Biometric benefi ts

BIOMETRICS

Electronic access control has rapidly advanced since the days of keypads and card readers, yet many businesses have not evolved with the latest security technologies and systems and could be missing out or even running risks

When looking at the 2022 State of Physical Access Control report conducted by IFSEC Global, just 41% of businesses believed their current physical access control systems either met or exceeded their security requirements. This means that 59% of companies are still operating an access control system that may not be fit for purpose and the end user is missing out on the features and benefits of the latest technologies on the market. So what developments in the access control sector could you recommend to customers to improve their security?

Bluetooth technology is fast becoming a dominant contactless access control solution thanks to the popularity of smartphones. As businesses move away from options such as keycards and fobs, today’s systems are being designed to support mobile credentials going forward. Recent studies predict that more than 120 million mobile credentials will be downloaded in 2023 alone.

This is especially appealing following COVID outbreaks and variants, allowing for a sanitary, hands-free access system for businesses that is fast, flexible and cost-effective that makes it easy to onboard new users remotely, thereby providing a great user experience.

As a technology, it is simple to install as users can download the security credentials straight to their smartphone by clicking the link sent from an access control operator or downloading an app. Access is then granted or denied after credentials are checked by a Bluetooth or QR code reader.

This eliminates the need for costly cards or fobs, relying solely on the phone to access the access control reader.

Biometric access control is a step beyond physical security removing the need for cards, codes and smartphones altogether while strengthening security.

Biometric data is built up of fingerprints, voice patterns, retinol, facial, and even DNA scanning. It has increasingly become more widespread in use as this access control system is a more convenient way of securing the premises and eliminates the risk of physical keys, cards and fobs being stolen, or keypad codes being passed on to unauthorised people.

In recent years, the rise of this technology outpaced all others and facial readers are the fastest growing system for quickly granting and denying access to personnel. The integration of biometrics and security systems has now become more utilised with improvements in quality and price. Innovation has played its part in helping to drive down system costs and made it easier to manage through the cloud.

PSI caught up with Nick Burke, Managing Director UK & Ireland at Almas Industries to find out more about the benefits of the latest access control systems:

During the pandemic everyone said that access control would go contactless, so no more keypads, has that happened? It was a concern when the pandemic struck and we went into lockdown because our business is predominantly fingerprint access control and we had several customers worried about making a deliberate touch action in the biometric terminal. We took a step back and thought how do we manage this and is it a real problem? First of all, of course, our advice was for users to start sanitising the devices which was the general advice for any multi-use surface. However, with our everyday movements we were still using door handles and rails, so touching a fingerprint terminal was no different. To be honest, it was a concern at the height of the pandemic when it was top of the news agenda day in, day out, but those concerns started to subside and clients became more comfortable using access control.

BIOMETRICS

Saying that, I think it did create a shift in terms of the use of contactless and it did accelerate our plans to start introducing facial recognition systems. The period of COVID allowed us to spend time developing the solution and we have now integrated our software with facial recognition terminals so we can offer both options to clients. Some clients want the facial option just because it is contactless, but in terms of comparing the actual security features, fingerprint recognition is still a more secure and established biometric technology than facial. Looking back, I would conclude that without doubt COVID accelerated contactless recognition.

What kinds of systems are you typically taking out and what are you replacing them with? Our approach is one of consultation so we conduct security audits for our clients by looking for any risk vulnerabilities so that we can write a report and discuss the raised concerns. Generally, this will be around the use of PIN codes and swipe cards. When was the last time the PIN code was changed? Is there a record of who has swipe cards? What is the process when employees leave and is security part of that? And most important of all, when was the last time site security was reviewed? Most of the time we find that clients don't review security because they haven't recently had an incident so all must be well. What we do is explain the benefits of safeguarding and improving security - replacing PIN codes cards with biometric access control - which is far more secure. You can't falsify your biometric attributes and the software is incredibly flexible enabling you to manage access and create so many different roles within the software that it really tightens up security.

Why have you gone down the rental route for new kit? We offer technology on a rental basis because we feel that it's a more flexible approach in terms of budgeting for customers. We will agree a price for the solution that they've taken from us and then it's a fixed price every single month, all inclusive of the renting of the equipment including the supply, maintenance and support as well. Clients like that approach because they can budget for it and there are tax advantages as well. Also, it's not a depreciating asset so when we come to renew the equipment, customers can easily upgrade.

How much input does the end user have in product specifi cation? One of the most important questions we ask when speaking to clients is what they want to achieve from the system. That point gets them thinking about what it is they are protecting and the impact on safeguarding the employees or customers on-site. That conversation leads us to look at what system is currently installed, identify any risks and then recommend where we know we can improve security. We often recommend software and hardware that the end user doesn't even know is available, so our job is to really gain the trust of the client and get them to see the benefits that the new system is going to deliver. And when we do talk to them about the technology that they didn't even know existed, it really enlightens them; remember, some people still think biometrics is something out of sci-fi movies!

What's a typical access problem that you address for clients? Firstly, they may have had an incident take place and they want to know how they can prevent it from happening again in the future. One of www.psimagazine.co.uk

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our biggest markets, for instance, is with nurseries where safeguarding is paramount. So, customers are looking for the best security measures within that environment. If an incident has happened, our approach is to try to highlight where clients can improve their security. Security is such a high-profile issue, who doesn't want to be open minded about improving it? Employers have a duty of care to protect their employees as well.

Can CCTV be used for access control? There are some great analytics and AI functions in cameras today and performance is improving all of the time. However, while CCTV in isolation is a good prevention tool, providing an external shield to a property, it doesn't stop someone from going into the building so you still need access control technology in place for the best physical approach to security. CCTV with analytics can recognise a person but it can’t control who enters a property, however it can restrict vehicle entry when linked with ANPR.

So how does access control integrate with other technologies? We're finding one of the trends in the market today is clients looking for building management with a totally integrated solution. Our Optima 360 software, for example, integrates CCTV, access control and intruder alarms into one platform with remote management functionality. This single integrated solution means that users can set up different alerts, rules and triggers so if someone leaves a door open then that rule would make sure that the camera feed is available for review or remote monitoring. Clients on the larger corporate scale want a more integrated solution and that is one of the trends that is really developing and has really picked up pace this year.

Have we moved on from people being worried about biometric data security? It is something we still get asked about on a regular basis especially since GDPR was introduced. Our response is to explain how fingerprint and facial data is encrypted into binary code. We can advise them around privacy impact assessments and communication with end users and while it is a concern, when people are reassured, then it's less of a worry, but it is not a barrier to biometric technology adoption. Overall cybersecurity in general is a topic that has become incredibly important. We've got the Cyber Essentials certification, so clients can be sure that we're managing and protecting their data and over the years data storage and handling has become a really important part of what we do.

What does the future hold for access control? People will always need security and the market is forecast to grow around 8% every year. No doubt there will be access control and security trends that we’ve yet to experience but I think biometric recognition is going to become more and more relevant because of the risks around manual controls such as managing entry cards for example. I do think the traditional forms of access control will diminish and with the rapid growth in the use of biometrics we might see an expanding range of systems like fingerprint, facial, voice and vein recognition and even body scanners. At the moment some of these technologies are quite expensive but as price points come down, the systems will become available to a much wider market and will become more regular installations for security engineers. In the future AI and the integration of systems will provide a blended solution that improves security, productivity and incident response for businesses.