More security professionals say access controllers lack cybersecurity features

Cybersecurity is becoming a larger concern in physical access control, according to a new report from Mercury Security, an HID brand.

Nearly one-third of security professionals surveyed by Mercury say their organizations’ access controllers are missing cybersecurity features.

The figure increased to 32 percent in the latest survey of 561 physical security and cybersecurity professionals, from 21 percent in its previous study.

The perceived importance of the hardware is also rising. About 85 percent of respondents now consider controllers important or critical to their physical access control system strategy.

The finding comes as respondents report growing difficulty coordinating physical security infrastructure with IT requirements.

Seventy-four percent of respondents say cybersecurity and IT coordination have become more complicated over the past 3 years.

At the same time, 86 percent say their organizations actively try to stay current with evolving cybersecurity and data protection standards.

Cybersecurity upgrades also need to account for access control equipment that remains deployed for years.

Interoperability and compatibility are also major procurement concerns. Sixty-nine percent of respondents consider interoperability critical when buying controllers, while 82 percent say backward and forward compatibility is crucial for future infrastructure planning.

Organizations may want stronger protection without replacing compatible readers, credentials, wiring, and management software across every access point.

The OSDP Verified program gives buyers a wider selection of independently tested controllers, card readers, and biometric devices.

Cloud connectivity is also becoming a stronger consideration in controller purchases, even though the reported adoption is lower.

Fifty-six percent of respondents say cloud connectivity influences purchasing decisions, while 41 percent describe their controllers as cloud-enabled.

Mercury defines cloud-enabled controllers as those connected to a cloud platform for remote access, centralized management, or software updates.

Half of respondents are using or planning to adopt mobile access, and 46 percent identify mobile credential integration as a purchasing trend.

Sixty percent of respondents identified facial recognition as a technology expected to affect physical access control.

Access controller data is used for more than just deciding whether to unlock a door.

Behavioral analysis and anomaly detection were cited by 56 percent of respondents as an influential use case.

The results show controller cybersecurity becoming more important as physical access infrastructure connects with cloud platforms, mobile credentials and biometric readers.

Article Topics

access control  |  biometrics  |  cybersecurity  |  HID  |  Mercury Security