Does the user want to protect their build more conveniently and efficiently near? Then biometric access control might be exactly what user's looking for.
Biometric access control systems are gaining popularity as a more secure way to safeguard physical places such as offices, government buildings, airports, hospitals, and department stores.
Research findings
According to the most recent FACT.MR research, the biometric access control segment is expected to dominate the physical access control system market, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.5%, and is poised to create a 5 billion dollar opportunity from 2021 to 2031.
When compared to passwords, PIN codes, or token-based access control systems, biometric access control systems are more secure, convenient, fast, and cost-effective.
But where does the user begin with it?
In this guide, Aratek will go over the basics of biometric access control systems and why they're worth investing in.
What is a biometric access control system?
A biometric access control system determines whether or not to let a person into a building or a specific room based on the individual's unique physical biometric characteristics. It works by comparing something unique about the person such as the face, fingerprint, iris, palm, and hand geometry to a database of stored biometric templates about authorised users.
If there is a match, the person is allowed in; otherwise, the person is denied access. It provides significant physical security benefits for protecting a wide variety of locations from intruders.
These kinds of security systems have been widely used by a lot of enterprises and organisations to safeguard a broad range of locations, including commercial buildings, airports, banks, schools, and government facilities, among others. So, let's start from the beginning: what components make up a biometric access control system?
Key components
A biometric access control system primarily consists of two components: biometric terminal hardware and access management software:
1) A biometric terminal hardware, (such as a facial recognition terminal), authenticates users by comparing their biometric data against stored information.
A biometric access control terminal is a device that combines biometric readers or sensors such as a facial recognition camera, fingerprint scanning sensor, iris scanner, and so on into a single compact device to provide secure access without the use of passwords. It is classified into the following popular access control device types based on the biometric characteristics it employs:
- Facial Recognition Terminal (with camera).
- Fingerprint Recognition Terminal (with fingerprint scanner).
- Iris Recognition Terminal (with iris scanner).
- Palm Vein Recognition Terminal (with infrared light).
- Hand Geometry Recognition Terminal (with hand geometry scanner).
- Multi-Factor Authentication Terminal (with multiple sensor readers such as RFID card reader, barcode scanner, or multi-biometrics scanners to build a more flexible and robust access control security solution.)
2) A biometric access control management software, which enrolls user information and biometric data, sets access control policies, and can even manage biometric terminals remotely across multiple sites.
A biometric access control management software acts as a conduit between users, administrators, and biometric terminals. It allows administrators to enroll users with their personal information as well as their biometric data. Administrators can also utilise the software to create biometric controls and access policies that control user access within a facility based on the time of day, location, and even employee status (e.g., new hire).
- Time and attendance capabilities
Additionally, some biometric access control software solutions provide time and attendance capabilities as well as powerful device management tools.
The time and attendance features allow the access security system to control access while also tracking attendance.
Furthermore, the device management features enable administrators to configure, maintain, monitor, and diagnose all access control terminals using a simple web platform, allowing them to perform maintenance tasks without physically visiting the terminal.
The biometric devices and software work together to create a versatile biometric physical access control solution that helps businesses and organisations secure access while protecting assets and preventing unauthorised individuals from entering buildings and facilities.
Workflow
Let's dig a little deeper to see what happens when biometric technology is used to manage access control activities. A common example of this would be an office building where only authorised personnel have access to its door entry, checkpoints, or certain areas.
The entire workflow would be as follows:
- Enroll Users: Administrators can enroll users or employees in the access management system by capturing their faces, fingerprints, iris or palm veins, and so on with biometric terminal devices.
- Set Up Access Privileges: After users have been enrolled, administrators can assign rules based on user roles, permitting them to perform specific actions within the system. When the process was finished and activated, enrolled users could use their biometric credentials to unlock doors and gain access to secure areas within the building.
- Capture Biometric Data When Gaining Access: When users attempt to gain access, the biometric access control terminal scans them. Users' facial scans, fingerprint scans, or iris scans are captured by the terminal devices' sensors.
- Verify Identity: The system controller receives information and determines whether or not the user is permitted to enter the building or specific areas. Users are granted access if their biometric data matches that of the enrolled users and the rules that have been set. They will be denied entry if their biometric data does not match (an alarm will be triggered in real-time).
- Create Access Control Events and Reports: The access management system keeps track of who is in the building or specific area at any given time and generates reports based on that information.
Example
If someone attempts to pass through without being recognised by the biometric, alarms will sound
Here's a real-life example of how biometric access control works to secure a building. Consider the following scenario: A user utilises biometrics for a physical access control system to ensure that only authorised personnel is permitted to enter the building. Employees must first enter the office through a locked door or turnstiles when they come to work each day.
They have to first provide biometric identifying credentials such as their face, fingerprint, or iris to the biometric access control terminals before they can enter. Access will be granted if he or she does have the proper authorisation. If someone attempts to pass through without being recognised by the biometric terminal device, alarms will sound and security guards will rush to the scene.
Types of biometric access control systems
Doesn't it sound promising? So, let's go on to explore the different types of biometric access control systems so that users have more information to think over before deploying biometrics for a physical access control system to secure their organisation.
There are various types of biometric access control systems in use today, which can be classified based on their functionality and authentication methods.
1) Based on authentication methods:
Biometric access control systems are categorised into two broad categories based on their authentication methods:
- Single-factor authentication biometric access control: These systems use only one form of biometric to authenticate users (e.g., facial recognition, fingerprint recognition, iris, or palm vein recognition).
- Multi-factor authentication biometric access control: These systems necessitate the use of two or more types of biometrics as well as additional authentication methods (for example, face + fingerprint, face + RFID card, fingerprint + PIN codes, and so on).
2) Based on how biometric terminal devices are used:
There are two types of biometric access control systems based on how biometric terminal devices are used: contact and contactless (or touch and touchless).
- Contact biometric access control: These systems require the user to touch something before entering the secured area. For example, users need to touch the fingerprint sensor on the biometric terminal to capture fingerprint identification scans.
- Contactless biometric access control: These systems allow the user to enter a building without touching anything. For example, users simply scan their faces, a contactless RFID card, or an NFC mobile device to gain access - without touching anything. During the COVID-19 period, the contactless biometric access control system is gaining popularity to protect users from catching the virus by entering public places such as grocery stores, restaurants, banks, and other businesses. It usually has body temperature sensors and masks detection technology built in to provide a complete solution to ensure safety and hygiene.
Why use a biometric access control system?
Following the discussion of the access control system's technological components, Aratek will go over the benefits of using a biometric access control system and how it can help users' organisation and businesses.
Biometrics for access control systems have grown in popularity in recent years because of their simplicity of use, security, and a range of far-reaching benefits. Here are four benefits why users should think about incorporating biometric technologies into their access security systems:
1) Secure
Security concerns are always a motivator for organisations to implement biometric access control systems
Biometric security technologies outperform traditional access control authentication methods such as PIN codes and passwords in terms of accuracy and security. Because the user has provided unique physical attributes, the biometric access control system eliminates the possibility of an unauthorised person gaining access to the building.
Security concerns are always a motivator for organisations to implement biometric access control systems. For example, to boost security and manage staff in an automated manner, biometrics spending in European companies will continue to grow, reaching $6.1 billion by 2026, at an 18% five-year CAGR from 2021 to 2026, according to an IDC report.
The real-world application:
Biometric access control systems are a secure and accurate way of ensuring only authorised personnel to have access to sensitive healthcare facilities, patient records, and electronic health records. Increasingly, clinics and other healthcare facilities are turning to biometric technology to protect confidential patient data.
A biometric system eliminates the need to remember passwords or carry physical security cards and ensures that only authorised personnel can gain access. Biometrics is particularly suited for healthcare organisations as it provides an extra layer of security that traditional authentication methods cannot offer.
2) Convenience
Using biometrics for access control systems allows users to unlock doors without needing to remember any passwords. This means that users will not waste time looking for their keys or guessing user passwords.
To open the door, users simply scan their faces, fingerprint, or eye. This makes gaining access much easier and more convenient for users while maintaining security.
3) Quick and Efficient
A biometric access control system can allow employees to bypass the line by scanning their faces or iris
One of the significant benefits of using biometric access control systems is to speed up the process of gaining entry into a building or specific areas.
For example, consider a company that has a large manufacturing base with thousands of employees who must gain access to the factory daily. Instead of entering a password, a biometric access control system can allow employees to bypass the line by scanning their faces or iris, dramatically reducing access time and increasing user satisfaction.
4) Cost Saving
Adopting a biometric access control system in user business can help them save money in the following ways:
- By prohibiting unauthorised employees from accessing the corporate property, biometric access control systems can save user money and help users avoid employee theft. Biometric technology makes it simple to identify who is entering a building and confirm that they have permission to do so. It can also easily prohibit employees who have been sacked or fired from gaining access to secure areas again.
- Biometric access control systems allow users to gain access to the building by using their face, fingerprint, or other distinctive attributes. In comparison to traditional access methods that use physical keys, tokens, fobs, or cards, this eliminates the need for replacements; that means users no longer have to pay the cost of replacing lost keys or cards.
- Adopting a biometric access control system can also reduce the number of false alarms, requiring fewer security guards to be employed. If users have a multi-entry office building, a biometric access control system allows users to use a single guard to monitor all doors through a centralized platform, rather than assigning someone to each entrance.
- If the biometric access control solution supports integration, users will be able to combine it with a third-party security system. With this benefit, users can quickly add biometric technology as an additional layer to their existing video surveillance system to increase business security eliminating the need to acquire a separate solution and saving user money.
How to choose a biometric access control system that delivers?
In the preceding sections, Aratek discussed what a biometrics access control system is and how it can benefit users. It’s time to learn how to pick the right solution. It has included three factors to consider below to help users choose the best one for their security needs.
1) Determine What Type of System User Need
The first step in selecting a biometric access control system is determining what type of system the user needs. This question is related to the size and industry type of the organisation, the location user wants to deploy in, and the security levels they want to archive.
For example,
- If users have a large building with a lot of employees and doors, they might need a multi-factor biometric access control system that combines facial recognition with RFID cards to quickly identify users while maintaining a higher level of security.
- If users require something more sophisticated, such as the ability to track employee attendance and check body temperature as they enter the building, a contactless system with attendance management features may be required. A user may also need this contactless system to provide extensive APIs so that the user can easily integrate it with any existing time attendance system and video surveillance system.
2) Evaluate User Experience
A user must ensure that users do not have to think about anything while using the system
Second, user experience is critical for adaptation, which means ensuring that users such as managers, administrators, and employees can use the biometric technology without becoming confused or frustrated. Biometrics should be simple to understand and use. A user must ensure that users do not have to think about anything while using the system.
To archive, this, select a good biometric access control system with clear instructions and simple setup procedures. It should also have user-friendly features that allow administrators to quickly learn how to operate and manage the system while also putting users at ease. user will also save time and money by not having to hire an IT specialist to set up and manage the system.
3) Select a Solution That Fits The Budget
Finally, once users have chosen what type of biometric access control system would fulfill their security needs, they may search for systems that are within their budget. When balancing user budget and access control purposes in this step, there are several factors to consider.
For example, should users seek a provider who offers a total solution for combining biometric devices and software? or should users purchase hardware and software from separate vendors? When users consider the cost of installation, maintenance, and support services, selecting a total biometric access control solution may be the most cost-effective option for users.
An overview
Biometric access control systems are becoming a popular choice for access control due to their ease of use and advanced security features. It is widely used to boost identification accuracy levels and strengthen security in a variety of access control applications. Many organisations still rely on traditional types of access control authentication, such as magnetic swipe access control cards and PINs.
These methods may be vulnerable to fraud and theft, and they are frequently cumbersome and slow. This is where biometric access control systems come into play. By incorporating biometric technology into user physical security systems, they can eliminate the need for keys, passwords, and cards. This simplifies things for everyone, including building managers and employees.