The future of access control is a rapidly changing landscape as we continue to progress in technology and realms of possibility. With such innovation and revelation, there will always be additional regulations as well as nefarious entities that present security risks by threatening systems from the outside. Card Lock designs and sells a combination of access control systems that provide physical security like our electric strikes or physical card readers, however we are also on the forefront of risk mitigation capabilities that we cannot see.
Our partner HID Global recently covered the three main pillars of access control security with relevance to financial institutions. We believe these three future pillars of access control and improved security can be applied to other industries as well and we are excited to share them with you.
Mobile Access
You have heard us talk about the benefits of mobile access before.
What you may not know is that from 2016 to 2020, Gartner Inc. has estimated that the utilization of smartphones in place of physical cards for access security will have gone from 5% in organizations to 20%. Mobile access provides options that physical cards cannot such as, “using their smartphones, tablets or wearable devices to do everything from accessing doors, gates and networks to opening electronic locks, securely releasing documents from the printer, purchasing snacks from the vending machine, and “punching in” to time and attendance systems” (1).
Physical access control solutions such as card readers can be integrated into larger systems that utilize cloud architectures and mobile technology for a more complex and more secure overall systems. Through mobile access, management can access permissions with a touch of a button, the environment benefits from reduced waste, and organizations save time and money as their compliance issues are better regulated by securely controlling who has access at any point to specific areas of their facilities.
Location Services
Personnel compliance management is one of our areas of expertise. We know that companies find it increasingly difficult to manage and track the dates related to compliance and to control who has access to their facilities. The use of real time location systems provides additional visibility and security as the exact location of employees and visitors can be monitored. Not only can emergency responses be improved, but “precise real-time and proximity location capabilities make it significantly easier to manage who enters and exits the building, and to control where, when and why they can access specific areas and information resources” (1).
Fines and penalties for compliance issues due to improper security are a serious consideration for companies as they choose their access control systems. Cost savings and avoiding compliance based penalties are two of the long term benefits of implementing a system that tracks multiple areas, expiration dates, locations and more.
Integrated Systems
Where physical access control is one option for security, an outstanding and more secure system combines physical access control with mobile access and location services. Integrated systems can also include other innovations that can improve security and mitigate risk such as, “biometric authentication [which] adds the ability to unequivocally validate a person’s identity for greater security and convenience, without adding complexity for the employee or customer. Personal Identity Verification (PIV) solutions can also be a valuable addition, giving banks an integrated solution for standards-compliant identity and credential management with the ability to use a single secure credential for accessing facilities and IT resources” (1).
Multi-factor authentication solutions and integrated access security systems do not just benefit financial institutions, but any organization that wants to better track who has access to their facilities and assets. Strong systems that have been designed and customized for specific needs, like the ones Card Lock designs, and that offer multiple levels of access control technology, better mitigate risk from outside sources by staying up to date with the most advanced solutions.
Do you have questions about the latest in mobile access or how an integrated system can provide you with better security? To find out how we can help, contact our team today.
