Mobile access articles

When a bomb detonated in the Port of Beirut, I had hundreds of employees under my care inside the blast zone. Within just two hours, I was able to determine who was impacted, understand their safety conditions, and share resources for on-the-ground support—all thanks to mobile technology. For Chief Security Officers, receiving calls like these launches a variety of protocols and necessary decision-making with the safety and security of people and assets as a top priority. And these calls...

Amidst the challenges of a prevailing economic downturn, the retail sector finds itself grappling with an unparalleled rise in incidents of shoplifting, theft, and burglaries. The disconcerting scenes witnessed on London’s Oxford Street in August 2023,​ where crowds gathered, looting as many stores as possible, sent shockwaves across the nation’s retailers. This alarming surge in retail crime has put retailers on high alert, as they contend with a rising tide of security concer...

It’s no secret that the data security sector is constantly changing. It has an annual CGR of about 12.3%. Future trends in data security Much of this has to do with the rise of cybercrime in recent years, with reports showing that cyberattacks happen as often as every 39 seconds. To combat the growing rate of cybercrime, data security has been on the rise. As we journey further into this era, it becomes evident that a spectrum of significant trends is molding the future of data se...

Daniel May of Consort reviews the integration of access control systems in healthcare settings, outlining the benefits and key considerations decision-makers must make throughout product specifications.  From patient safety and traversal to the protection of sensitive data and pharmaceuticals, healthcare environments are faced with several operational challenges. And where security remains at the forefront of decision-making, modern access control systems may often hold the answers. Physi...

Security systems represent a significant investment, yet many organisations still only use a small percentage of their physical security systems’ capabilities. That’s before we even begin to consider the different ways that the likes of video, access control and ANPR can add additional value beyond security by serving the needs of other business functions. Whether that be to obtain additional insight, streamline compliance or drive operational efficiencies.  Consumption...

Global transportation networks are becoming increasingly interconnected, with digital systems playing a crucial role in ensuring the smooth operation of ports and supply chains. However, this reliance on technology can also create vulnerabilities, as demonstrated by the recent ransomware attack on Nagoya Port. As Japan's busiest shipping hub, the port's operations were brought to a standstill for two days, highlighting the potential for significant disruption to national economies and supply cha...

Physical security is essential for a modern production facility, users don’t want just anyone entering the building or accessing secure areas. But what about production machinery? Machine authentication is often a missing link in the security plan for manufacturers. Why machine authentication?  Most manufacturers have made significant investments in physical access control (PAC) for production facilities. Few shops currently hand out physical keys to employees or leave the building...

Mass attacks continue to lead the news far too often. All are horrific and disturbing, but the heartbreaking tragedies that have unfolded on school campuses touch us the deepest and have the most profound effects on our communities. NTAC statistics According to a January 2023 report from the United States Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC), K-12 events accounted for 6% of all mass attacks in public and semi-public spaces between 2016 and 2020. 6% may strike some as being...

Organisations of all types have made it a priority to better track who is coming and going inside their facilities and on their property. This can include an HVAC technician who needs to be inside a building for several hours to fix a faulty air conditioning unit or a parent who volunteers each week in their child’s school. Technology-based visitor management With considerable advancements in visitor management systems in recent years, organisations are now benefiting from technology-b...

Our recent survey on the state of access control in 2023 showed that HID partners and end users, as well as security and IT professionals, may have varying needs and concerns but nearly all agree on one thing: the need for sustainable solutions. Operational transparency In fact, sustainability was a top issue for almost 90% of our survey respondents. Our end users and their consumers are primarily driving this demand, with ever-increasing numbers asking for operational transparency...

Dr. Henrik Siegle has been the CTO at Bosch Building Technologies since November 2021. In this interview, he speaks about the megatrends of energy efficiency and sustainability, and about new developments in the building technology sector. Dr. Siegle, the building industry is currently facing major challenges in the form of climate change and energy shortages. How is Bosch Building Technologies dealing with these challenges? Dr. Henrik Siegle: Energy efficiency and sustainability have long...

We believe in integrated security solutions, so while a solid gate could prevent sight lines from the house, combining it with other measures such as alarms, motion sensing lighting, and CCTV will allow a good level of surveillance to keep you and your valuables safe. Burglary prevention tips Very few burglars are opportunists; instead, they may be regularly scanning and looking for weaknesses to capitalise on. It is therefore crucial never to give a burglar an opportunity to strike. Of cours...

The outlook for advancements in door security solutions is proving to be an extension of the positive trends that have emerged over the past few years and that continue to evolve in exciting new ways. That’s a good sign as we make our way along the road toward an ever-safer world. Improvements in a hybrid workforce  Here’s what we’re seeing: More and more companies are rethinking the office space and how electronic access control (EAC) security and data can help better s...

RFID and emerging mobile access technologies are easy to implement and allow elevator access to be integrated with other access control solutions throughout the building, from building entry to printer access. The right RFID reader can help reduce complexity by migrating diverse older technologies into a single convenient solution. Ways RFID Works Radio-frequency identification (RFID) and smartphone-based credentialling systems using Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE) or Near-Field Communication...

In recent years, multinational corporations such as Cathay Pacific, Facebook, Uber, and numerous others have been heavily fined due to security and data protection violations. This period has seen data protection laws increase as more and more information is gathered and shared online. As such, it becomes crucial to account for security capabilities when choosing an embedded device that touches potentially sensitive data. RFID readers RFID readers very much belong to the ecosystem wherein per...

You’re no psychic. You probably don’t have the power of clairvoyance. But guess what? When it comes to your security, none of that matters. You can still create future-proof security by properly equipping yourself. Here’s how. Understanding access control Security is changing faster than ever before. With new threats inside the workplace and smaller security teams taking on more tasks, IT and security personnel must automate their processes using new technology. One difficu...

If defence is the best form of attack, then in security, planned preventative maintenance (PPM) is the best way to protect your business from harm. Also known as PPM, the service ensures that your security efforts are up-to-date and effective. In the latest how-to guide, discover the benefits of planned preventative maintenance and learn how to add PPM to your building. What is Planned Preventative Maintenance? You have installed all of the necessary security measures for your business, now wh...

Although the wider adoption of 5G, together with faster connection speeds and improved bandwidth, opens up new prospects for telecom service providers, it also poses new risks in terms of network security. This article explains how telcos can make their newly-established 5G networks as well as telecom software solutions more impenetrable and secure. Implement robust device authentication protocols 5G is set to spur a wide-scale adoption of connected devices in the business and consumer sphere...

The growing mobile ownership rate, the emergence of more user-friendly banking apps, the tech-native younger generation, and, of late, the pandemic-induced shift to online, all create a fertile ground for mobile banking. Unfortunately, the acceleration of banking app adoption today goes hand in hand with the increase of targeted security threats. In 2022, a month wouldn’t go by without a headline-making mobile banking attack or incident that resulted in stolen funds and sensitive personal...

It’s clear that despite recent layoffs in the tech industry and general unease about the economy, there are still significant gaps in the number of jobs available and the amount of workers available to fill them. According to the Labour Department, there are 5.5 million more job openings than workers available. The physical security industry is not immune to these shortages. Last fall, Allied Universal reported being unable to fill thousands of open roles nationally while other smaller s...

For the past few years, security professionals have had to change the way that they go about protecting their organisations. From challenging old assumptions around access control through to implementing more access management and authentication policies, security has been at the heart of how companies have responded to the pandemic. The journey to more modern security processes that could support more flexible working was a rapid one. Remote work programmes have bedded in, based on how IT sec...

Back in 1890, Samuel Warren and Louis Brandeis published a ground-breaking article in the Harvard Law review called ‘The Right to Privacy’. To this day, it is regarded as one of the most influential essays in the history of American law and is widely regarded as the first publication in the United States of America to advocate a right to privacy, articulating that right primarily as a ‘right to be let alone’. In this essay, the authors questioned whether the arrival of p...

Trevor Dearing, the EMEA Director of Critical Infrastructure Solutions at Illumio, said “It is encouraging to see NIST releasing updated guidance acknowledging the increase in cyber-attacks targeting the supply chain and the consequent necessity to bolster the supply chain’s cyber security. We can no longer turn a blind eye to the exponential increase in attacks on the IT systems of manufacturers, logistics companies and organisations, which ultimately target the operational part of...

Today, RFID readers can be found in numerous devices requiring user authentication, authorisation and access control, from doors to multi-function printers to point of sale terminals to computers and more. RFID is a simple, secure and convenient access control solution for end users and original equipment manufacturers. RFID readers/writers come with a broad range of form factors, capabilities and configurations. Choosing the right RFID reader When choosing a reader to embed into a system or d...

In the era of the ‘Great Resignation’, it may seem counterintuitive to say that people will power business security in 2022. However, a convergence of challenges over the past few years has led to an undeniable trend in the security industry: With more technology comes the need for more people to monitor, analyse and leverage the data that technology produces. Always-on approach to security Since businesses were forced into lockdown two years ago, we’ve seen technology adopti...

Most individuals have strong opinions about what is more essential to our civilisation: personal privacy or security. After more than a decade of technology enabling greater and greater amounts of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and data harvesting, now the pendulum is swinging towards a society that places more emphasis on individual rights and privacies. This shift is manifesting in a variety of ways, quickly changing the technology, security and cyber security landscapes, and requi...

Software as a Service (SaaS) provides computer equipment, OS, and software customised to the user’s purposes as a service. Access control can work in the same way. If you work in the physical security industry, especially concerning access control, you have probably heard about the term ‘ACaaS’ recently. ACaaS is a combination of ‘access control’ and ‘SaaS’ (Software as a Service). From a semantic point of view, ACaaS means providing cloud-based access c...

This is an era of digital revolution and with it comes dozens of new security dangers. Every gadget, from our smartphones to our security cameras, need some kind of protection from external hacking. However, how can we assure the safety of our devices, workplaces, etc.? Biometric security is one such security method that has emerged, since it is both efficient and perceived foolproof. It offers an additional layer of security for businesses and personal security systems. Biometric security syste...

Access control for buildings is nothing new. Early forms of security access for business security systems were introduced in the 1960s, as business owners and managers looked for alternatives to keys, as a result of needing to frequently replace them, when there was a change in personnel. It’s only in recent years that the urgency to implement smarter, more efficient, and convenient forms of access control has increased, in the context of public and private sector digital transformation....

Fingerprint biometrics is hugely relevant in the current landscape. Even amidst other newer developments, fingerprint authentication provides convenience and affordability. There are talks rife about how the coronavirus pandemic has changed the outlook towards fingerprint biometrics. What is currently the most used authentication technology is being speculated to be unsafe, when compared to other touchless biometrics and that its usage in the future would decrease significantly. However, the adv...