Generating Interest in Newer Credential Technologies by Marrying Security With Convenience
It’s a tough sell to get clients to spend money on new access control credentials when the current ones still work. The key to generating interest in newer credential technologies is marrying security with convenience.
When it comes to access control cards and credentials it is difficult to have a discussion about technology without considering some of the seemingly contradictory trends in the marketplace. For example, the largest installed base of cards is proximity — a 20-year-old technology with known security issues. Yet in an industry that often seems to move at a glacial pace, the credential space is filled with some of the hottest buzzwords inside and out of the security industry, including Near Field Communications (NFC), Bluetooth, biometrics and even wearables such as the Apple Watch.
Within the access control market, the state of the credential can be broadly categorized like this: First- and second-generation smart cards are standard on new projects; proximity is king of the retrofit and still used even on some new projects; biometrics is often a mostly niche technology; and many card holders want to know when they can use their phone as a credential.