Although not as large as that of video surveillance, the global access control market is
growing at a rapid pace. According to a report from Memoori, it grew to US$ 8 billion in 2019 and will be worth $12 billion by 2024, growing at a CAGR of 8.48 percent.
More and more customers are considering access control solutions as an integral part of security, while many of those who already have some solutions installed are looking for options to upgrade. Several trends have emerged in this sector in 2019, some of which are factors that have directly contributed to market growth.
Interest to upgrade
One of the major reasons for the slow growth of the access control market is the success of the existing products itself. Solutions like card-based access control systems have been effective for most purposes and customers have not seen a need to invest in upgrading their systems. But systems integrators have seen a change in this attitude in 2019, as advanced technologies became more popular and cybersecurity began to worry administrators.
New technology driving growth
Advancements in
technology are seen as one of the major factors driving the growth of the access control market. According to a report from Memoori, Access Control as a Service (ACaaS), IP-based solutions,
biometric technology and identity management systems have been the major developments in this sector. There is a keen interest in integrated systems, especially with building automation and other physical security solutions.
“More recently there is a growing demand for Access Control systems to lead on Building Occupancy Management systems,” Memoori noted. “The later has quickly become a complement to Access Control delivering valuable information on the location of staff and visitors and in the event of an emergency to rapidly clear the building.”
ACaaS is expected to be a significant technology in the future as access control does not require too much bandwidth.
“Access Control, unlike Video Surveillance, does not consume much broadband and there are no technical problems that stand in the way of ACaaS other than the preference of end users to own and house their own system on-premise,” Memoori said. “Many that are about to replace old systems are investigating the economics of either finding the CAPEX to invest in a new one or pay a monthly fee for ACaaS. The latter is an increasingly attractive option.”
New entrants to change the market
The video surveillance market has seen tough competition in recent years, between traditional solution providers and the more recent Chinese companies. The access control market has not seen such competition so far, but Memoori suggests that this could change as two of the largest Chinese security solution providers are now actively developing their solutions for the Western markets.
Open standards
The market is also seeing a fresh interest in open systems. As integration becomes a crucial factor, and more and more devices that need to be integrated with access control enter the market, adopting open standards will be important for growth.
“If manufacturers prefer to continue to be insular and proprietary, it will not be good news for continued growth, as traditional proprietary systems mean limited options for customers and restricted possibilities for integration and scalability,” Memoori added.
As technology progresses and the market evolves, the role of access control in identity management will become critical. With developments in technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), access control will cease to remain an interdependent system. With open standards and flexible integration options, the vendors will be able to remain competitive in such a scenario.