Redefining Access Control

Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Larry Anderson

Our exclusive survey ponders the changing role of access control as the security industry converges and transforms.

           

Another respondent — John P. Davies, managing director, TDSi — refers to access control as a “natural convergence point.”

All Systems' Lord says that access control is “about 70 percent effective in being the central platform in which to converge various security technologies.”

For example, “many digital video suppliers depend on the physical access control system to integrate their products,” says a technology specialist for a large supplier company. “This trend is going to continue.”

Others suggest the future role of access control is less clear: “Today, access control is still the primary platform for integrated systems,” says John Hunepohl, director, ISS group, ASSA ABLOY. “In the future, the access control components will become part of the network, be more interchangeable and be managed by a more robust business management process.” In other words, it's all about the network.

But in the end, the role of access control — or another technology — as the central point of integration will depend on the needs of the customer. “Some will centralize around their video, others around their burglar intrusion system. This also depends on how well the client understands the importance of access control,” says David Monk, president, Maglocks.com.

In addition to the expectation that computer servers and networks will push access control aside as a central point of integration, others see building management systems, identity management systems, so-called “middleware” or even video systems as being central to integration in the future. One respondent points to the emerging importance of Web services systems that communicate using so-called Extensible Markup Language (xml): “Current systems are largely missing the glue that xml can provide,” Day of Misedio.com says.

What do we need to learn?

There is still plenty to learn about access control systems, survey respondents contend, including how to use the systems effectively. Becky Shelton, site supervisor, Wackenhut/ZINK, comments: “Most companies only use a small portion of the services their systems offer because they don't know how to use the whole thing.”

There is also a lesson to be learned about the relationship of physical and logical access control: “Access control should not be thought of only in terms of physical access control,” says Harmon of PlaSec. “The gap between physical and logical in the organization is rapidly disappearing. The common organization is largely supported by enterprise class IT systems, and most likely sooner than later, many physical functions like access control will be assimilated into IT-based systems, one way or another.”

Jeff Duchac of LVC agrees about the IT influence: “What our industry should learn about access control is the future of networking and integration into other markets. This should be communicated by value-added resellers (VARs) and local representation of manufacturers.”

However, acknowledging the influence of IT doesn't diminish the role and function of the security department: “The four D's of security - deter, detect, delay and detain - still apply,” says Hunepohl of ASSA ABLOY. “This needs to be communicated in understandable terms to the new players making business decisions.”

Another lesson that has been long in the learning is the role of standards. “Access control needs to continue to move to an open standard platform using the IP networks as the backbone,” Lord says. “The decision-makers for security today, predominantly, come from the information technology world, where proprietary equipment and software are not the norm. They are used to open architecture for software.”

“Access control is not about cards, biometrics, smart cards, readers, etc.,” says Day of Misedio.com. “Access control is about data that is used to determine whether someone should gain entry and the transportability of information collected by the access control system.”

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