The term “critical infrastructure” has been widely applied in recent years to cover everything from government facilities, power plants, and water treatment plants to highways, mass transit, and data centers, to name a few. The truth of the matter is that we depend on critical infrastructure facilities to keep things running regardless of whether they’re located in Washington, D.C. or somewhere on Main Street, USA. This poses a multitude of challenges for security personnel at public and private organizations tasked with protecting these facilities. And although different types of critical infrastructure facilities face their own distinct security challenges, they also share many commonalities at different scales across multiple facilities and geographic locations.

That’s a lot of ground to cover—literally. 

One of the principal tenets of modern physical security is the need for layered solutions. There’s a long list of technologies that can be deployed to better secure critical infrastructure, but not all are appropriate for every application. The secret to success lies in the ability to combine the best possible solutions into an integrated security solution that starts at an organization’s perimeter—be it the fence line of an industrial complex in the suburbs or the front doors of a multi-tenant skyscraper in a major metro city—and moves inward to critical interior areas that require additional layers of security.

Effective Security Demands Efficient Infrastructure

Protecting critical infrastructure on any scale requires robust security infrastructure (the backbone) to integrate otherwise disparate system technologies.

For the purposes of this article and area of expertise, let’s focus on two distinct security system applications: intrusion detection and duress notification.

One of the fastest trending infrastructure solutions continues to be wireless technology. First deployed for security applications some 40 years ago, wireless technology has continued to evolve from simple door and window intrusion sensors to advanced access, video surveillance, and sensor applications. Transitioning from wired to new modern wireless security infrastructure provides more economical and effective ways to extend the scale, reach, and effectiveness of security system deployments faster and with greater cost efficiency. Eliminating the need for long cable runs from independent distribution frame (IDF) closets to endpoint devices located throughout a facility saves time and money during installation and over the course of the system’s lifetime. And as the scale and complexity of a hard-wired installation increases, so do the economies of scale, yielding even greater return on investment (ROI) and lower total cost of ownership (TCO) over time.

More Sensors Make More Sense

Commercial/industrial properties increasingly rely upon a wide selection of sensors for intrusion detection, environmental control, occupancy monitoring, motion detection, traffic monitoring, smoke/CO detection, and more. In addition to performing their primary functions to detect specific types of activity, modern sensors can be integrated into many intrusion, access, or video management platforms to trigger specific sequences of events. These can include full-frame video recording, lockdowns, fire alarm activation and numerous building automation events including HVAC activation, lighting management, and even people mover system control.

The level and scale of integrating advanced wireless sensors is virtually limitless with continued growth and expansion driven by customers’ needs and demands to proactively prevent and mitigate new and emerging threats. Additionally, wireless infrastructure also best supports modern wearable panic notification devices that can activate different alarm levels and provide location services to best assist first responders.

New advancements in intrusion detection system wireless technology allow any commercial enterprise to easily accommodate floor plan adjustments and changes, and scale to accommodate expansion—from the perimeter to innermost protected spaces. This holds true even when deployed at large campuses and older facilities that often present installation and operational challenges caused by thick walls, dense materials, and complex environments. Modern wireless infrastructure solutions also provide the added convenience of mobile control, allowing system admins to manage, monitor and respond to system activity from anywhere using an app on their smartphones. All these value propositions are not collectively possible utilizing dated wired infrastructure.

Why 900MHz Wireless Rules…

Wireless Security Integrity

The debate over whether wireless belongs in professional security systems is over. Modern wireless systems deliver the reliability and resilience required for critical security applications. Inovonics pioneered the use of 900MHz security technology for professional security applications, which has proven to be both highly secure and exceptionally reliable across thousands of mission-critical deployments, earning the reputation as the industry standard for professionally installed commercial security systems and critical infrastructure.

Typical applications for wireless-first technology at critical infrastructure sites include a wide range of facilities. A few prime examples include:

Utility facilities and power stations: Monitor gates, perimeter access points, control rooms, equipment buildings, and restricted areas.

Water treatment plants: Protect chemical storage, pump rooms, mechanical spaces, exterior doors, and remote equipment areas.

Transportation facilities: Secure maintenance buildings, storage yards, restricted access doors, parking areas, and operations centers.

Government or municipal buildings: Monitor public entrances, staff-only areas, records rooms, equipment rooms, and after-hours access points.

Industrial/commercial complexes: Extend security across warehouses, loading docks, service entrances, fenced areas, and multiple buildings.

Data centers: Protect valuable data and servers from being physically stolen.

Last Words on Wireless-First

Making the transition from traditional wired to wireless-first security infrastructure allows commercial/industrial properties to extend protection to areas that are difficult, expensive, or disruptive to wire. It also allows the integration of new and emerging sensor solutions to expand the overall capabilities of existing integrated video, access, and intrusion system platforms with centralized, remote management and control with the highest levels of performance and integrity.

For more information on the efficacy of wireless-first mission-critical infrastructure, read our whitepaper, Characteristics of RF Wireless in Commercial Applications.

By Andrew Griffey, Senior Product Manager, Inovonics

The Technologies Powering Modern Remote Video Monitoring

Modern RVM became commercially viable when several technologies matured simultaneously — AI analytics, cloud infrastructure, edge processing, and centralized video management.

IP Cameras

Internet Protocol (IP) cameras are network-connected video devices that transmit digital video across wired or wireless infrastructure. Unlike analog CCTV systems, IP cameras support high-resolution imaging, remote management, onboard analytics, and cloud connectivity. They now commonly include embedded AI processors capable of detecting people, vehicles, weapons, smoke, or unusual behaviors directly at the edge.

Video Management Systems (VMS)

A Video Management System (VMS) acts as the operational software backbone of an RVM deployment. The VMS aggregates camera feeds, manages users and permissions, stores recordings, displays alarms, and orchestrates workflows.

AI Video Analytics

AI video analytics apply machine learning and computer vision models to live and recorded video streams. Earlier analytics relied primarily on motion detection and simple rules engines that produced excessive false alarms. Modern AI models classify objects, behaviors, and contextual events with dramatically improved accuracy. Systems can now distinguish between a human, animal, vehicle, forklift, train, drone, or shadow, while simultaneously analyzing behavioral patterns such as loitering, tailgating, crowd formation, or perimeter intrusion.

Edge Computing

Edge processing allows analytics to be performed directly at the camera or nearby appliance rather than entirely in the cloud. This reduces latency, minimizes bandwidth usage, and accelerates decision-making. For example, a thermal camera monitoring a remote rail yard can identify a human intrusion locally and send only the relevant alert rather than streaming continuous raw video to a central data center.

Cloud Infrastructure

Cloud-managed architectures have fundamentally changed the economics and scalability of RVM deployment. Cloud platforms provide centralized storage, remote administration, software updates, AI deployment, multi-site scalability, and disaster recovery capabilities without requiring organizations to build massive on-site server infrastructure.

Human Intervention Teams

Despite rapid advances in AI, human operators remain essential. Monitoring personnel verify alarms, conduct live voice-down interventions, contact law enforcement, dispatch guards, escalate emergencies, and make contextual decisions that AI systems still struggle to handle independently.

Automated Workflows and Real-Time Response

Modern RVM systems automate incident response workflows. A perimeter intrusion may trigger:

• PTZ camera tracking — Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) cameras automatically follow and zoom in on detected intruders or suspicious activity to provide real-time visual tracking and enhanced situational awareness.
• Strobe activation — High-intensity flashing warning lights automatically activate during a security event to deter intruders and draw attention to the incident area.
• Audio warnings — Live or pre-recorded voice messages are broadcast through onsite speakers to warn trespassers they are being monitored and instruct them to leave the area immediately.
• Mobile notifications — Real-time alerts, video clips, and incident details are automatically sent to security personnel, managers, and responders through smartphones or mobile applications.
• Access control lockdowns — Integrated security systems can automatically lock doors, gates, or restricted access points during a detected threat or unauthorized intrusion.
• Drone launch protocols — Autonomous or remotely piloted drones can be automatically deployed to provide aerial surveillance, alarm verification, or perimeter assessment during an incident.
• Law enforcement dispatch workflows — Verified incidents can automatically trigger escalation procedures that notify law enforcement or emergency responders with live video, incident data, and location details.

RVM has evolved from passive surveillance into an intelligent operational response platform.

Why Organizations Are Accelerating RVM Adoption

1. Rising Crime, Liability, and Operational Risk

Organizations across logistics, transportation, construction, retail, utilities, rail, healthcare, education, and critical infrastructure sectors are experiencing sustained increases in theft, vandalism, trespassing, workplace violence, and liability exposure.

Cargo theft has become one of the most visible examples. The Association of American Railroads reported that rail cargo theft incidents increased approximately 40% in 2024 alone, with losses exceeding hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Organized criminal networks increasingly target freight operations, distribution centers, and rail yards using coordinated attacks, fraudulent pickups, and rapid online resale channels.

Construction theft trends are equally severe. The National Equipment Register estimates annual construction equipment theft losses between $300 million and $1 billion, with recovery rates often below 25%.

At the same time, liability exposure tied to worker safety, public safety, and operational disruption continues to rise. Rail trespassing fatalities, workplace accidents, and active threat incidents are placing additional pressure on organizations to improve real-time visibility across large, distributed environments.

Traditional guard-based security models struggle to scale economically against these expanding risks. RVM is increasingly viewed as a force multiplier that allows organizations to maintain persistent oversight across geographically dispersed facilities without proportionally increasing labor costs.

2. Security Labor Shortages and Rising Guard Costs

The guarding industry is experiencing one of the most severe labor shortages in its history. Security Industry Association (SIA) and labor market studies consistently show high turnover rates, rising wages, and growing difficulties filling overnight and remote-site positions.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects continued growth in demand for security personnel even as companies struggle to recruit and retain workers. Annual turnover rates in the guarding industry frequently exceed 100% in many markets.

At the same time, guard wages have risen substantially over the past decade due to inflation, labor competition, and minimum wage increases. Many organizations now face situations where physical guarding costs have doubled while staffing reliability has deteriorated.

RVM directly addresses this challenge by allowing centralized operators to monitor dozens or even hundreds of locations simultaneously using AI-assisted event prioritization. Rather than eliminating guards entirely, RVM changes how guarding resources are deployed — shifting personnel toward mobile response, investigations, and exception management rather than static observation.

The industry increasingly sees hybrid models emerging in which AI analytics perform continuous monitoring while human operators intervene only when actionable events occur.

3. AI and Analytics Have Reached Operational Maturity

Artificial intelligence has been discussed in security for years, but earlier generations of video analytics often failed operationally because of excessive false alarms and limited contextual understanding.

Modern AI systems differ significantly because they rely on deep learning neural networks trained on massive video datasets. These models analyze context rather than simply detecting motion.

Examples include:

Human Classification

Modern AI can distinguish between a person and environmental movement such as blowing trees, shadows, or rain. This dramatically reduces nuisance alarms in perimeter security deployments. Analytics identify vehicles, behavior, PPE Compliance, smoke, and fire.

4. Cloud Infrastructure and VSaaS Are Reshaping Video Operations

Video Surveillance as a Service has become one of the largest drivers of RVM growth.

Historically, surveillance deployments required onsite servers, dedicated storage infrastructure, complex networking, and expensive maintenance. Cloud-native systems fundamentally changed that model entirely.

Perimeter Security: The Largest RVM Growth Segment

Perimeter security remains the largest and most mature application category for RVM.

Facilities, logistics operations, rail yards, and construction sites remain among the leading RVM adopters because they share a common challenge: extremely large outdoor environments that are difficult and expensive to secure physically.

Investor and Integrator Interest Continues to Grow

Remote Video Monitoring is becoming one of the strongest recurring monthly revenue (RMR) plays in physical security because it turns video from a one-time installation into a managed service that includes monitoring, AI analytics, cloud storage, health checks, dispatch, audio intervention, maintenance, and reporting.

The catch: there is no clean public market-size number for “RVM RMR” alone. Most research firms roll it into VSaaS, managed video, remote guarding, central station monitoring, or mobile surveillance. The best proxy is VSaaS and managed video growth trends.

VSaaS Growth Reflects Expanding Demand for RVM

The broader VSaaS market is already large and growing fast.  Mordor Intelligence estimates the global VSaaS market will grow from approximately $7.6 billion in 2026 to $15.6 billion by 2031, representing a 15.47% CAGR.  Research And Markets projects the VSaaS market will grow from approximately $5.6 billion in 2026 to more than $10.3 billion by 2032, representing a 9.7% CAGR.

RVM is attractive because it combines several investor-friendly characteristics:

• Subscription-based recurring revenue
• Higher monthly revenue per account than traditional alarm monitoring
• Reduced guard spend and easier-to-demonstrate ROI
• Long-term customer relationships because systems become embedded in operations
• Multiple add-on revenue opportunities, including AI analytics, cloud storage, mobile trailers, maintenance, managed network services, audio intervention, and response services

Why RVM Is Becoming a Core Security and Operations Platform

Rising crime, labor shortages, expanding perimeter risks, and advances in AI analytics are rapidly changing how organizations approach physical security. Remote Video Monitoring is no longer functioning solely as a surveillance tool. Increasingly, it is becoming part of the operational infrastructure used to manage safety, risk, response, and visibility across distributed environments.

For the security industry, that shift is creating one of the largest operational and recurring revenue opportunities in years as video evolves from a passive recording system into an active intelligence platform.

As AI analytics, cloud infrastructure, and automation technologies continue to mature, RVM is rapidly evolving from passive surveillance into intelligent operational response.

At 2:30 a.m. a motion alert appears on the video surveillance system at an auto dealership. A person is on the property moving through the parking lot long after closing time, when no employees or customers should be on the property. The camera captures everything – a person cutting through a perimeter fence, walking between rows of vehicles and eventually leaving the lot. But no one sees the video footage until the next morning. By then, three vehicles are missing. The surveillance cameras worked exactly as designed to by recording a crime in crystal clear detail. What it didn’t do was stop it from happening.

The security industry is in the middle of a major transformation. For decades, perimeter security has largely followed a reactive model – installing cameras, recording video footage, and reviewing incidents after the fact. While this “record-and-review” approach creates a valuable visual record of crimes and security breaches, it has rarely stopped incidents from happening in real time.

Today, rising crime, staffing shortages, and increasingly sophisticated threats are forcing organizations to rethink that model entirely.

The result is a shift toward proactive security powered by AI-assisted remote guarding, live monitoring, and real-time intervention. Instead of simply documenting incidents, modern perimeter security systems are now designed to detect suspicious activity early, verify threats instantly, and intervene before losses occur.

This evolution is redefining how businesses protect people, property, and assets across industries ranging from automotive dealerships and construction sites to scrap yards, parking lots, and critical infrastructure.

The Limits of Traditional Surveillance

Traditional surveillance systems were never designed to actively prevent crime. Cameras recorded footage. Alarms triggered notifications. Security personnel responded when available. In many cases, organizations only discover a problem after damage has already occurred.

This reactive model creates several operational gaps that leave businesses exposed.

False alarms can quickly overwhelm operators and security teams resulting in alert fatigue that increases the likelihood of real emergencies being overlooked. Response times are often delayed while incidents are reviewed and verified, allowing situations to escalate before security personnel or law enforcement can intervene. Traditional on-site guard services introduce additional challenges, as manpower is expensive, difficult to scale, and often impractical across large or distributed outdoor environments.

At the same time, today’s criminals have become increasingly sophisticated and understand how to exploit blind spots and weaknesses in conventional surveillance systems.

These shortcomings are especially problematic in large outdoor environments where assets are exposed overnight or during low-traffic periods. Auto dealerships are a prime example of this. According to the National Automobile Dealers Association, vehicle theft costs dealerships and homeowners nationwide approximately $8 billion annually.

Organized crime rings and tech-enabled thieves increasingly target dealership lots because they know many traditional perimeter security systems are passive by nature. Fences can be breached, security guards can’t be everywhere at once, and cameras capture evidence only after vehicles, catalytic converters, or high-value parts have already disappeared.

From Detection to Prevention

The next generation of perimeter security changes that equation entirely.

Rather than relying solely on passive surveillance, proactive security systems combine AI-powered analytics, live video monitoring, remote guarding services, and active deterrence to stop threats in progress. This shift is now moving security operations from reactionary to preventative.

Modern systems can identify suspicious behavior in real time using artificial intelligence and advanced video analytics. Instead of simply detecting motion, AI-assisted monitoring platforms can distinguish between normal daily activity, such as an employee arriving at the office with a coffee in hand, and potentially dangerous events, such as a suspicious individual trying to gain entrance through a secure back door. This dramatically reduces nuisance alerts while surfacing real threats earlier.

When a suspicious activity is detected, trained remote operators can immediately verify the event through live video feeds. From there, they can respond proactively through audio warnings, escalation protocols, or direct coordination with law enforcement. The ability to intervene during an incident, instead of after it, fundamentally changes the value of perimeter security.

The Rise of Remote Guarding

One of the most significant developments driving this transformation is remote guarding.

Traditional on-site security guards remain valuable in certain applications but maintaining full-time physical coverage across large or multiple locations can be costly and operationally challenging. Staffing shortages have only intensified these difficulties.

Remote guarding offers a scalable alternative. Using cloud-connected surveillance systems and live monitoring centers, remote operators can oversee multiple locations simultaneously 24/7. Operators can issue live audio warnings, monitor suspicious activity, conduct virtual guard tours, and coordinate rapid response efforts without needing to physically remain on-site.

This approach dramatically expands security coverage while controlling operational costs. For organizations under pressure to improve security outcomes while managing budgets, the traditional reliance on physical guards and reactive investigations has become increasingly difficult to sustain.

For businesses operating large outdoor facilities, the benefits can be substantial. Construction sites, for example, are frequent targets for theft because they contain valuable equipment, copper wiring, fuel, and materials spread across wide areas. Scrap yards and auto parts facilities face similar risks due to the resale value of metals and vehicle components.

Remote guarding systems equipped with thermal sensors, AI-driven analytics, and motion detection can continuously monitor these environments in real time. If suspicious activity occurs after hours, operators can immediately assess the situation and intervene through live audio deterrence before criminals gain access or remove assets.

For many businesses, proactive security also helps reduce liability exposure and improve relationships with insurers by demonstrating stronger risk mitigation strategies. Most importantly, it helps prevent losses before they occur.

Security as a Business Asset

These shifts reflect a broader industry realization: security should not function solely as a reactive cost center.

Increasingly, organizations view proactive security as a strategic business asset that protects operations, revenue, employees, and brand reputation. This mindset shift is accelerating adoption of AI-assisted monitoring, remote guarding, and live intervention technologies across virtually every sector.

As threats continue to evolve, organizations can no longer afford to rely exclusively on systems designed only to record incidents for later review. The future of perimeter security lies in intelligent, connected platforms capable of detecting threats early, verifying risks instantly, and enabling immediate action.

In that future, security doesn’t just observe what happens – it helps ensure it never happens at all.

By Wes Usie, President and Founder, CHeKT

A follow-up to “How Biometrics Are Redefining Perimeter Access.” What happens when the credential is no longer something you issue.

In last month’s article, we explored the five steps of the biometric process and ended with an important shift in thinking: from “you are the credential” to “you bring the credential.”

That second idea is gaining traction under this name: Bring Your Own Credential (BYOC). It’s a concept worth understanding as organizations evaluate new readers, upgrade physical access control systems (PACS), and respond to the growing availability of digital credentials such as mobile driver’s licenses stored on smartphones.

Here’s the part that surprises people.

BYOC does not replace the badges, fobs, mobile credentials, or biometric readers already in use. Instead, it adds a new layer of flexibility. The same reader can accept multiple credential types and route each one to the appropriate system for verification.

The biometric process unfolds sequentially: capture, extract, and encode. BYOC works differently. It is a layered framework that verifies credentials at the moment of access. Understanding those layers helps explain why BYOC could become an important next step in perimeter identity management.

Layer 1: The Wallet

A BYOC credential lives in a digital wallet, such as Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, Samsung Wallet, or a wallet app built by a state DMV or national ID program. The credential itself is a cryptographically signed data structure issued by a trusted authority, typically a government.

The most common example today is the mobile driver’s license (mDL), defined by the ISO 18013-5 standard. More than 20 U.S. states have started issuing them, and the list is growing. Other examples include digital passports, employee verifiable credentials, and emerging European EUDI Wallet credentials.

What matters for perimeter access is this: the credential is already on the user’s phone before they ever walk up to your building. The building didn’t issue it. The building doesn’t manage it. The building just verifies it.

Layer 2: The Tap

At the door, the user holds their phone to the reader, just like they would with a mobile credential or contactless card. From the user’s perspective, nothing looks different.

Under the hood, something different is happening. 

With a traditional mobile credential, the phone presents a token that the building previously issued to that specific user. With BYOC, the phone presents a verifiable credential that the building has never seen before, but can verify cryptographically because it trusts the issuing authority’s signature.

This is the part that takes a moment to sit with. The reader doesn’t need to recognize the person. It needs to recognize the issuer.

Layer 3: The Reader

A BYOC-capable reader needs three things:

• NFC to communicate with the wallet
• The protocol stack to handle ISO 18013-5 (or whatever credential standard is in play)
• Access to a trust list (known in the standard as a VICAL) identifying which issuers it should trust

What it doesn’t need: a database of users, a per-user credential, or a connection to the issuer at the moment of access. The verification happens locally. This is one of the underrated properties of verifiable credentials. They work offline.

For integrators, this matters because BYOC readers can be incremental. A reader can support BYOC and your existing card formats and mobile credentials at the same time. The user taps. The reader determines which credential was presented and initiates the appropriate verification path.

Layer 4: The Decision

Once the reader verifies the credential, it has to hand something to the access control panel. The panel is the brain. It decides whether this person, at this door, at this time, gets access.

Here’s where BYOC gets interesting for existing PACS. The panel doesn’t necessarily need to know the credential was a BYOC credential. It can receive a standard access decision input, the same kind of input it gets from any other reader, and apply the same access rules used for other credentials. The intelligence behind the verification process lives in a service running at the reader, the panel, or as a software layer between them. The intelligence about who gets in still lives in your existing access control system.

It’s worth being honest about what BYOC doesn’t do here. A verified mDL tells the building who you are, not which doors you should open. The entitlement layer (who gets access to what, when) still lives in the PACS, exactly where it does today.

That coexistence is the point. A building can run BYOC for employees who have an mDL, mobile credentials for those who prefer the wallet key their company already issued, plastic cards for visitors and contractors, and biometrics for high-security zones. All on the same reader infrastructure, all feeding the same panel.

Layer 5: The Audit Trail

Privacy is where BYOC gets philosophically interesting. With traditional credentials, the building knows everything: the user’s badge ID, when they tapped, where they tapped, what door they used.

With a BYOC transaction, the building can know much less—and increasingly, regulations require it to. The verifiable credential framework supports something called selective disclosure. The user can present only the specific data elements the verifier actually needs. For most door access, which might be nothing more than “this person holds a valid driver’s license issued by Illinois.” The reader doesn’t need their address. It doesn’t need their license number. It doesn’t even necessarily need their name.

That has implications for compliance. GDPR, BIPA, and similar regulations all favor data minimization. BYOC makes data minimization the default rather than a configuration option. For integrators, this means BYOC deployments may need different audit policies than your existing badge systems. This is worth raising early on with your compliance team.

What This Means For You

If you’re an integrator, BYOC is not something you need to deploy tomorrow. But it is something you should start discussing with your reader and panel vendors.

1. Does this reader support ISO 18013-5 today, or via firmware update?
2. How does the panel handle credentials it didn’t issue?
3. What’s the path to coexistence with our existing card and mobile credential investments?

And if the answer to “do my customers even have mDLs yet?” is “not many,” check again in six months. mDL adoption isn’t following the slow curve of traditional mobile credentials, where deployments typically start at zero and grow slowly.”

Instead, it’s following the issuer curve. When a state goes live with mDLs, availability jumps from zero to most licensed adults in that state. Your customer doesn’t have to convince employees to download an app and enroll. They just have to ask whether the credential is already in the wallet.

The question shifts from “can we get them to adopt this?” to “is it available where they live?” The second question gets a yes faster than the first ever could.

If you’re an end user, the question is simpler. How many of your employees, visitors, and contractors live in a state or country that issues digital credentials today? That number is growing quickly, and it’s the leading indicator of when BYOC becomes practical for your perimeter.

The five-step biometric process from last month doesn’t go away. The new layer is what happens before the biometric ever gets captured: verifying that the person standing at the perimeter is who an authoritative issuer says they are.

That’s BYOC. The biometric tells the door who you are. The credential tells the door whether anyone else can vouch for it.

By Doug OGorden, columnist for smartPerimeter.ai

Why New Mobile Credentials and Wireless Systems are Gaining Traction

Your building’s perimeter serves as your first line of defense—especially entry and egress points to a facility’s grounds and parking areas. New and emerging threats have made secure access control a business imperative, not just to better protect people, property, and assets but also from a liability perspective. This is driving the demand for more efficient and cost-effective electronic access control solutions from users of all sizes across all vertical markets.

Conventional access control systems have traditionally been approached as a fixed infrastructure project utilizing physical card and fob credentials. Systems were hard-wired and expected to last for years, with limited flexibility after deployment. The combination of high equipment and credential costs, installation and site management complexities, and limited scalability made traditional access control inaccessible for a large base of users—and expensive for large users to expand. For organizations managing multiple locations, the investment becomes difficult to justify. Traditional access control was built around infrastructure. Modern access control is built around people.

Evolving Access Control Platform Models

Hybrid workforces have created a paradigm shift in business operations. Access control systems that are difficult to manage and scale are counterintuitive to this development, making it difficult to secure entry points and enforce security policies across multiple doors and locations. This causes organizations to spend more time and resources reacting to scheduling challenges than focusing on preventive and proactive access control.

Much of this friction is caused by how traditional access control systems are deployed. SMBs have forgone installation due to the high costs of deployment and management for electronic access control. Larger multi-site businesses also find it difficult to measure return on investment (ROI) and maintain standardization across locations. In both cases, ROI concerns have led many organizations to defer access control modernization, even as risk and operational pressure continue to increase.

The Cost/Performance Advantage

What once required thousands of dollars in wiring, panels, and labor can now be deployed in minutes using wireless devices and cloud-based management without sacrificing security or control. A reduction in installation and ongoing maintenance expenses directly equates to a lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) over time for organizations. Ongoing maintenance and scalability are simpler, requiring less labor, time, and expense. Modern wireless and cloud-driven access control solutions eliminate the need to overhaul complex infrastructure and allow organizations to scale systems as needed. All these benefits also improve the user experience, making access simpler and seamless for employees, visitors, and contractors. Subscription-based models make budgeting easier, shifting away from large one-time capital expense projects to modular scaling when and if needed.

Smartphone credentialing also eliminates many recurring expenses related to the purchase and management of physical access credentials, while providing a safer, more practical solution and better user experience.

An Easier Pathway to RMR

Integrators and resellers will also find that modern access control solutions drive enhanced Recurring Monthly Revenue (RMR) opportunities from clients who do not have the desire or capacity to manage their own systems. And since modern access systems utilizing smartphone credentials and wireless locks and infrastructure are far less demanding to install, integrators can better leverage ROI gains to reduce prices to a broader range of customers, including SMBs who were previously underserved. This model also facilitates building long-term customer relationships, versus relying solely on one-off projects.

A Long-Term Access Control Strategy

Wireless and mobile access control systems also deliver higher levels of corporate sustainability in operations and environmental impact. Easy upgrades support longer system lifecycles, preventing repeated hardware updates. Organizations can add or expand coverage without tearing out and replacing existing infrastructure. This also leads to a reduction in physical waste. Solutions operate and scale better over the long run, future-proofing access for SMBs and multi-site businesses.

Making High-Performance Access Control Accessible

Wireless connectivity, mobile credentials, and cloud-based management will continue to transform the access control landscape. Reduced installation complexity, lower costs, and easier scalability make electronic access feasible and pragmatic for many organizations that were previously priced out. Complex infrastructure deployments are a thing of the past. Modern solutions open the door to affordable, high-performance electronic access control for a wider range of users—while providing systems integrators and installing dealers with an easy and profitable way to expand and grow their businesses. Truly a win-win proposition.

For more information on modern, wireless, and cloud-based access control, please visit https://www.kindoo.tech.

By Michael Chaftari, Partner, Kindoo 

For many organizations, perimeter security is approached in separate layers: the fence line, the outer property, and facility entry points. Each area is often managed with a variety of technologies, location-specific assigned personnel, and different operating procedures. The challenge is that threats don’t move in defined systematic phases.

An unauthorized individual, suspicious vehicle, or coordinated intrusion attempt moves continuously through every layer of perimeter protection. That is why effective perimeter security is not just about strengthening individual barriers, but about ensuring every security zone works together as one connected operational system. This includes protections on secured interior areas within a facility.

The Outer Perimeter Sets the Foundation

The outer perimeter is an organization’s first line of defense to deter, detect, and prevent potential threats before they reach critical infrastructure or occupied spaces. Typically, this zone incorporates a number of security technologies and devices including any combination of fence and gate-line security, bollards and barriers, video surveillance, anomaly detection analytics, detection sensors, intrusion/alarm systems, and guard stations. The sooner suspicious activity is detected, the more time security personnel have to assess whether a threat exists and respond accordingly. However, detection alone is not enough.

Perimeter protections that only identify a threat but cannot support a coordinated downstream response create only the illusion of security. If there is no visibility into where an individual or vehicle is moving or no operational process connecting detection to enforcement, organizations risk losing control once the threat advances beyond the property.

Modern perimeter protection increasingly relies on identity-based security strategies that verify users before granting access. Technologies such as biometric identity authentication, intelligent access control, and anti-tailgating systems help organizations shift from reactive security models to proactive threat prevention.

Much of this friction is caused by how traditional access control systems are deployed. SMBs have forgone installation due to the high costs of deployment and management for electronic access control. Larger multi-site businesses also find it difficult to measure return on investment (ROI) and maintain standardization across locations. In both cases, ROI concerns have led many organizations to defer access control modernization, even as risk and operational pressure continue to increase.

The Interior Perimeter Is Where Risk Develops

The space between the property boundary and the building entrance is often one of the most overlooked areas in perimeter security planning. This transition space is also where many security risks initiate and develop. Crowds or even mobs can form, traffic queues can back-up, visitors may congregate, deliveries take place… events where suspicious behavior is more easily spotted, and unauthorized entrants can hide in plain sight.

When not closely monitored, organizations can unknowingly lose sight of their perimeter security ‘bubble’ when they need it most. Facilities must have visibility everywhere within entry/egress transition spaces, not only at the perimeter or front door, but also within interior spaces using related integrated technologies and devices previously mentioned.

Maintaining awareness across the interior perimeter helps organizations identify developing risks including insider threats as they are developing while maintaining safe and efficient movement throughout the property.

Deploying Security Entrances from the Outside-In.

Balancing security, throughput, operational flow, and life safety while providing a positive user experience presents a bit of a dichotomy. Modern facilities cannot afford entrances that create excessive friction for authorized users, but they also cannot tolerate vulnerabilities that undermine security processes and protections.

Security personnel should also consider common physical threats to entry points that often go undetected even with the best technologies in place, including tailgating and piggybacking.

If entrances cannot physically enforce who is allowed to enter and under what conditions, then access control and management become difficult to maintain consistently. Physical safeguards like security revolving doors, optical turnstiles, and interlocking vestibules are proven security solutions that check all the boxes, including user convenience. They can be outfitted with sensors and algorithms that allow one person to gain access per authorization cycle, eliminating unauthorized entry. Entry solutions like revolving doors also support environmental control, air management, and facility resilience while maintaining secure throughput.

Why Siloed Perimeter Strategies Fail

Layered perimeter security is still often managed in silos. The exterior perimeter might be controlled by one system, interior operations by another, monitored by different teams. Each piece might operate successfully on its own, but gaps can appear between detection, monitoring, response, and enforcement. These disconnects create opportunities for threats to move throughout a facility’s property and interior spaces without a coordinated security response.

For example, detecting suspicious activity at the fence line loses value if downstream systems can’t track movement toward the facility. Likewise, strong entrance controls become less effective if organizations lack visibility into the activity occurring immediately outside of the building.

Layered security solutions also help enterprises address longstanding perimeter challenges like personnel security, theft, regulatory compliance, business interruption, and litigation.

Strong Perimeters Built Layered Security Solutions

Layered security networks are proven to better protect people, and infrastructure, while supporting daily operations and business intelligence. Organizations should regularly evaluate how effectively their outer perimeter, interior perimeter, and entrances are working together as a unified strategy.

When these layers are networked, organizations can detect threats earlier, improve response coordination, maintain operational flow, reduce vulnerabilities between security zones, and better protect people and critical infrastructure.

Best-in-class perimeter security doesn’t revolve around one standalone technology. It revolves around constant visibility, collaborative enforcement, and seamless integration with operations everywhere on campus.

By Cameron Mulvey, Strategic Products Sales Manager, Boon Edam

The perimeter of a building was once easily defined. Natural or physical barriers between public and non-public spaces. Now, the definition of perimeter is being blurred.  Is the perimeter the property line, the perimeter of the building, or is it the perimeter between the restricted space and internal space, a space that may be a leased space to a tenant? While they may be in the same building and even with the same tenant, their use is as different as night and day, creating internal perimeters within the building. Access control has been the answer to the problem for many years, but as we know, access control is only as good as the person holding the door.

The Problem

There is a problem that almost every company deals with, from data centers to commercial offices, from open campus to defined fenceline. This problem is affecting all parts of the perimeter. The problem: tailgating, or sometimes referred to as piggybacking. Not the football afternoon or concert attending type, but rather a physical security breach where an unauthorized person follows an authorized person into an access-controlled area. Maybe it’s the outer perimeter at the gatehouse, or the inner perimeter between the public space and the internal space, or even between the access-controlled internal space and the more secure restricted space; a dilemma that security departments face daily. This may happen because the employee is nice and offers to hold the door, the employee is oblivious to security concerns, or a bad actor found a weak point. Most tailgating incidents are harmless, and many occur with badged employees who are too lazy to present their badge or phone to a reader. But for the thousands of tailgating alarms that occur every day, there will be a handful of incidents that are initiated by bad actors. The problem is, like any alarm, alarms in volume desensitize security teams to their value and potential damage. Case in point, if you have an alarm system in your house, do not expect the police to arrive on-site with blue lights; a much different story if the alarm occurs at a bank.

The Technology

The problem with tailgating is that very few companies have had an answer for this issue, and even fewer have had a cost-effective answer.  For the longest time, if you wanted to prevent tailgating, you were going to install some type of entrance control turnstile.  For companies that could not afford this type of solution or had space limitations, a human guard was put in place to guard against tailgating.

Along the way, there have been solutions that have offered some respite for this issue, but the problem has always been how to do it cost-effectively and at scale.  If you put a guard at every door, employee morale becomes a problem.

So, how does anti-tailgating technology work?  Unlike, say, a camera or a card reader, which all have similar attributes, tailgate detection sensors vary across the board.  Some are mounted on the secure side of the door; others are mounted on the unsecure side of the door.  Some use camera analytics; others use infrared, time-of-flight technology, or lidar.  Some offer onboard or can trigger collocated audible alarms, or any other relay output that may be needed.  Some are software-only solutions that both cameras and access control logs to piece the picture together.  Some are sold through distribution, while others are sold direct.  The one commonality, so far as I have seen, they should tie into the access control system.

The outcome of how they work, however, is similar.  A credentialed individual swipes a badge, and a door unlocks.  As the door is closing, the non-credentialed person walks through the open door, breaking the plane of the doorway, and thus causes alarm.

One of the security industry’s thought leaders, Brett Zelnio, Principal Consultant of Stratified Logic Group, made this comment: “We [the Security Industry] are quite fortunate that there are more anti-tailgate solutions on the market than ever before; this can range from the dedicated mantrap solutions on the high end of the spectrum to modern AI/advanced analytics on the lower end. Selecting the appropriate hardware/technology should primarily align with the organization’s security posture. In some cases, the tailgate detection options are limited by existing architecture, budget, throughput requirements, and sadly, aesthetics will sometimes play a role. As not all solutions are created equal, physical security practitioners need to consider all potential conditions that may contribute to tailgating.”

Simply put, anti-tailgating technologies differ across the board, but they do exist, and they do work.  Like with any technology, the best technology in the world, for the wrong use case, is the wrong technology.  Identifying the use case, such as whether there are Personal Identifiable Information (PII) concerns, will help address the type of technologies to evaluate.  Due to the nature of these systems, there is a fine line between appropriate sensitivity and being overly sensitive; the latter can trigger additional alarms that lead to complacency.

In Closing

Tailgate detection is only going to continue because the problem still exists everywhere.  For the integrator and consultant, now there are more technologies available to solve the problem.  To the end-user, technology is only one part of the equation.  The processes put in place, along with people complying with both the processes and the technology, are key.  Even with technology, such as tailgate detection, for there to be compliance with the process and the technology, every organization needs a champion at the highest level to mandate the compliance.  Until this happens, processes and technology are just expensive suggestions.

By Jon Polly – PSP, SICC, IC3PM, FCP, CSO, ProTecht Solutions Partners

Security teams have more technology than ever: cameras, sensors, access control, IoT devices, alarm systems, and much more. But most of that technology is floating without a foundation. is of what ties it all together: digital mapping.

Think about how a typical security stack gets built. A video management system (VMS) gets deployed first. Then access control from a different vendor. Then intrusion detection sensors. Then fire panels. Then IoT ’things’ (as in Internet of Things devices), monitoring environmental conditions: temperature, air quality, door states. Each system runs well on its own. Each has a dashboard, an alert mechanism, and a log. And each one answers the same question in isolation: did something happen?

Here lies the inherent problem. The systems weren’t designed to talk together to give you a holistic view of your property, building, or campus. And more importantly, very few systems give your team the spatial context to respond effectively. A camera ID isn’t a location. A sensor zone isn’t a room number. An access control event log isn’t a map. Or each tech will tell you individually where it is occurring on a non-connected map.

When an incident occurs, security teams and responders need to know exactly where the incident is located, what’s around it, and how to get there. Right now, most security stacks can’t answer those questions clearly or fast enough.

The Missing Layer

Every building has a physical reality: floors, corridors, stairwells, rooms, utility spaces, entry and exit points. Security technology lives inside that reality. But most security platforms treat the building itself as background information. Something represented by a generic site map or an outdated PDF floor plan, not something that’s actively part of how the system works.

That’s the gap. And it’s bigger than most organizations realize. Remember this: It’s not just a floor plan.

When a motion sensor fires at 2 a.m. on the third floor of a multi-wing building, your operator needs to know: exactly which wing, exactly which corridor, exactly which room. Is it near a stairwell or an elevator? What cameras have coverage of that area? Where’s the nearest access-controlled door? Is there a utility shut-off or a fire panel nearby? Is there an active access event that corresponds to the alert? Do we need to do a lockdown?

An accurate, dynamic digital intelligence system answers all of those questions at once. Without it, operators are cross-referencing multiple systems manually, trying to piece together a picture from disconnected data. That takes time. And in a real security incident or emergency, time is the one thing you can’t spare.

What Indoor Mapping Actually Does For Security

Indoor mapping is the spatial intelligence layer that sits as the foundation of your entire security operation and gives every other system a shared reference point. It can include outdoor reference points as well, providing an even broader view of your property.

Here’s how that works in practice: Your VMS knows which cameras are in the building, but it shows them as a list or a simple schematic. When camera feeds are anchored to an accurate digital map, operators can see coverage areas in spatial context: which rooms are covered, the range of view, where blind spots exist, and which cameras are closest to any given alert.

Your access control system logs door events, but those logs don’t tell you much without location context. When access control is mapped, you can see exactly where doors were opened or denied, trace a path through the building, and understand which areas are currently accessible or locked down.

Your intrusion detection sensors cover zones, but zones are abstract until they’re placed on a map. When sensors are mapped to their physical locations, an alert becomes something an operator can visualize and act on immediately.

IoT devices generate data continuously: smart lighting, environmental sensors, occupancy detectors, emergency call stations, and more. That data is more useful when it’s tied to specific physical locations. Is the elevated temperature reading coming from a server room or a chemical storage corridor? Is the occupancy alert in a restricted area or near a public entrance? The map tells you about these situations. It’s called Indoor Intelligence.

And when fire alarm control panels, utility shut-offs, and emergency infrastructure are all represented on the same map, facilities teams and first responders can find what they need more easily.

Every system in your security stack works better when it shares a common location reference based on indoor mapping.

Why Mapping Matters More as Buildings Become More Complex

Modern facilities aren’t simple. Healthcare campuses span multiple buildings with connecting corridors. Commercial properties have tenant spaces that change, common areas that see high foot traffic, and infrastructure spread across floors that shift over time. Airports have multi-level layouts with restricted zones, security and customs areas, and controlled access throughout for staff and passenger flow.

Even the most detailed static floor plans can’t keep up with that. Floor plans from five years ago don’t reflect current layouts. A site map that shows building footprints doesn’t help a responder navigate inside. And a floor plan designed for facilities management isn’t built for security operations.

Dynamic, accurate, easy-to-access digital maps reflect the building as it actually exists, now.. They’re accessible on any device: a workstation in a security operations center, a tablet in the field, a mobile phone for a responder walking in from outside. And because dynamic map platforms integrate with existing systems through APIs and SDKs, they don’t require ripping out existing infrastructure. They sit on top of what’s already there and make it work together. Digital maps provide a high level of confidence to teams that monitor, secure, and operate the building

What Response Actually Looks Like With a Mapped Environment

When a security alert triggers, an operator sees it pinned to a specific location on a live map with additional information such as zone, ID, and time of incident. They can see which cameras cover that area, pull up the nearest feed, and check whether any access events correspond to the alert timeline. They can route a first responder directly to the location, sharing turn-by-turn navigation to the exact spot. When first responders arrive, they get the same map on their device, pre-loaded with the building layout, entry points, and critical infrastructure. Everyone is working with the same information from the same platform.

Compare that to the alternative: an alert triggers, the operator checks the VMS, cross-references the access log in a separate system, calls a guard on the radio, tries to describe a location verbally, and waits for local responders to be guided in by phone because they’ve never been inside the building before. That’s the current reality in a lot of facilities. It’s slow, it’s fragmented, and it puts people and assets at risk.

One Question Worth Asking

Security technology investments tend to focus on adding capability at the edges. The investment towards better cameras, smarter sensors, faster alarms, mapping, and analytics is all worth making. But they deliver full value only when the foundation is solid.

The question for any security director building or upgrading a technology stack shouldn’t be “Do we have enough detection?” It’s “Do all of our systems share a common, accurate, real-time map of the space we’re protecting?” If the answer is no, detection is only part of the solution. Having a map as the center of your security stack is the rest of it.

It’s not just a floor plan. It’s a life-saving system.

By Brian McIlravey, Director, Public Safety & Enterprise Security Solutions, Mappedin

The Business of Security