Biometric Security - Expert commentary

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...

Winning companies are those that continue to be proactive rather than reactive to the changing security environment Scallop 2014/2015 Review and Forecast: In the last few years, we have seen a number of developments in the security industry – including organisations taking a more proactive approach to security. As a result, the demand for surveillance solutions has continued to grow at a high rate and, in turn, the data being collected has hit record levels. As...

The major trend ECKey has seen in 2014 is an increased demand for “accountable” access control that is both convenient and affordable  ECKey 2014/2015 Review and Forecast: The major trend we have seen in 2014 is an increased demand for “accountable” access control that is both convenient and affordable. Tight budgets are shining a light on the true cost of ownership of card reader and biometric systems. In many ways these systems are similar...

There is convergence of both the video and access control technologies, and of the companies themselves Milestone Systems 2014/2015 Review and Forecast: Milestone Systems is always in touch with our vast ecosystem of partners around the globe as we support them in their customer projects and needs. We partake in hundreds of industry events, road shows, and meetings, also holding our own partner conferences in every region to ensure face time with our stakeholders. We do...

Biometric cards provides an easy way for to provide a biometric upgrade to access control systems using card readers More and more, security professionals using card-based front ends for their access control systems have been worried about the security of their proximity systems. They know, that for $200 or less, their proximity system can be violated. Kim Humborstad, CEO of Zwipe points out that proximity systems do not offer a challenge response; they only use passi...

2014 has been a year of significant growth for TDSi TDSi 2014/2015 Review and Forecast:In 2014 we saw continued growth at TDSI, largely through unprecedented interest in integrated IP security systems. Asian markets have continued to be very buoyant, although there have continued to be some flat spots geographically, such as Europe. Compared to other technology markets, security has grown very quickly since the recession, and TDSi has enjoyed double-digit growth. Manufa...

Cloud-based services for video surveillance or hosted access control are garnering more attention in the physical security industry. Most people today are already using or are familiar with cloud-based applications in their day-to-day life, so it will only be a matter to time before the benefits of the cloud permeate security and business solutions. Dealers looking to embrace the cloud model for access control must re-think multiple aspects of how they are set up as an organ...

Think of crisis management and emergency planning as a  customer service Do you have a written emergency management plan? Where is it? When was the last time you updated it?Developing and writing a corporate or organisational emergency management plan can take a long time. Once completed, however, the plan is there for you to access when you need it. In fact, that’s wrong. According to crisis management authority Michael J. Fagel, emergency planning is suppos...

Training and education are essential elements of success in the access control market for integrators and end users alike. Whether one is a seasoned veteran or still new to the industry, continued training and education are critical given that access control technologies continue to evolve at a rapid pace. System integrators who do not take advantage of manufacturers’ training seminars are short-changing themselves and their customers, contends Robert Laughlin, president of...

Access control can sometimes get overshadowed by video surveillance Technology is shifting rapidly in the access control market, but another obstacle is the need to communicate the value of the technology to users. Specifically, access control can sometimes get overshadowed by video surveillanceas it competes for a share of the customer’s security dollars. From a pure security standpoint, electronic access control is better suited than video surveillance to keeping...

Access control systems that leverage proprietary technologies severely limit system flexibility Access control’s ongoing transition from closed systems to more open integration provides benefits for integrators, and especially for end users looking to maximise their system return on investment. End users want greater flexibility, specifically in terms of hardware choice. As a result, more non-proprietary solutions are coming to market. For the integrator, offering more o...

The secure inner doors of the vestibule at the front entrance of Park and River Forest High School Most school visitors have legitimate reasons for coming to school. A frightening few, however, show up with violent or other illegal intentions. Today, school security directors are actively managing visitors with secured front door vestibules and visitor management software. Oak Park and River Forest High School, a single-school district serving Oak Park and River Forest, Ill.,...

Access Control is the second-fastest growing area in the security market. A major shift from PC-based clients systems to solid state, embedded operating systems, browser-based user interfaces, remote services, and changes in compliance legislation are just a few factors driving access control adoption both across the residential and commercial markets. John LaFond, VP of Integrated Systems at Linear LLC, explains these factors and how they contribute to the future of access control...

At what time of day do you have most people in your building? Do you have enough parking spaces for your employees? Are there always enough first aiders in the building to meet safety requirements? Security systems provide a wealth of data, which can provide the answers to these questions and more. By extracting reports from your system, you can gather valuable information to increase safety or improve business processes.  Wiebe Koopmans, owner of Linked Solutions, advises bus...

Law enforcement and pure problem-solvingskills will play less of a role for the futuresecurity director Much effort has been put down in the professionalisation of security work. Not only is it a recurring topic of conversation at events for security professionals, but also a formal topic of concern for ASIS – having active task forces devoted to the promotion of professionalisation and academisation of security practice as well as a recently updated standard (ANSI/ASIS...

The ability to measure and analyse the effectiveness of security operations is extremely useful – not only for identifying and addressing an organisation’s vulnerabilities, but also for demonstrating security’s mitigating impact on overall risk levels along with the higher-level value security delivers to a business. Brian McIlravey, Co-CEO at PPM, explains how security metrics can provide a powerful toolset for accomplishing these objectives. By quantifyi...

In the digital world, people own personal information just like they own physical assets such as cash, keys and clothes in the real world. But because personal information is intangible, its value has been overlooked by many for a very long time. With the increase in cyber crimes on personal data and the infamous Snowden affair, this issue has become more prominent. Fei Liu from Nedap Security Management Research & Development informs that to improve the transparency of data collection and p...

It used to be that the word “lockdown” was only ever used in reference to an emergency protocol to restrict movement in a prison environment. Today however, the term is in common usage in educational and other environments to describe measures taken under certain conditions of threat. In this article, Fernando Pires, VP of Sales and Marketing at Morse Watchmans, explains that lockdowns, along with building evacuation and sheltering procedures, are an integral part of a...

In a highly competitive marketplace, where organisations need to ensure they are contracting for the best possible services, value must be visible. This starts with aligning with the right service provider – one that is dedicated to the organisation’s success and has the people and processes to make an impact. Certainly most, if not all, service organisations say that they strive to exceed client expectations and meet the highest standards in their industry &ndash...

Applications that reside in the cloud offer enterprises previously unavailable levels of agility, productivity and vital flexibility – all at a crucially lower cost than ever before. However, with many enterprise cloud deployments now successfully up and running, plus the integration of the Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) culture into the workplace, the complex issue of data security and access control have leapt to the fore. Ian Lowe, Senior Product Marketing Manager...

The biometric card provides an easy, low cost way for facilities to provide a biometric upgrade A convenient way to establish higher security within certain areas of a building is an appealing idea to many security directors. Whether it’s to more highly secure the pharmacy lab at a hospital, the laboratory at a government research facility or the tarmac at a small airport, some locations simply need to have more scrutiny paid to who is entering. Going beyond the card onl...

The best standards are often baseline, common-denominator standards that leave room for innovation The collaboration between ONVIF and SIA to develop new access control standards is just the latest standards-related news from the Security Industry Association (SIA), the American trade association headquartered in Silver Spring, Md., near Washington, D.C.  In fact, SIA has a long history and tradition of standards development, dating back to the 1980s. SIA has produced 1...

Enterprises have typically focused on securing the network perimeter and relied on static passwords to authenticate users inside the firewall. This is insufficient, given the nature of today’s Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) and internal risks associated with Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) adoption. Static passwords can be a potential recipe for a security disaster. In this article Julian Lovelock, Vice President of Product Marketing, Identity Assurance HID Global expl...

What is it about biometrics that triggers so much worry?  Initial resistance gives way to mainstream acceptance when biometric technology allows convenient and secure access to healthcare, banking services, amusement parks, office buildings. What is it about biometrics that triggers so much worry? In the past, concerns seemed to have their foundation in the use of fingerprints in law enforcement; the association between fingerprints and criminality was strong.&n...

Looking at electronic access control (EAC) from an applications perspective is very helpful to security professionals when analysing how to best protect a facility and its people. The fact is, no two doors are alike and no two end users are alike. Breaking down individual doors into a series of classifications can be most helpful in assuring that the EAC is performing to the highest standards that the budget allows. Karen Keating, Allegion Portfolio Marketing Manager, Electro...

Ideal COTS solutions take cost, customisation and convenience into account Physical identity and access management (PIAM) software enables streamlined management of security identities across disparate physical security systems. In this article, Ajay Jain, President and CEO of Quantum Secure, explains that PIAM software can ensure synchronised and policy-based on- and off-boarding of each individual identity by integrating physical with logical systems. It would also ascer...

 “Soft” biometric measurements, such as gait, gender, and ethnicity offer new possibility for biometric solutions What is the next wave of biometrics? The Center for Identification Technology and Research (CITeR) is looking at the possibilities. New developments include consideration of new “soft” biometric measurements, such as gait, gender, and ethnicity. Although not accurate enough to identify a specific person, the capture and analysis of such...

There are new biometrics on the horizon, but much of current biometrics research centres on improving the biometrics we have, especially the face, iris and fingerprint recognition systems commonly deployed in the field. These systems are effective and provide good accuracy, but their usefulness is often limited by the conditions under which data is captured. Research is looking for ways to make face, iris and fingerprint biometrics more accurate in more real-world situations....

The principals of fault-tolerant access control are designed to limit the chances of system catastrophe by hardware failure Today, fault-tolerant security systems are becoming a necessity in several high-security environments as they ensure that security is not compromised in the event of some malfunction. The availability of competitively priced fault-tolerant access control systems also make them attractive for security installers as well as end-users. In this article, Greg...

Comprehensive and robust security programmes and policies are required for adequate data security Over the last decade, we have entered a new era of physical and logical access control. We are now living in an increasingly mobile world where our phones do more than just make a simple call – employees can now open doors and enter secure areas, as well as access computers, corporate data networks and associated information assets with just a single mobile device.  Fur...