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OCTOBER 2015 7 www.securitysystemsnews.com 2015 Access Control Source Book Continued from page 3 GROWTH Continued from page 5 aCCEss COnTROl improved workfow. For example, hotels have begun using apps on customers' mobile smartphones to bypass check-in and go straight to their rooms, which also frees up front-desk staff for other guest service needs, Boriskin said. He and Kozak agree that higher edu- cation is another ripe space for growth. "The upfront cost might be high, but it's the cost over time" that makes the purchasing decision, Kozak said. At universities, installing electronic locks in dormitories with several hundred rooms can seem a dauntingly expensive ask, until it's compared with the cost savings by avoiding complete rekeying of a dorm every few years and the ease gained in dealing with room assignment changes. Both observed that a campus environment is almost ideal for an additional enhancement to electronic locks: Having an identity card serve as a key. "Everybody already has an ID card, so why not make that card your access control?" Kozak asked. The ID is already effectively a key for vending, dining, and other services on campus, Boriskin observed. He is expecting security management systems with wired locks will still handle high throughput exterior doors like dorm entrances, but inside the dorm, with ample Wi-Fi, wireless locks will hold way. For commercial applications, where an ID card is needed for a much narrower range of services, "it's not quite as compelling as it is in the higher ed space," Boriskin said. Still, opportunities are arising, including from what Boriskin called "creative blending." Many customers protect a high-security opening with standard electrome- chanical locks containing mechanical cylinders. "That's a vulnerability," he said. Innovative customers have put a mechatronic cylinder inside an electronic lock, combining the features of both locks to provide security and account- ability alongside ease of maintenance and control. "That's something that really came from the market," Boriskin said. Down the road, the innovations in lock technology and combinations may lead to a more mobile workforce more frequently using mobile credentials, he said. On a wider scale, integrating APIs for different lock systems into a head end that can base rights and permis- sions across a company's entire physical plant from a single database, is going to be a crucial aspect enabling installers and integrators to go back to their existing clients with additional products, Boriskin said. The residential market is also poised for growth, if at a slower pace than will be seen for institutions. "It's really within the last 12- to 24 months we're starting to see more and more of those devices," Kozak said. "Nearly every major manufacturer of access control technology has a mobile app." Much of that growth at the moment is in the DIY market, where tech-savvy consumers are installing their own equip- ment. There are also inroads being made by startups in the smart-home sector, though it presents an opportunity for traditional security companies that serve the residential market. Not very long ago, the home intrusion market was focused on moving to wireless devices and looking to touchscreens as the future of access control, Kozak said. The prevalence of smartphones means that "In fve years' time people are going to be saying, 'Do I even need a keypad in the house at all?'" he said. The residential market will also expand from those wish- ing to protect their families to people seeking convenience. Electronic locks can solve some longstanding home access control problems, such as "being able to go for your run without carrying keys," or getting household help without giving someone permanent access to your home, like hav- ing a neighbor water your plants when you're on vacation, or having a dog walker come and go in the middle of the day, Boriskin said. "The threshold has been lowered" to fx those problems, he said. Owners of multifamily properties or small businesses, and even vacation-home rental services, also now have new ways to do access control. "It's defnitely more accepted now. I think people aren't necessarily afraid of the reliability," Kozak said. ssn Peter Boriskin running to the bottom of a cliff … they are more of the good guy," providing routine monitoring of systems, recurring revenue and less troubleshooting. Added Eric Green, "Integrators are on the front line with the customer. They are the frst to see opportunities [for new data sources] and ultimately the ones responsible for delivering the value these opportunities represent. Simply put, Green said, business intelligence provided by access control systems can be like having an administrative assistant who, on any given day, might be the most indispensable person on your staff. "If you've ever had a good administrative assistant who anticipates what you need, it's there before you ask for it, and it's glorious when that happens," Green said. "This is having a system [providing information] based on data that anticipates what you need." While many companies have been slow to use information that is a by-product of a basic security feature, industry insiders agree that the realities of the market and the demands of regulatory reporting will compel them to change. Eventually, said Sieracki, they will say something like this: "Hey, if this is relevant information, let me slice and dice it." ssn