Editor Introduction
Integration of access control and video has been a reality for decades. The combination of our industry’s dominant technologies provides a one-two punch when it comes to maximizing the security benefits of a system. Access control tracks ‘events,’ while video provides visibility into those events. But the benefits of integrating video and access control are far from static. Rather, today’s systems are becoming even more valuable as they incorporate elements such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the cloud. Regarding integration of video and access control, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable a simple question: What’s new?
What’s new with video and access control integration is using the video as a credential. By implementing facial recognition, a person’s face becomes their card (frictionless access) or is another credential in addition to their card to verify their identity (multi-factor authentication) and gain access. Once in the realm of ultra-high security facilities, using facial recognition with access control is becoming more mainstream and cost-effective. This is not just for traditional access control – it is also being used to validate identification in order to access age-restricted products, such as alcohol and cannabis in retail stores, and for entry to multi-tenant apartment and office buildings. By adding a video-centric technology like facial recognition, you can take the integration of video and access control to another level, increasing security and at the same time enabling faster and easier access for users.
Editor Summary
One of the ways video and access control are becoming more closely integrated is using AI to analyze the video corresponding to every badge swipe. Video can also now be used as a credential when facial recognition is deployed. Broader ‘unified’ solutions are combining video and access control with an even wider array of system components. Cloud integration is expanding the ways systems can be connected and integrated. As our Expert Panelists point out, the combination of video and access control is a mature approach that is still finding new ways to contribute to the security of an enterprise.
