DEMAND RISES AS WELL AS CHALLENGES

ASMAG CONDUCTED RESEARCH ON THE MATURITY AND SUITABILITY OF TECHNOLOGIES BEING USED IN THE SECURITY MARKET. BASED ON FEEDBACK FROM 323 MARKET PLAYERS, WE HAVE IDENTIFIED TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE ALREADY MAKING A BIG IMPACT IN VIDEO SURVEILLANCE AND ACCESS CONTROL, AS WELL AS THOSE THAT ARE EMERGING n Source: asmag.com editorial@asmideast.com

Digital transformation in security continued to advance in 2022. Investment in the right technology can transform security from being merely reactive to proactive, open up new applications and help organizations become more optimized, efficient, and safe. The graph below shows the results of a survey in which more than three hundred people segmented the widespread use of new technologies in video surveillance and access control in relation to two criteria - technological maturity and suitability.

Ongoing and emerging trends

According to the results of the survey, edge storage (3), edge analytics (4), hybrid-cloud architecture (5), and 5G wireless communication (6) are mature and suitable for use, while digital twins (1) and augmented reality (2) are not so mature nor as suitable. 5G and edge computing are two technologies that go hand in hand, because 5G (voted as immature last year) increases speed, while edge com- puting reduces latency. Users want more processing on end devices, facilitated by edge analytics and storage advances. Digital twins and augmented reality still have room to grow but their potential for optimizing security applications appears quite promising.

Access control

Also mature and suitable for use are multimodal biometrics (3), mobile access control (4), and multifactor authentication (5), while the same cannot be said for cloud access control (2) and partly for unimodal biometrics (1). With smartphones always on hand and touchless authentication on the rise, mobile credentials have become increasingly mainstream, but readers feel cloud access control still has room to grow and mature. Multimodal and multifactor authentication trumped unimodal biometrics as users can benefit from better accuracy and speed.

Video surveillance

When it comes to video surveillance, low light color cameras (4), AI video search of people and vehicles (5), bi-cameras (thermal + visible light) (3) are mature and suitable for use, while 8K resolution (1) and cloud video surveillance (2) are not so mature or practical. Advances in low-light color technology lead to their popularity over bi-spectrum cameras. AI video search for people/vehicles was voted the most mature and suitable out of all AI features. Cloud surveillance adoption is still slow but should pick up as it matures; while 8K may face issues with price and distribution.

Access control in 2022

For businesses worldwide, the slow decrease in the intensity of the pandemic comes as a relief. Although there are several concerns like geopolitical tensions and supply chain constraints, 2022 has been a positive year, as customers restarted projects and purchases. COVID-19 wreaked havoc across businesses in 2020 and 2021. Even after the initial healthcare crisis eased, other issues in the form of supply chain constraints, chip shortage, and geopolitical tension threw the markets into disarray. “Dormakaba operated in a challenging business environment in the financial year 2021/22,” said Mirko Meier-Rentrop, Deputy VP for Group External Communications at dormakaba. “On the positive side, there was good demand in all regions, and the company closed the year with a good order intake and backlog. This was also reflected in the strong organic growth of 7.7 percent for the financial year 2021-22.”

Chip shortage and supply chain uncertainties

The whole world is suffering from microchip shortages. Hanchul Kim, CEO of Suprema, said they export products and services to more than 140 countries, and dealing with an unpredictable supply chain and an increased cost of raw materials has been challenging. Others agree, although adding that the new circumstances have also created new opportunities for businesses to explore. “The global chip shortage has been the headlining chal-

Persistent global volatility

Meier-Rentrop pointed out that several factors continued to affect the macroeconomic environment. There were still pandemic-related lockdowns in several countries, which had an impact, particularly in China, due to its zero-Covid strategy. The supply chain issues impacted high-margin electronic products where orders could not be processed due to the component shortage. On top of that, labor shortage hurt construction projects. The impacts of the war in Ukraine and the accelerated inflation were also reflected in GDP development. In the first and second quarters of the financial year 2021-22, GDP in the G20 countries recorded quarter-on-quarter growth of 1.9 and 1.3 percent, respectively, according to OECD. In the third quarter of the financial year 2021-22, the impact of geopolitical tensions became evident as GDP growth in major developed and emerging economies contracted to 0.7 percent.

Ongoing and emerging trends

Touchless continues despite pandemic ease

Interestingly the market appeared to pick up from the changes that the pandemic brought about. For instance, touchless solutions have become a norm over the last two years. But even as the pandemic abates, the market does not intend to return to the fingerprint and other older technologies. “All regions have recovered from the pandemic, so business is back on track,” Kim said. “During COVID-19, contactless solutions received a lot of attention in the access control market. As we shifted into the post-COVID era, this demand has increased even more as the irreplaceable advantages of contactless solutions have been made apparent. Contactless access control, including facial recognition, QR codes, barcodes, and mobile access technology, is more hygienic, convenient, accurate, and faster.” lenge for many industries, ours included, in 2022,” said Devin Love, Senior Director for Software Products at Allegion. “Opportunity is even more present, as companies and building owners reconfigure how their spaces are utilized to preserve the privacy provided when working at home, while also offering the space for face-to-face collaboration that people desire.”

End user challenges

Over the last decade, the physical and mobile access industry has drastically evolved, especially during the pandemic. Prabhuraj Patil, Commercial Director for Physical Access Control Solutions in South Asia at HID Global, pointed out that from a customer’s point of view, challenges ranged from vulnerabilities to adjusting to the post-pandemic world. Some of these critical market changes, triggers, and opportunities are reflected in HID’s recent survey. Security and convenience were the top two challenges cited by over 1,000 global respondents. In the same survey, 40 percent stated that protecting against security vulnerabilities was their biggest challenge while being able to issue and revoke ID credentials efficiently was selected by 37 percent.

Market awareness of new technologies

Kim said that as the market recovered, Suprema won several large projects that companies put on hold during COVID-19. They found that the demand for biometric and contactless solutions is increasing, especially facial recognition. “Adding to this, the demand for mobile access is growing in regions known to be fast at adopting new technology,” Kim added. “Suprema’s experience at adapting to rapidly changing markets and customer needs, along with our reputation for having the most advanced biometric and mobile access solutions on the market, combined to help us meet the increased demand.”

Significantly, customers are becoming more aware of best practices in access control and how to make the most of it. The market is also at the cusp of using mobile credential solutions. “The access control market is experiencing an awakening,” said Love. “Information about how spaces are being utilized and seamless access for all residents, tenants, and employees, is of increasing value. Mobile credentials are an expectation, but the industry is only scratching the surface on the potential technology can deliver to the space.” Patil pointed out that while there have been several challenges, the attention has now gradually moved to adopt new technologies to help mitigate risk and create safer workplaces. “This, in turn, has created a great opportunity for players like us,” Patil said. “In light of this demand, we have had a good response from our local customers to key innovations such as HID mobile access, next generation HID Signo readers, HID Aero controllers, and Seos credential technology.”

Housing and education

The current economic circumstances increase interest in access control solutions in the residential sector. Love pointed out that a lack of affordable housing is partly driving up residential demand, while government spending has allowed higher education and other institutional organizations to invest in infrastructure. “Overall, long-term drivers along with reconfiguration of spaces have sustained commercial demand, and electronic access control is gaining adoption beyond perimeter security,” Love added. Kim agreed that education is a sector where demand is increasing, particularly for mobile access solutions. “Most students use smartphones, and an emphasis on convenience is growing in today’s world,” Kim said. “Mobile access allows students to easily access school buildings on campus by authenticating their identity with their smartphones.”

Demographic change

At the same time, the average life expectancy is rising steadily, which means that institutions and private homes increasingly need barrier-free solutions that allow senior citizens to move easily from room to room. The world is becoming more urban, cities larger, and infrastructure more complex, requiring sophisticated solutions to support the seamless flow of people to where they want to go. Buildings and land should be both easily accessible and secure from a broad spectrum of threats. Meeting these combined needs efficiently and conveniently demands a comprehensive access solution.

Technology

Finally, technology influences practically every aspect of the access and security market, from digitization and distribution channels to networking products in the Internet of Things. Customers expect their experience of access solutions to inte- grate seamlessly with their personal digital environments. “These five trends influence everything that dormakaba does, from strategy through product development to marketing and sales,” MeierRentrop added. “In addition to these five megatrends, dormakaba expects to access and credentialing policies across all vertical end markets to be strengthened, emphasizing adaptability, versatility, and health.” The peculiar nature of the postcovid market has ensured that almost all verticals began to see strong growth in 2022. While companies restarted commercial projects that were stalled for almost two years, governments have begun to invest in infrastructure with a vision to improve economies and offer better facilities.

Commercial projects

For dormakaba, growth in the commercial sector’s construction and expansions in the industrial sector helped to regain market positions. With normalcy expected to return to the travel sector,