Page 32 - Security Today, November/December 2024

S E C U R I T Y T R E N D S
“Another trend is how
integrated access control, video
management, and other unified
life safety digital components
enable more systems built on
open architecture platforms. This
provides extended interoperability
among various manufacturers’
software and hardware solutions,
easier updating to maintain
cybersecurity and performance,
and longer life cycles to amplify
sustainability and resilience.”
All that data is meaningful if it can be mined for further pur-
poses, such as better allocation of offi ce spaces and designing
more ergonomic and energy-effi cient work environments. But
that data needs to be available in a highly secure and readily ac-
cessible way. As a result, the cybersecurity of physical security
assets and the physical security of cybersecurity systems are mu-
tually dependent and critical.
The key is to ensure that data is stored securely so it can be
delivered, retrieved and mined safely. Data centers and the cloud
offer perfect ways to accomplish these objectives. When data is
reliably secured, meaningful things can be done with it if ap-
proached intelligently, creatively and carefully. Door and access
control manufacturers that offer everything from perimeter barri-
ers and specialty door solutions to intelligent server cabinet locks
are playing a signifi cant role in this arena.
Regarding AI it must be vigilant when it comes to cybersecurity,
especially since there is no gold standard for AI. With its more so-
phisticated hybrid of tools, AI can learn about you and probe for
vulnerabilities. That means everyone is focusing more attention on
intercepting behaviors such as spear phishing before they can breach
access-controlled spaces and systems, including critical infrastructure.
The upside of AI is improved effi ciently to identify suspicious
behaviors that might lead to such a breach and then prompt fur-
ther investigation. Machine learning and artifi cial intelligence de-
ployed more widely within video surveillance and access control
systems to automatically reduce the number of false alarms in-
stead of assigning someone the mind-numbing task of monitor-
ing video feeds and access events all day.
Another trend is how integrated access control, video man-
agement, and other unifi ed life safety digital components enable
more systems built on open architecture platforms. This provides
extended interoperability among various manufacturers’ software
and hardware solutions, easier updating to maintain cybersecu-
rity and performance, and longer life cycles to amplify sustain-
ability and resilience.
3 2 Resilience is on more minds than ever before as well. Think
about the massive storms that have hit the southern United States
this year, what Houston has experienced with the loss of its power
grid, and the effect those events have had on livability, communi-
cation, productivity, and, of course, security.
A good application of resiliency in such areas is where doors
equipped with IP-enabled, battery-powered access control locks
can continue making access decisions and store their own data.
The system’s ability to maintain secure access means there is no
need to switch to manual alternatives during outages.
Add gasketed hurricane-rated openings in preparation for
storm events, and a building can keep wind and water at bay for
hours or even days. Subsequently, more customers are specify-
ing multi-attribute specialty doors designed to be fi re and wind-
storm-protective and/or provide attack resistance to stand up to
all kinds of threats. Resilience also comes from making sensible
business decisions like ensuring door security solutions are “fi t
for purpose” and not succumbing to far less durable choices.
Sustainability continues to trend upward, especially with
green building activity growing at twice the rate of traditional
new construction, and access control solutions are contributing
signifi cantly to its progress. More than 10% of a building’s energy
waste fl ows freely through its windows and doors. Simple access
control measures and better thermal breaks and seals can have a
positive impact by allowing customers to keep doors closed and
heating and air conditioning in.
Transparency and knowledge about the sustainable ingredi-
ents and best practices used in the manufacturing processes of
building products—including doors and hardware, carpet, and
other materials—can help infl uence green building design speci-
fi cations and mitigate the presence of potentially harmful sub-
stances that can affect occupant health.
ACCESSIBILITY
Another trending dimension about access control solutions are how
they are making places more inviting and inclusive. Biometrics like
facial identifi cation, for example, can help make spaces more acces-
sible by quickly allowing people to pass through openings without
having to use their hands to present card or mobile credentials. The
convenience and benefi ts to those with mobility issues and other
impairments or anyone looking for hands-free access are obvious.
Ultra-wideband (UWB) fi ne-ranging solutions are another
developing trend. Mobile phone companies are putting UWB in
their handsets, which can be used for indoor and outdoor posi-
tioning to track where a user is as they pass an array of UWB
“anchors.” UWB on a phone used at compatible locations can
help speed up access control verifi cation. It
can also track people for mustering purposes
– a potential lifesaver in the case of building
evacuations during a fi re or other hazardous
events.
Peter Boriskin is the CTO, at ASSA ABLOY
Opening Solutions Americas.
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