Top Access Control Features in 2022

It goes without saying that access control systems are essential in most, if not all, business operations. Basically, access control systems allow for a mix of convenience, accessibility, practicality, and security for both the management as well as the customers. In and of itself, access control systems are composed of many different individual components that work together to perform a multitude of functions. This usually involves electronic locks, card readers, fingerprint scanners, and various computers. In this article, we are going to talk about some of the hottest trends in modern access control features. This list will include those trends that have been very impactful to the concept of access control and those that have been adapted to be the industry standard because of their effectiveness and reliability.

Electronic Locks

Access control traditionally revolved around using manual and traditional locking systems that involve locks and keys. Although this method has worked tremendously well in the past, it has now grown to be more impractical, unsafe, and inconvenient. Electronic locks have quickly taken over in favor of a much more economical and effective access control system. Electronic locks work by engaging physical locking mechanisms via electric currents. Instead of relying on the turn of a key, electronic locks rely on the input of the users, such as codes, biometric IDs, or even manual electronic override. Electronic locks are much less prone to wear and tear, they are much easier to replace, they provide excellent scalability, they are easily reprogrammable, and they can be set up to work with a multitude of different software systems.

Card Readers

The concept of using key cards as a means to authenticate electronic locks is perhaps the contemporary take on traditional locks and keys. In this type of access control systems, specialized cards are created and programmed with a unique digital code. This code is machine-readable. Card readers refer to those devices that authenticate the digital codes inside key cards. To put it simply, card readers power up the key cards, which enables the machine to “read” the data embedded within the cards. This data is then authenticated and verified accordingly, and the result of such authentication will determine if the holder of the key card will be granted or prevented access. Key cards are very practical and very reliable, which is why they have quickly become the industry standard for most modern business operations today.

Biometric Identification

Taking the concept of card readers a step further, biometric identification takes advantage of the user’s biometric data as a means of authentication and verification. It is founded on the idea that each individual person has a unique biometric identity and thus it will be a fool-proof system for determining whether access will be granted or not. Biometric identification comes in various forms, including but not limited to, fingerprint, face, voice, and retina recognition. Subsequently, there are also plenty of devices that are specially programmed to authenticate these biometric IDs, such as infrared scanners, microphones, sensors, and more. Biometric identification is preferred in some cases because it means one less thing to carry for the users. It is also arguably a lot safer since the authenticating factor cannot be stolen by other people. Biometric identification can also be easily compounded, which means that it can be set up to require multiple biometric IDs for ultimate security.

Centralized Control System

As you can imagine, modern access control systems will be very chaotic without a centralized access control system. A centralized control system essentially oversees all of the functionalities of an access control system. This allows for better monitoring of all the activities performed using the system and it also allows for more accessible data tracking to generate reports such as instances of access, frequency of access, entry/exit logs, etc. But perhaps the most vital function of a centralized control system is to be able to override everything. This is very important for emergency scenarios or in cases of errors just so the process of diagnosing and repairing the issue could be expedited.