By Jaroslav Barton, HID Regional Product Marketing Manager – Europe
Mobile-ready access control systems are steadily growing in popularity, bolstered by the urgent need to provide a secure environment for employees, students, patrons, and visitors amidst rising security—and cybersecurity—threats. That is according to the HID 2024 State of Security and Industry Report, in which nearly one-third of survey respondents who planned to update or change their physical access control solutions were doing so with mobile-enabled solutions. A further 16% had already deployed mobile access credentials.
Mobile access control solutions offer several benefits over traditional card- and token-based readers and credentials, including encryption, multi-layered security and multifactor authentication (MFA). However, a primary catalyst behind their popularity boom is far less technology-forward: convenience.
Mobile-enabled access control systems are simply more convenient for those tasked with implementation and management and, importantly, for end users. Smart devices are ubiquitous, with nearly 98% of respondents to a Statista survey saying they own a smartphone and 48.5% identifying as tablet owners. A separate Statista survey found that globally, 69% of the world’s population owns a smartphone, based on an estimated 6.7 billion smartphone subscriptions worldwide and a global population of around 7.4 billion.
Convenience by the Numbers
The convenience catalyst was evident in the findings of the 2024 State of Access Control report, promoted by IFSEC Insider and HID. The largest number of respondents (47%) cited ‘improving user convenience as the top challenge faced on a day-to-day basis, followed by ‘making physical access administration easier,’ which was cited by 41%.
Fifty-six percent of survey respondents cited ‘improved convenience and experience for users’ as the main reason behind the decision to upgrade to mobile access control—well ahead of other factors such as higher security (43%), more efficient credential issuance and management (32%) and cost savings (30%).
The annual survey takes the global pulse of the access control market, compiling insights obtained from organizations worldwide ranging in size from fewer than 100 workers to more than 1,000 the represent industry verticals including manufacturing and industrial (16%); professional services (10%); government/public sector (10%); software, technology and communications (8%); healthcare (6%); retail (5%); and banking (5%).
Respondents’ roles were equally varied, with 21% identifying as security managers and/or directors, 19% as security installers, engineers and/or technicians and integrators and 16% as security consultants and/or designers. Representation from other sectors of the security industry included 6% with C-suite roles such as CISO and CTO and 7% with facility manager and/or director roles.
Geographically, the largest percentage of respondents came from English-speaking countries: 41% were from the UK, 7% from the U.S., 2% from Canada and 1% from Australia. Representation was also strong across the Middle East and Africa regions, with 5% of responses coming from Nigeria, 3% from South Africa, 2% from Saudi Arabia, and 1% from Egypt. In Asia, India accounted for the largest percentage of responses (6%) while Pakistan and China were responsible for a little over 1% each.
Despite their diversity, consensus was clear among respondents when it came to the influence of convenience on decisions around access control upgrades. ‘Improved user convenience’ was selected by more than half (51%) of respondents, ahead of ‘taking advantage of new technology that can improve security posture’ (40%), and the ‘existing system ‘nearing the end of its useful life’ (27%).
Ease of use was also cited as the top feature required in a new access control system, favored by 58% of respondents. Related to improved user convenience, touchless or contactless capabilities featured highly, selected by 45% of respondents, followed by ‘the ability for users to use smartphones, tablets, and wearables for access control’ at 43%.
Aggregating Multiple Benefits
By leveraging smartphones and other mobile devices, mobile-enabled access control solutions provide a seamless user experience with contactless access to office doors, elevators, turnstiles, parking garages, printers and more.
Mobile access solutions take advantage of the multiple layers of security within smartphones, such as biometric authentication and passcodes, which add an extra layer of protection over physical access cards and tokens. Mobile credentials can be encrypted to further reduce the risk of cloning or unauthorised duplication and stored in users’ digital wallets to tap into yet another layer of security and convenience—while also allowing for easy integration with existing mobile-enabled access control systems.
The benefits and convenience of mobile access also extend beyond smart devices. Most notably, digital credentials introduce several operational and administrative efficiencies that benefit the entire organisation. They are simple to distribute and manage and integrate easily with other mobile apps and back-office systems, such as scheduling, time and attendance and facility management, creating a unified platform across which to control and access multiple functions—an important benefit for both users and those tasked with managing these broader operational functions.
This wide range of benefits is supported by respondents to the State of Access Control survey, 27% of whom cited being able to issue and revoke ID credentials efficiently as a top challenge—one that straddles both security and convenience factors. Others included ‘managing an existing system near the end of useful life’ (23%) and ‘knowing the number and locations of employees and visitors’ (25%).
A Logical Upgrade
When the impact of convenience to the implementation team, manager or administrator, and end-user are factored into the equation, mobile-enabled access control solutions offer a compelling alternative to traditional access control methods. By capitalising on the omnipresence of smartphones and other mobile devices, as well as their inherent security features, mobile-enabled readers and credentials tick the multiple boxes necessary to deliver an access control solution that is both highly secure and user-friendly.