activity. The perception of an expanding U.S. economy has provided the impetus for corporate America to release capital security projects that have been held in abeyance for an exceedingly long time. Also, large-scale capital expenditures have become available for the first...

Organisations are looking to emerging technologies to enhance security and communications Verint 2014/2015 Review and Forecast: The overall economy was solid in 2014, with large regions and industries continuing to grow and emerging markets revealing even greater opportunity. We are seeing emerging signs of strength in industries like Higher Education that are expanding their security horizons, or taking note of global events. Additionally, security organisations continue to...

Credential form factors include mobile devices that provide a better way to open doors HID Global 2014/2015 Review and Forecast: High-profile credit card breaches during 2014 raised the profile of low-security solutions while highlighting the need for more secure smart cards. There were no real surprises, as the industry steadily continued its large-scale transition to access control platforms based on open standards. This transition sets the stage for unprecedented innovatio...

Working with proximity readers now will let even more end-users use biometrics on high security openings Zwipe 2014/2015 Review & Forecast:All of the news reports in 2014 about the mishandling and hacking of card information has made both consumers and institutions more leery of using a card only to verify the cardholder. Looking ahead to 2015, there is an increasing demand for both a more affordable, and more secure way to integrate biometrics into the payment process wit...

Integration of wireless and edge technology will continue to change the economics of installation 2014/2015 D/A Central review and forecast: As a security systems integrator, we are seeing some improvement in the industrial sector. It appears that projects that were deferred during the recession are now getting funded. Healthcare continues to have complex needs with continuing consolidation, which then creates opportunity. One question that remains is military spending a...

 “Winners” in 2015 will be multinational security solutions companies and recruiters for mid-to senior-level employment placement ASIS International 2014/2015 Review and Forecast: Spending on security systems was up in 2014: In general, it seems that there was an increase in capital projects for 2014. Two likely contributing factors are a slightly better economic outlook, and the previous capex holding patterns of many organisations wanting to move out of tha...

There are signs of a change in the electronic access control industry in favor of systems based on interoperability as proposed by ONVIF ONVIF 2014/2015 Review & Forecast: The year ahead certainly looks to be an important one. Interoperability, data security and ease of installation will all be of concern to the physical security industry. We see an increased awareness for interoperability among the end users in the industry, which in turns reflects back on the need f...

AMAG saw growth across all vertical market segments, making 2014 an incredibly exciting year 2014/2015 AMAG Technology Review and Forecast: AMAG Technology saw growth across all vertical market segments, making 2014 an incredibly exciting year. End users are demanding unified, end-to-end total solutions, and I see that trend continuing into 2015 and beyond. Some users want access control and video management from the same manufacturer to eliminate integration challenges, or...

 Grants continue to be available for schools to purchase products such as our intercoms and communication systems 2014/2015 Aiphone Review and Forecast: Video surveillance, audio, access control and locks are the four security solutions that typically work together as part of an overall security plan. Demand for video may have been the prime driver, but 2014 was a solid year for each of these solutions as the economy improved noticeably. Also, federal and state governmen...

Big Data is a challenge that emerging technologies are working to address Quantum Secure 2014/2015 Review and Forecast: As demonstrated by end users’ continued desire to identify and implement technologies that provide the greatest level of protection for people, property and assets, it’s clear that security will always be a necessity. Today, customers demand strong, demonstrable ROI from those technologies and expect solutions to align with their overall business...

2014 was a year for eye-popping merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the security space. The big deals of the year included some of the largest names in the industry. One name is larger than any in the security market – Google, which made not one but two acquisitions this year that could impact the future security market. It was also the year that a smaller player in the video camera market (although a huge familiar brand overall) bought a large, open systems V...

Uncoupling software from hardware allows manufacturers to respond faster to changes Nedap Security Management 2014/2015 Review and Forecast:Threats such as Mifare hacking, the European General Data Protection regulation coming in 2016, and the need for security to integrate with other IT-based systems – these are just some of the challenges security manufacturers and system users have to deal with and respond to. External factors such as these do provoke change in physic...

End users continue to move to smart cards and smart readers, wanting the extra flexibilities they offer 2014 was very good year at Farpointe Data. Significantly, it became part of the DORMA group, which helps cement our standing as a global partner of premium RFID solutions, including proximity, smart card and long-range solutions, for access control professionals around the world. This is a good market as there has been sustained migration among end user customers of Farpoint...