According to Vanderbilt, some of the biggest trends that are gaining momentum in regard to access control include the continued adoption of cloud-based products, the rise in popularity of mobile credentials and biometrics, and increased collaboration between manufacturers.
The company notes that we are also witnessing increased integration across products, such as between locks, readers, intrusion and video systems. Vanderbilt cites statistics from a recent survey that showed 36 percent of installations now include video or intrusion, a trend that the company says is reflected in customer demand.
This year, Vanderbilt has introduced a number of integrations for ACT Enterprise and also updated the product to include a mobile app and rules-mapping engine to deliver more flexibility to customers. Vanderbilt has also worked hard to integrate its own product portfolio, creating the ability for customers to leverage a cohesive solution through SPC Connect and ACT Enterprise that provides a more unified access control and intrusion detection system with additional features. Vanderbilt also recently welcomed an integration with Allegion US to expand the reach of Vanderbilt’s SMS to secondary doors through Allegion’s Von Duprin Remote Undogging (RU) and Remote Monitoring (RM) options. All of these integrations (and many more that were announced last year) touch on the fact that integrations and partnerships, along with the relationships being built, are a continuing trend.
Another trend that Vanderbilt predicts will continue is more acceptance of cloud-based access control and video management solutions. Customers will always want to invest in more traditional access control solutions but the company expects it will see more of a willingness to adopt cloud products with all of the benefits they provide, such as quicker installation time, automatic software updates, flexibility and mobility, managed services and increased cyber security.
Mobile access control is also in high demand right now from end users looking for a way to incorporate their mobile phones with certain access levels within their organisation. In today’s world, a mobile phone is a constant, and it’s natural for businesses to see this as an opportunity to enhance flexibility by integrating mobile access into offices at varying levels. Additionally, biometric readers can help achieve similar flexibility, while also offering an added layer of security for protection. There has been a sizable shift away from cards and card readers to these alternative methods of access as a result of an increased focus on addressing vulnerabilities in a timely manner.
Vanderbilt expects the rest of 2019 to offer continued growth in technology innovation, and anticipates that access control will be at the centre of the expansion within the security industry.
