By Gustavo Gassmann, Vice President & Head Of Emerging Markets at HID
Across the Middle East, organizations do daily battle with threat actors. And while the classic image of such actors takes the form of a remote and shadowy figure infiltrating a digital estate through digital channels using digital tools, we cannot ignore the threat of physical intrusion. For some time, regional organizations have looked to advances in digital technology for methods to secure real-world premises, at times even deploying solutions that merge digital and physical security.
At HID, we took steps to capture these developments by talking with more than 1,200 enterprise decision-makers around the world. We identified five main trends in physical security that we recently published in our State of Physical Access Trend Report. These include a strengthening of the relationship between open standards and the development of smart buildings. Physical access control data is being used to optimize building usage, improve operational efficiency, and integrate with other business functions. As projections for the growth of the global smart-building market become increasingly bullish (Fortune Business Insights predicts growth from some US$97 billion in 2023 to more than US$408 billion by 2030 – a CAGR of just under 23%), this relationship will become accordingly more important.
In HID’s report, we record “smart buildings and flexible workspaces” as cited by 43% of survey respondents as one of the top three trends shaping the wider access-control industry. A related finding was that nearly a third (32%) cited integration with other business functions such as HR, HVAC, lighting, and desk booking as a top-three trend. The move towards open standards is very much upon us, as organizations make converged security solutions a priority. At the same time as deciding who should be allowed into the building, the system can advise on ways to use the building more effectively. And the ability to modernize other functions while modernizing building access is a draw for a range of stakeholders, from security and IT to finance and HR.
Converged security is a critical development that arrives in an age where enterprises are under pressure to do more with less and to deliver on the promise of hybrid work. Decision-makers need to know more about occupancy and usage so they can cater to the modern workforce in a cost-effective manner. If the business implements mobile credentials for access control, its senior executives can find out which parts of the building are used on which days, and divert heating, lighting, and power more strategically.
Our survey showed nearly half (48%) of organizations already have access systems in place that monitor building usage to some extent. But while the business benefits of open standards and interoperability speak for themselves, the converged approach does bring challenges. For a start, it presents a broader attack surface for cybercriminals, so physical security and cybersecurity must collaborate closely. But if managed correctly, security professionals will be able to prevent the merger of the physical and the digital prevalent within smart buildings from leading to a compromise of health and safety.
In the end, the advantage of using open standards to tackle physical-access security and operational efficiency as one cannot be oversold. The implications for productivity, budgets, employee experience, security, and more are far-reaching. And the enterprise will be all the better for it.
If you’re interested in learning more about how open standards is the key for modern access control, I’ll be at Intersec Saudi from 1 – 3 October. Stop by the HID Booth 1-B24, and we can discuss further.
