Cybersecurity concerns for access control rise as biometrics solutions grow

Physical security is “mission critical” for firms according to the 2022 State of Physical Security Report from Canada-based access control company Genetec. In the document, the firm also highlights cybersecurity concerns connected to vulnerable access control systems.

The company’s report is based on insights from more than 3,700 physical security leaders worldwide. It aims to provide an overview of the security strategies organizations are deploying to navigate changing industry realities.

In this regard, 54 percent of end-user respondents indicated that their company’s target vision for security deployment is a mix of on-premises and cloud-based solutions.

Furthermore, 64 percent of IT and 54 percent of security respondents said that cybersecurity tools are a primary focus this year. Roughly two-thirds (63 percent) of all respondents and seven in every ten organizations with more than 10,000 employees described physical security as “mission-critical.”

The majority of respondents (64 percent) also confirmed they employ both video surveillance and access control solutions in their physical security deployments. 

“Every organization wants to get their hands on the latest technology. However, faced with budget constraints, talent shortages, and ever-changing priorities, security leaders are required to do more with less,” explains Pervez Siddiqui, vice president of offerings and transformation at Genetec. 

“A unified security platform gives organizations a path to modernize their aging systems while leveraging their existing infrastructure. And they can do this without expensive and complex custom development.”

Genetec also recently published a warning to organizations to be vigilant about the cybersecurity risk connected with legacy access control systems.

CyberLink and UnionCommunity partner up in South Korea

Face biometrics company CyberLink and access control hardware provider UnionCommunity have entered a new partnership to launch an access control solution in South Korea.

The collaboration will see UnionCommunity’s UBio-X Face Premium terminal integrate CyberLink’s AI facial recognition engine and CyberLink’s FaceMe SDK (software development kit).

“It is a great honor that CyberLink’s FaceMe facial recognition technology has been adopted by UnionCommunity, a company that occupies a sizable place in the market with its range of biometric access control devices,” comments CyberLink CEO Jau Huang.

According to the executive, the new system will improve on the companies’ existing solutions by delivering an improved user experience based on increasing the terminal’s face detection distance and its multi-person walk-through recognition capability.

The multimodal biometric system will support facial recognition, fingerprints, cards, mobile keys, QR codes, and/or passwords. It will also reportedly integrate CyberLink’s anti-spoofing capabilities.

“This is the result of CyberLink’s long-term efforts in the field of access control,” Huang adds.

“Going forward, we plan to support anti-spoofing capabilities for more IR camera devices, and we will continue to optimize the accuracy with additional functions to strengthen the safety of facial recognition.”

The biometric partnership follows a separate one CyberLink entered into with Asus in October.

Suprema wins two European awards

Another company moving towards a biometric future for access control applications is Suprema ID, which recently won two separate awards.

The first is a ‘Best Product’ award in the access control category at the ‘Detektor International Award 2022’ conference in Stockholm, Sweden, which Suprema won for its BioStation 3 access control terminal.

The company’s multimodal biometric terminal also won a silver trophy in the safety and security category at ExpoProtection 2022, which took place between November 15 and 17 in Paris, France.

“These consecutive prizes are a recognition of our R&D hard work during the pandemic,” explains Suprema’s Europe and North Africa sales director, Baudouin Genouville.

“Suprema launched BioStation 3 by thoroughly analyzing the existing access control system’s problems, market needs, user experience, and defining technical requirements.” 

More recently, the company released a new document reader that integrates the “biomiddle” biometrics software from secunet.

Precise changes EastCoast Solutions’ payment plan

Precise Biometrics also has an update: a payment plan change for its acquisition of EastCoast Solutions.

Making the announcement in a blog post, Precise said the reasoning behind the adjustments is to “provide flexibility for the company’s growth agenda.”

The move will see the remaining installments of SEK 25 million (US$2.4 million) and SEK 30 million ($2.9 million), previously scheduled for 2022 and 2023, instead be paid in installments of SEK 30 million in 2022, SEK 10 million ($968,000) in 2023.

After that, an annual SEK 5 million ($484,000) up to and including 2026 will be paid, with a market interest rate accruing from November 30, 2023. Precise clarified that it retains the option to repay the remaining purchase price in advance.

The announcement comes amidst a reorganization of the company’s top executive structure.

Article Topics

access control  |  biometrics  |  CyberLink  |  cybersecurity  |  face biometrics  |  Genetec  |  market report  |  Precise Biometrics  |  Unioncommunity  |  video surveillance