For 39 days this summer, security operations across the United States expanded far beyond the stadium walls. Eleven American host cities hosted matches that drew millions of fans — but the real security challenge wasn’t confined to turnstiles and gate lanes. Fan zones, outdoor festivals, sponsor activations, public viewing parties and high-density gathering spaces surrounding each venue created an equally urgent and far more complex security perimeter to protect. The Department of Homeland Security designated these tournament events as Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) I and II — the same tier reserved for Super Bowls — and for the first time at this scale, that standard had to be met not just inside a single stadium but across a sprawling web of venues, surfaces and environments that no fixed installation could address alone.

The answer was flexible, mobile, high-confidence weapons detection — deployed wherever the crowds gathered, not just where the tickets got scanned.

A Security Surge That Extended Far Beyond the Pitch

The scale of the 2026 international soccer tournament’s security effort is hard to fully absorb. Federal, state and local authorities coordinated across more than 400 law enforcement agencies to protect matches that drew more than six million fans across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The Department of Homeland Security and FEMA estimated additional security costs across the 11 U.S. host cities alone at roughly $625 million, covering expanded policing, cybersecurity defenses and heightened screening at transportation hubs. FEMA coordinated training for more than 238,000 local emergency managers and first responders specifically for large-venue and mass-casualty scenarios.

But the security footprint didn’t end at the stadium gates. In most host cities, the match itself was just one node in a larger network of fan activity — outdoor festivals, plaza gatherings, live viewing events, sponsor villages and street-level celebrations that drew tens of thousands of fans in their own right. These locations didn’t come with built-in security infrastructure. Many were temporary. Some were indoors; many were outdoors. Floor surfaces ranged from concrete plazas and hard-packed turf to carpet-covered convention floors and polished arena tile. Crowd densities varied by the hour. No single, permanently installed weapons detection approach could cover all of it.

This is where the security surge required a different kind of solution: flexible, portable systems that could be transported, staged and redeployed rapidly — and that could perform with equal reliability whether standing on grass, pavement, hardwood or carpet.

More Than 500 Rental Units, Deployed Nationwide

To help meet that demand, CEIA USA deployed more than 500 rental units of the CEIA OPENGATE® weapons detection system across the country — coordinating placements with security teams at stadiums, festival grounds, outdoor plazas, convention centers and satellite gathering locations in cities across the U.S.

That number matters. It represents not just product availability but operational readiness at a scale that required extensive pre-event planning, logistics coordination and on-the-ground support. Each deployment location came with its own set of variables: ambient noise levels, surface conditions, crowd flow patterns, staffing configurations and threat profiles. CEIA’s team worked directly alongside venue security directors, private security firms and law enforcement to calibrate each installation for its specific environment — then redeployed units as events concluded and new ones opened.

Surrounding festivals and outdoor gatherings typically don’t have the procurement cycles or capital budgets to purchase dedicated weapons detection infrastructure for a one-time or short-run event. What they needed was enterprise-grade screening capability on a flexible, event-by-event basis, supported by the same technical expertise that serves permanent stadium installations. The ability to scale up instantly — and scale back down — without sacrificing detection performance or requiring extensive staff retraining was not a convenience. It was a security necessity.

Flexible Systems for Real-World Environments

The diversity of deployment environments across this summer’s events underscores a point that stadium security planning has sometimes underweighted: weapons detection can’t be evaluated in a single controlled setting. It has to work across the wide range of environments where fans gather.

The CEIA OPENGATE® was deployed this summer in locations that would challenge lesser systems — outdoor sites exposed to weather and uneven terrain, temporary structures on soft or irregular ground, busy indoor halls with high foot traffic and proximity interference, and outdoor festival perimeters where no dedicated entry corridor existed at all. In each environment, the system was required to perform without sacrificing throughput or generating a disruptive rate of false alarms that would bottleneck entry and frustrate fans.

For events outside the stadium — where there may be no formal bag check, no designated divestment area and no gate lane to funnel crowds — the ability to screen without requiring people to stop, empty pockets or remove bags isn’t just a fan experience preference. It’s an operational requirement. A weapons detection system that creates a 40-person backup at the entrance to an outdoor fan village doesn’t make that event safer; it creates a compressed, static crowd that poses its own risks.

The tournament demonstrated that high-throughput, high-confidence screening isn’t a premium stadium feature. It’s the minimum viable standard for any high-density public gathering — indoors or out.

What Venues Learned (And What Surrounds Them Must Learn Too)

The enduring lesson from this summer’s security operations isn’t only about what happens inside the facility. Industry coverage of the tournament converged consistently on a single principle: stadium security works best when it’s treated as a connected system spanning the entire fan journey — from parking lots and rideshare zones to pedestrian corridors, outdoor gathering areas and gates — rather than a single checkpoint at the door.

Venues that treat their perimeter as the edge of their responsibility will increasingly find that events in their immediately surrounding areas can generate security incidents with direct implications for their crowds, staff and brand. This summer’s operations showed what it looks like to extend the security standard outward — to treat fan zones, festival grounds and public plazas as part of the same protected environment as the venue itself.

That kind of coordinated, distributed deployment doesn’t happen through improvisation. It requires weapons detection systems that are portable and purpose-built for variable conditions, a deployment partner with the logistics infrastructure to support hundreds of simultaneous placements, and security teams willing to plan at the ecosystem level rather than the entrance level.

Why the Standard Doesn’t Get to Reset

Here’s what this means for August and September: fans who experienced security at tournament-affiliated events this summer — whether inside a stadium or at one of the hundreds of surrounding festivals and public gatherings — now carry a new reference point for what fast, non-intrusive, high-confidence screening feels like. That reference point doesn’t distinguish between a SEAR I-designated match and a Saturday afternoon college football game. It just knows what adequate feels like, and what falling short of it feels like.

The NFL’s preseason opens in early August. College football’s Week Zero follows. By Labor Day, games are underway at venues across the country. The weeks between the tournament’s closing matches and football’s first kickoffs are narrow — narrow enough that decisions about screening infrastructure, rental or purchase deployments and security protocols for the surrounding event ecosystem need to be made now, not after the first incident of the fall.

Some venues are already making those decisions. The Cleveland Browns recently named CEIA USA as their designated weapons detection provider at Huntington Bank Field, citing operational dependability and speed of entry as deciding factors heading into the new season. That’s the kind of forward-thinking commitment this moment calls for — not a reaction to a specific event, but a season-long recognition that fans have already experienced a higher standard and will notice when it isn’t there.

The Path Forward

The goal of expanded security operations is never to make fans feel surveilled. The tournament worked in part because organizers understood that the screening experience had to protect the event without diminishing it. Visibly heavy-handed or intrusive security creates its own friction, and in outdoor festival environments — where the atmosphere is central to the draw — that friction is especially costly.

The technology that makes high-speed, high-confidence screening possible is designed to support trained security staff and preserve the fan experience. The CEIA OPENGATE® has earned that trust over several years of proven performance at venues, stadiums and large-scale events across the country — building a track record that security teams have come to rely on season after season. With the recent release of OPENGATE® 2.0, that foundation is stronger than ever: the latest generation brings enhanced detection capability, greater adaptability across surface types and environments and the same walk-through ease that has made it the system of choice for high-throughput, high-stakes deployments. Flexibility matters: a system that performs on a concrete plaza one afternoon and a carpeted convention floor the next doesn’t just solve a logistics problem. It makes consistent security achievable across the full range of environments where fans now gather — and OPENGATE® 2.0 is purpose-built for exactly that challenge.

This summer’s security checkpoints — at stadiums, festival grounds, outdoor plazas and satellite gathering locations across the country — were executed at a level that matched the moment. Millions of fans moved through screening that was fast, non-intrusive and operationally consistent across an extraordinary range of environments. That didn’t happen by chance. It happened because the right systems were deployed by prepared teams with the flexibility to meet each location on its own terms. That is the standard worth carrying into football season and beyond: not a reaction to a high-profile summer, but a proof of concept for what large-scale, distributed public event security can look like when the planning, the technology and the execution all align.

By Marilyn Thaxton, Manager of Marketing & Communications at CEIA USA

Remote Video Monitoring (RVM) is expanding the recurring revenue model that has powered the electronic security industry for decades.

For years, recurring monthly revenue (RMR) has centered on services such as intrusion, fire and access control monitoring. Customers pay monthly subscription fees while dealers, integrators and monitoring centers benefit from predictable, long-term service revenue.

RVM builds on that proven business model by expanding the services providers can deliver. Rather than monitoring only alarm signals, security providers can now offer recurring services that combine live video, analytics, artificial intelligence, audio intervention and other sensors to verify events, conduct virtual patrols, communicate with people on site and coordinate an appropriate response.

One of the clearest examples is remote guarding, which is changing how active security is delivered. By combining intelligent video monitoring with live operator intervention, remote guarding can provide many of the functions traditionally performed by on-site guards at a significantly lower cost. It also makes active security practical for organizations that previously could not justify or afford dedicated guarding services.

RVM is not replacing traditional alarm monitoring. It is extending the recurring revenue model while also creating new service opportunities that compete with, complement and, in some applications, replace traditional manned guarding.

The technology behind Remote Video Monitoring is well understood. Its long-term impact on the security business model is only beginning to emerge.

How Remote Video Monitoring Expands the RMR Business Model

is a familiar business model across the electronic security industry. Customers subscribe to an ongoing monitoring service, while dealers, integrators and monitoring providers build predictable revenue and longer-term customer relationships.

Remote guarding illustrates how providers can expand the traditional RMR model with new recurring services. Cameras, analytics, audio and other sensors provide operators with the information needed to verify activity, conduct virtual patrols, intervene when appropriate and coordinate a response. Remote Video Monitoring is the technology that enables remote guarding because video provides operators with the context needed to understand an event before deciding how to respond. The distinction between one-time project revenue and RMR remains just as important.  Selling and installing cameras produces project revenue. Providing continuing monitoring, verification, intervention and event management creates RMR. Software, communications, system health and maintenance may also contribute recurring revenue when included in the service agreement.

What is changing is not the RMR model itself, but the range of recurring services providers can now deliver through it.

Understanding The Remote Guarding Ecosystem

Remote Guarding is not a single product or service. It is an ecosystem in which multiple participants contribute to delivering the overall solution.

Sensor and device manufacturers provide the cameras, radar, thermal systems, fence sensors, audio equipment and other field devices that detect activity and collect information. Their products establish visibility at the site, but they do not necessarily deliver the complete monitoring service.

Software, analytics and platform providers turn device data into manageable events. Their systems detect movement, classify objects, apply operational rules, correlate information and present events to monitoring personnel. Their increasingly important role is determining what deserves an operator’s attention.

Security integrators and solution providers bring the components together. They assess the location, design the system and connect the field equipment, communications, software and monitoring operation. Because they often own the customer relationship, integrators are well positioned to convert one-time projects into long-term service agreements.

Remote guarding and monitoring providers operate the centers where events are received and assessed. Their personnel verify activity, conduct virtual patrols, initiate audio intervention, contact customer representatives and coordinate a response. Their services transform installed technology into an ongoing security operation.

Response partners complete the process. Depending on the event, the response may involve customer personnel, private guards, mobile response teams, maintenance providers or law enforcement. Although these organizations may not generate the core monitoring RMR directly, their effectiveness strongly influences the value delivered to the customer.

Every participant contributes to the value chain—from sensors and analytics to monitoring platforms, operators and response partners. A breakdown anywhere in that chain reduces the effectiveness of the service.

A sophisticated camera has limited value if communications fail. Accurate analytics accomplish little if events are not presented clearly to an operator. Rapid verification is wasted if escalation procedures are outdated or no effective response is available.

Remote guarding is therefore both a technology system and an operating process.

From Alarm Signals to Intelligent Event Management

Traditional alarm monitoring established the operational and financial foundation on which Remote Guarding is being built. The same monitoring organizations that have spent decades receiving alarm signals, following response procedures and delivering 24/7 customer service are now applying that expertise to video and an expanding range of sensor-generated events.

Remote guarding gives monitoring providers far more context to evaluate what is happening. Instead of receiving only a signal indicating that a defined condition occurred, an operator may also receive video, analytics, audio, thermal information, access-control activity or data from other sensors. That additional context can improve verification and help determine the appropriate response.

It also creates a new operational challenge. As more devices and analytics are connected, monitoring centers must manage a much larger volume of information. Not every event requires human attention, and not every accurately detected activity requires intervention.

A sensor may correctly detect a vehicle entering a yard after hours, for example, but the vehicle may be making an authorized delivery. The system performed as intended. The event simply did not require a security response.

This is where traditional alarm monitoring evolves into intelligent event management. Monitoring providers are extending their proven processes to determine which events matter, what additional context is available and when an operator should become involved.

Managing that growing volume of events is also driving greater use of artificial intelligence. Analytics can classify people and vehicles, apply schedules and site rules, correlate information from multiple sensors, suppress routine activity and prioritize events according to potential risk. Its most immediate value is not replacing operators, but helping them use their time and attention more effectively.

Used well, AI allows monitoring centers to expand their services without allowing event volume to overwhelm operator capacity. The objective is not to generate more alarms, but to deliver better decisions by giving operators the right information at the right time.

How Remote Guarding Is Reshaping the Manned-Guard Business

Remote guarding is expanding beyond traditional alarm monitoring and beginning to compete for security budgets historically allocated to manned guarding.

A continuously staffed guard post requires more than one employee. Providing 24-hour coverage means accounting for multiple shifts, supervision, training, benefits, turnover, vacations, sick leave and overtime. The customer pays for continuous human availability, whether meaningful activity is occurring or not.

Remote guarding changes that equation. Cameras and sensors maintain continuous coverage while analytics identify activity requiring attention. A remotely located operator can assess the event, communicate with people at the site and initiate a response. Because operators can support multiple locations rather than remaining assigned to one post, labor costs can be distributed across a larger customer base.

The economic argument can be dramatic. In one industry presentation, a remote guarding provider estimated that a hybrid guarding model could reduce a customer’s security costs by as much as 75% while potentially increasing provider margins from approximately 5% for traditional guarding to 40%–60% for technology-enabled remote guarding. These figures are the provider’s business-case estimates, not independent industry benchmarks. But the economics help explain why guarding companies, integrators and monitoring providers are aggressively examining remote guarding as an extension of their recurring-revenue business models.

Remote guarding cannot replace every function of an on-site officer. A remote operator cannot physically escort employees, inspect unsecured doors, administer first aid or detain trespassers. Its greatest value is providing continuous observation, rapid verification, deterrence and escalation.

The emerging model is therefore not about replacing guards, but deploying them where they add the greatest value. Remote monitoring provides persistent coverage, while on-site or mobile personnel respond when physical intervention is required.

Technology delivers continuous awareness. People provide judgment, intervention and physical response.

A More Accountable Security Operation

Remote guarding also creates an electronic audit trail that can be difficult to replicate consistently through traditional guard operations.

A human guard may document a patrol or incident through handwritten notes, memory or a report prepared after the event. The quality, accuracy and completeness of that record can vary.

A Remote Guarding platform can produce a time-stamped record showing when an event was detected, what information the operator reviewed, what action was taken, who was contacted and how quickly the incident was resolved. Video, audio, system events and operator actions can become part of the same incident history.

That record has value beyond security. It can demonstrate that contracted services were performed, support investigations, help resolve disputes and provide documentation for compliance, insurance and liability matters.

This visibility is particularly important to the RMR business model because recurring relationships depend on demonstrating continuing value. A guard’s presence is visible, but the work performed during a shift can be difficult to measure. Remote Guarding can document its activity and outcomes electronically.

By documenting both activity and outcomes, remote guarding makes ongoing security performance easier to measure, demonstrate and continuously improve.

Expanding the Market for Active Security

Remote guarding expands the market for active security by making professionally managed protection affordable for organizations that previously relied on little or no security.

For many businesses, the alternative to an on-site guard is not another professionally managed security service. It is no guard at all.

Some install cameras that record locally, providing evidence after an incident but little ability to prevent or interrupt one. Others rely on basic alarms, occasional employee observation or law-enforcement response after a loss has already occurred.

Remote guarding creates an option between passive surveillance and continuous on-site staffing. Cameras and sensors can watch the property while remote operators verify activity, issue audio warnings, contact designated personnel and coordinate a response. The customer gains an actively managed security service without the full cost of staffing every location.

This can expand the market rather than merely redistribute existing security spending.  Equipment yards, construction sites, dealerships, logistics facilities and commercial properties that cannot justify permanent guard posts may still be viable candidates for remote guarding.

The subscription structure can lower another barrier. Under some service models, the provider installs or finances the cameras, sensors, communications and supporting equipment as part of a multi-year agreement. The customer does not have to incur the full expense upfront. Instead, the system and continuing monitoring service are incorporated into a predictable monthly payment.

The cost has not disappeared. It has been distributed across the service agreement. Customers still need to understand the contract term, equipment ownership, maintenance responsibilities and total cost. But reducing the initial expense can make the service accessible to organizations that would not approve or could not afford a substantial system purchase.

That represents a significant business opportunity. Remote Guarding can convert businesses that previously purchased locally recorded cameras into customers of an active monitoring service. It can also bring organizations that had little or no meaningful security into a recurring service relationship.

Replacing an existing guard contract changes how security dollars are spent. Making active security affordable for previously unprotected properties enlarges the market itself.

Why Customers Subscribe

Remote Guarding gives customers an alternative to relying exclusively on conventional alarms, recorded video or on-site personnel.

Recorded video can document what happened, but documentation after a loss is not intervention. Traditional alarm signals can indicate that something occurred, but they often provide limited context. On-site guards offer a physical presence, but staffing every location continuously can be difficult and expensive.

Remote Guarding occupies the space between those approaches. It combines continuous technology-based monitoring with human assessment and the ability to intervene while an event is occurring.

The customer is not merely subscribing to video access. They are subscribing to a service that turns detection into action.

Different environments will apply the model differently. Construction sites may use Remote Guarding to protect equipment and materials. Logistics facilities may monitor yards, gates and vehicle activity. Utilities may need coverage across unmanned substations or remote infrastructure. Retailers and commercial property owners may focus on parking areas, loading zones and exterior spaces.

Regardless of the application, the business model remains the same: combining technology, remote operators and defined response procedures to deliver an ongoing security service under a recurring agreement.

Why the Industry Is Pursuing It

For integrators, Remote Guarding can extend the customer relationship beyond system installation. Instead of completing a project and waiting for the next upgrade, the integrator can remain involved through ongoing monitoring, software, maintenance and support services.

For monitoring providers, the model creates opportunities to offer services with more assessment and intervention than traditional signal processing. That can support higher monthly revenue, although it also brings greater operational complexity and potential liability.

For traditional guard companies, Remote Guarding can become a way to provide broader coverage, address persistent staffing challenges and combine remote observation with targeted physical response.

For customers, bundling equipment and ongoing services into a monthly agreement can make professionally managed security more affordable and easier to deploy.

The appeal is clear: recurring revenue is more predictable than project revenue, and ongoing services can deepen the customer relationship. But the economics only work if event volume remains manageable.

A service that requires constant human review of low-value activity will struggle to scale. Additional customers will require additional operators, and labor expenses can grow as quickly as revenue. AI-assisted event filtering, standardized workflows and reliable integrations are therefore not simply technical improvements. They are fundamental to building a scalable and profitable service model.

A Fast-Growing but Difficult-to-Segment Market

Remote guarding is one of the fastest-growing segments of the security industry, although its precise market size is difficult to isolate.

Existing research captures many of its components within larger categories such as video surveillance, alarm monitoring, managed security services, cloud video, analytics and private guarding. Those figures include revenue associated with Remote Guarding applications, but they generally do not segment Remote Guarding as a distinct sector.

The lack of a standalone market category does not mean the market lacks momentum. Monitoring providers, integrators, guarding companies and technology suppliers are expanding their remote guard offerings, while customers are adopting the service as an alternative or complement to conventional alarms, recorded video and on-site guards.

As the category matures, market research will likely become more precise. Until then, the industry’s direction is clear—even if its exact size is not.

The Future of Remote Video Monitoring

Remote Video Monitoring is expanding the RMR business model in three directions.

It extends traditional alarm monitoring into verification, intervention and event management. It converts selected manned-guard functions into technology-enabled recurring services. And it makes active security available to organizations that previously relied on locally recorded video—or had no meaningful protection at all.

The transition is from receiving a signal to understanding an event. It is from monitoring individual devices to managing information from interconnected systems. It is from documenting incidents to supporting intervention while they are unfolding.

That expansion creates opportunity, but not automatic success. Remote Guarding providers must control nuisance activity, protect operator capacity, maintain reliable communications and deliver a response that customers consider valuable. Adding more cameras and analytics without improving event management increases cost and complexity without necessarily improving security.

The next phase of RMR growth will not be determined by how much technology the industry can connect to a monitoring center. It will be determined by how effectively technology helps people recognize what matters and act on it—and whether providers can deliver that service at a price point that reaches customers the traditional guarding model could not.

Remote Video Monitoring is reshaping how recurring security services are delivered—and expanding who can benefit from them.

Every few weeks, most of us see another reminder from our cybersecurity teams. One day it is a phishing test. The next it is a training course or a bulletin about malware, passwords, or suspicious links. These messages are important because digital threats change constantly. Attackers keep learning, and organizations work to keep up.

Physical security demands the same upkeep as cybersecurity. Just as organizations invest in monitoring, training and patching for cyber systems to protect against evolving threats, they should implement regular audits, credential lifecycle management and secure reader to controller communications to improve and strengthen their physical security protocols and systems.

That said, understanding credentials can be confusing. To make this less intimidating, break credential security into three simple concepts: Technology, Programming and Encryption.

TECHNOLOGY

Technologies have changed dramatically over the last few decades when you look at what was created in the 70’s and 80’s (magstripe cards and proximity credentials, respectively). These were effective in their time and helped make access control easier to manage. But they were created in an era with very different expectations around security. In many cases, convenience came first.

Smart cards are not all created equal. The evolution of 13.56 MHz credentials began in the 1990’s with MIFARE Classic®, and this technology has steadily advanced over the decades to today’s most secure version, the MIFARE® DESFire® EV3. Adding to the landscape, mobile credentials emerged in the 2010’s and continue to develop rapidly. Like all technology, these systems can face potential challenges from bad actors seeking to exploit vulnerabilities. As attacks evolve, older technologies become obsolete, and stronger, more resilient solutions are introduced, creating a continuous cycle of innovation and defense.

Truly exploring the technology currently being utilized or considered for implementation is a critical step in securing a facility and preventing credential cloning. Be sure to understand when the technology was introduced, if there are known vulnerabilities and the benefits of the technology.

PROGRAMMING

For the most part, programming is made up of three parts: bit format, facility code and badge ID. In simple terms, the bit format designates the range of numbers that are accepted for both the facility code and badge ID. Then the combination of those two numbers essentially will point to a person and that is the data that is encoded or programmed onto each credential. When a person presents a badge at the door, the reader passes that information to the access control system, which checks whether that card is allowed through.

Why is this important in a cloning conversation? Simplistic bit formats make collisions, guessing or brute force enumeration easier than longer formats.  Longer formats alone don’t necessarily guarantee the desired level of security; however, when paired with cryptographic encryption, it helps to achieve that goal.

ENCRYPTION

On the surface, all credential solutions may look similar. A card is tapped, a light flashes, and the door opens. But under the surface, the security can be very different, and that brings us to the 3^rd part: Encryption. Symmetric encryption is the process of transforming data into a format to prevent unauthorized access on 13.56 MHz credentials. This too has evolved over time but started in the late 70’s with the Data Encryption Standard (DES), which morphed to 3DES to protect against potential vulnerabilities of DES.  In the early 2000’s, the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) was adopted as the new standard because of its robust security and speed, making it the preferred standard for modern access control systems. Understanding the technical details isn’t necessary, but knowing when these algorithms were created and, consequently, whether they remain secure, is essential.

Old technologies, like magstripe and prox, use no encryption whatsoever. Not surprisingly, malicious actors have figured out how to copy that credential programming, and, since these have no encryption, duplication is not difficult.

Smart‑card technologies and their encryption, dating back to the 1990’s, have been extensively analyzed by researchers and malicious actors alike. While cloning these cards is not as trivial as copying magstripe or prox credentials, some legacy smart chips and protocols have vulnerabilities that, with off‑the‑shelf tools and additional steps, can be copied or emulated.

Taking encryption one step further, the true power for an organization is owning their own unique encryption key. This gives control and freedom to choose who has that key and does not lock organizations into one specific manufacturer.

The right combination of TECHNOLOGY, PROGRAMMING and ENCRYPTION is the trifecta of the credential factors to maximize security and give peace of mind when it comes to credential security.  Having said that, there’s more to uncover.

Achieving strong credential security requires looking beyond the credential itself. Every component of the access control ecosystem plays a role, from readers and controllers to software and communication protocols. If an encrypted credential is tapped at a reader connected to a controller over legacy Wiegand, the data transmitted between the reader and controller can be captured. Once intercepted, the data can be replayed or used to create a working clone. That’s not specific to the credential, it’s specific to the system design.

Security is also influenced by everyday behaviors. Shared credentials, misplaced badges, and inconsistent credential management practices can introduce risk regardless of the technology being used.

As computing capabilities continue to advance, organizations should expect security expectations to evolve as well. The same technologies that help improve operational efficiency are also driving the adoption of stronger authentication methods, encryption standards, and trust frameworks designed to verify not only the data a credential transmits, but the authenticity of the credential itself. “Just as enterprises no longer trust every laptop on the corporate network by default, buildings should no longer trust every credential or reader by default. The future of access control is Zero Trust at the door,” says Alisha Saiyed, Product Manager, Next-Generation/Asymmetric Credentials at Allegion.

SHIFT TO IDENTITY AND TRUST

At a high level, access control comes down to three types of identity:
something you know, something you have, and something you are, a PIN, a badge, or a biometric.

Each has its place, but modern systems are moving toward layering these together. A badge alone is no longer enough.

This is where the industry is evolving. Instead of trusting credentials based only on what they transmit, modern systems validate who issued them and whether they are still valid.

This approach, used for years in high-security environments like the federal government’s CAC program, relies on credentials that are issued and verified by trusted authorities. When a credential is presented, the system doesn’t just read a number; it checks whether that credential is legitimate and hasn’t been copied or revoked.

That’s a key shift. Even if someone could replicate the physical signal of a badge, they can’t replicate the authenticity behind it. A cloned credential not issued by a trusted authority will be denied access.

When you combine this with biometrics and secure communication protocols, access control moves beyond simple entry and toward true identity assurance—verifying not just the credential, but the person and the system behind it. This is the “Zero Trust at the door” concept: Nothing is allowed to operate without proving its identity and authorization, not just once but continuously.

For decades, organizations have spent significant resources on cameras, fences, gates, barriers, and access control systems to protect their facilities. Yet, those solutions have one challenge—they are mostly passive. Cameras capture events, fences serve as obstacles, and access control allows for entry once it’s granted. However, none can effectively communicate with a potential intruder before a situation escalates.

Perimeter security threats need a new approach. Security teams need security solutions that can detect, verify, communicate, and respond in real time. That’s why there’s an increased focus not just on the building itself, but also on the perimeter, where incidents can be spotted and resolved before they turn into emergencies.

The Importance of the Perimeter

The perimeter is more than just a fence line or entrance; it is the first chance that security teams have to spot threats, control access, and influence behavior before someone reaches employees, students, customers, or property. A layered security strategy pushes protection outward, creating multiple opportunities to assess intent and intervene long before an individual reaches a building entrance.

A great example can be seen in large public venues. For instance, at stadiums like MetLife Stadium, security doesn’t begin at the front gate—it starts at the parking lot entrance. Vehicles are screened before entering visitor areas, pedestrians pass through observation zones before ticket scanning, and multiple security checkpoints allow for early identification of concerns.

This approach applies to all sectors—from schools and hospitals to manufacturing facilities, airports, utilities, data centers, and corporate campuses. The sooner an incident is detected and managed, the lower the overall security risk.

Video Shows What’s Happening; Audio Explains Why

Video surveillance is a solid foundation of perimeter security, but video alone offers only part of the picture. A camera can detect movement, identify individuals, or recognize suspicious activity, but it cannot effectively determine intent or immediately influence behavior. Audio does that.

By integrating IP speakers and intercoms with video surveillance and access control systems, security teams shift perimeter security from passive observation to active engagement. With audio, security operators can communicate directly with someone approaching a restricted area, confirm their intent, give instructions, or warn them about entering an unauthorized zone. Often, that interaction alone is enough to deter unwanted behavior before it escalates. Instead of waiting for security personnel to arrive, operators can act the moment suspicious activity is detected.

IP Intercoms Create Smarter Entry Points

Every entrance is both a convenience for authorized visitors and a potential risk for unauthorized individuals. IP intercoms equipped with high-definition audio and video enable security teams to verify identities before granting access. Operators can engage in clear conversations with visitors instead of relying solely on camera images. They can:

• Verify the visitor’s identity
• Detect languages spoken
• Confirm the purpose of their visit
• Provide directions
• Deny access when necessary
• Immediately escalate concerns if suspicious behavior is noted

Whether located at a school entrance, corporate lobby, warehouse gate, or healthcare facility, intercoms become smart decision points rather than just another doorbell.

Extending Security Beyond the Front Door

The biggest advantage of audio is that it can be deployed beyond just entrances. IP speakers and intercoms can be strategically placed all around the perimeter, including:

• Parking lots
• Loading docks
• Vehicle gates
• Exterior fences
• Remote access roads
• Campus walkways
• Emergency call stations
• Outdoor gathering areas

If security teams see suspicious activity through video surveillance, they can engage with the individual without needing to dispatch an officer. A live announcement such as, “You are entering a restricted area. Please leave immediately,” can often disrupt suspicious behavior before it escalates into a larger incident. This proactive capability allows organizations to mitigate incidents rather than just documenting them.

Audio Improves Situational Awareness

Audio offers valuable information that cameras alone miss. A surveillance camera records only what it can see. Microphones and intelligent audio systems can detect:

• Voices and conversations
• Distress calls
• Aggressive behavior
• Breaking glass
• Loud impacts
• Other unusual sounds outside the camera’s view

These extra data points help security personnel understand what is happening and decide how to better respond. Combining visual information with audio intelligence gives operators greater situational awareness, leading to better decisions during critical situations.

Faster Response Through Real-Time Communication

In a security incident, audio via IP intercoms and speakers allows for immediate communication between security operators, on-site personnel, visitors, emergency responders, and individuals involved in the situation. Instead of waiting for first responders to arrive and assess what’s going on, security personnel can start gathering information right away. Operators can:

• Issue evacuation instructions
• Guide employees to safety
• Direct responding officers
• Keep unauthorized individuals contained outside the facility
• Share real-time information with emergency responders

The result is a quicker, more coordinated response that helps reduce risk and improve safety for everyone on site.

Building a Truly Layered Security Strategy

Effective perimeter security relies on more than one security technology. The strongest strategies to mitigate risk combine multiple systems that work together, including:

• Video surveillance
• Access control
• Perimeter detection
• IP speakers
• Video intercoms
• Emergency communication systems
• Security management software

Because modern IP audio solutions support open standards like SIP and ONVIF, they integrate seamlessly with existing video management systems, access control platforms, and analytics software. This helps security teams to make the most of their current security investments while adding a new layer of intelligence and interaction.

Applications Across Every Industry 

Interactive perimeter communication provides measurable benefits across almost every sector. Schools can verify visitors before entry, communicate with individuals near campus, and respond quickly to emergencies. Critical infrastructure facilities can deter unauthorized access while maintaining essential operations. Transportation hubs can manage restricted areas, offer public instructions, and enhance passenger safety. Healthcare campuses can secure entrances while helping visitors navigate large facilities. Manufacturing plants and warehouses can monitor loading docks, vehicle entrances, and employee access points without needing more personnel.

Regardless of the setting, the goal remains the same: spot potential risks earlier, communicate right away, and mitigate incidents before they affect occupied spaces.

From Passive Monitoring to Active Protection

Perimeter security has advanced far beyond simple cameras and fences. Security teams now realize that the ability to communicate is just as vital as the ability to detect. IP speakers and intercoms add an active layer of security that allows organizations to verify intent, deter unauthorized access, enhance situational awareness, and coordinate faster responses during critical incidents. As threats evolve, the organizations that will be best prepared are those that expand security beyond the front door and create layered perimeter strategies that combine video, access control, and intelligent audio. The most effective security incident is the one that never makes it inside.

By Diane Ritchey, Marketing Director, Safety & Security Americas, BU Onshore at Zenitel

Every perimeter security project begins with protecting an asset.

The mission may be securing a distribution center, monitoring a remote gate, extending surveillance across a parking lot, protecting a storage yard, or controlling access to a critical facility. The security strategy is developed, the technology is selected, and the project moves into implementation.

Then comes a question that every security professional has encountered.

How do we connect it?

Sometimes the answer is simple. The device is close to an existing network switch, fiber is already available, or communications were included in the original site design. Increasingly, however, perimeter security projects extend beyond the boundaries of existing network infrastructure. Cameras are deployed farther from buildings. Access control is added to secondary entrances. Emergency call stations, radar, perimeter sensors, and intercoms are installed where communications were never intended to exist.

Communications rarely define the mission of a perimeter security project, but they often determine whether the project can be completed efficiently, economically, and on schedule.

This is where industrial Wi-Fi has quietly become one of the most valuable deployment tools available to security professionals.

Industrial Wi-Fi Is Different by Design

It is important to distinguish industrial outdoor Wi-Fi from the wireless networks people associate with offices, coffee shops, or homes.

Today’s outdoor wireless bridges and point-to-point Ethernet systems are engineered to transport high-bandwidth security traffic reliably across campuses, parking lots, industrial facilities, transportation centers, and other outdoor environments. Properly designed, they can eliminate the need to trench asphalt, bore beneath roadways, or install thousands of feet of fiber while still providing the bandwidth required to support modern security applications.

In most cases, Wi-Fi doesn’t replace wired infrastructure—it extends it. That is why the technology has become increasingly common in perimeter security deployments.

Consider a distribution center expanding its video coverage to a newly constructed trailer yard. The original network infrastructure may terminate hundreds of feet away, separated by active traffic lanes and concrete pavement. Extending fiber may require permits, construction work, and weeks of coordination. A properly engineered wireless bridge can often establish connectivity within days while preserving the project’s performance requirements.

The same scenario plays out across corporate campuses, hospitals, schools, airports, manufacturing facilities, ports, logistics centers, sports venues, utility facilities, and municipal properties. S As security requirements evolve faster than infrastructure, industrial Wi-Fi provides a practical way to extend protection without redesigning the communications network.

That flexibility, however, should not be mistaken for universal applicability.

Where Industrial Wi-Fi Works—and Where It Doesn’t

The most successful deployments share several common characteristics. They typically involve relatively fixed endpoints, clear or manageable line-of-sight conditions, and locations where extending existing network infrastructure would add significant cost or complexity. In these environments, industrial Wi-Fi has matured into a dependable communications platform capable of supporting video surveillance, access control, emergency communications, perimeter sensors, license plate recognition, and other security technologies.

Equally important is understanding where Wi-Fi is not the ideal solution.

Dense vegetation, significant terrain changes, constantly moving endpoints, long-distance corridor applications, or environments with severe radio-frequency congestion can quickly reduce performance and reliability. These situations may require alternative communications architectures better suited to the operating environment.

Recognizing those boundaries is one reason experienced security integrators continue to treat communications as an engineering discipline rather than simply a networking decision.

Selecting the Right Industrial Wi-Fi Platform

Several proven solutions are available today.

Companies such as Cisco, HPE Aruba Networking, Cambium Networks, Rajant, Fluidmesh by Cisco, Ubiquiti, EnGenius, and TP-Link now offer purpose-built outdoor wireless platforms designed specifically for industrial and security applications. While their approaches differ, they share a common objective: extending secure, high-performance network connectivity into locations where traditional wired infrastructure is impractical or prohibitively expensive.

Leading security manufacturers increasingly validate and support these communications platforms within their own surveillance and access control ecosystems. Reliable communications have become an integral part of successful perimeter security design rather than an isolated networking decision.

Perhaps the most significant change is that communications planning has become more dynamic.

Few perimeter projects unfold exactly as originally designed. Camera locations move. Additional devices are requested. Construction conditions change. Existing infrastructure proves more difficult to access than anticipated. Unexpected obstacles emerge after installation has already begun.

These are not design failures. They are the realities of deploying security systems in the field. Wireless communications are critical to ensuring security’s mission.

Understanding where industrial Wi-Fi performs exceptionally best allows project teams to overcome these challenges without compromising the original security objectives or delaying deployment. Rather than viewing wireless connectivity as a last-minute workaround, many organizations now recognize it as a practical engineering option that provides flexibility when field conditions inevitably evolve.

Communications have always been part of the project plan. Successful projects recognize that the plan may need to adapt. Knowing when Wi-Fi is the right answer—and when it is not—gives security teams another proven tool for overcoming real-world deployment challenges while delivering the outcomes their customers expect.

When people think about perimeter security, they often picture fences, gates, bollards and barriers designed to protect buildings, property and other physical assets. While these products certainly serve an important security function, they also fulfill another critical responsibility that is sometimes overlooked: protecting people.

Today’s perimeter solutions do far more than establish a property line or discourage unauthorized access. They create layers of protection that improve safety, guide pedestrian movement, support operations and help facilities prepare for an evolving range of threats. As public spaces become busier and vehicle-related incidents continue to increase, designing for pedestrian safety has become just as important as protecting the property itself.

Plan your time. Maximize your visit.

Start at Doors B2/B3 near Aisle 1800 and follow this curated route to many of the industry’s leading perimeter security manufacturers, technologies and experts. From AI-powered video analytics and autonomous security robots to access control, radar, intrusion detection and life safety, this guide highlights the companies helping shape the future of perimeter security.

In 1975, the blockbuster movie sensation, Jaws, introduced us to a simple truth that the greatest threats are often the ones you cannot see or don’t fully understand until it’s too late (cue the signature warning theme dun-dun… dun-dun… dun-dun, dun-dun, dun-dun). The famous line, “You’re going to need a bigger boat,” wasn’t just about size; it was also about preparedness. It’s a metaphor about realizing that what may have worked before won’t survive what’s coming next.

Trust me when I tell you, this is related to credentials.

Interestingly, electronic access control systems and Jaws share a similar timeline. Both emerged in the mid-1970s. And while one evolved into a blockbuster franchise, the other… well, in many cases, is still running on technology from that same era.

Fifty years later, the “shark attack” has changed. It’s no longer lurking beneath ocean waves—it’s hiding in compromised credentials, phishing attacks, identity spoofing, tailgating and propped-open doors.

Just like the town leaders in Jaws who kept the beaches open despite the shark threat to protect the summer tourist economy, many security organizations are still relying on outdated defenses to protect their perimeter—hoping nothing bad ever happens. But hope isn’t a strategy.

If you are responsible for protecting buildings, campuses or critical infrastructure, you can’t afford to ignore the evolution of passkeys. They’re no longer just an IT story—their next chapter is being written at the physical smart perimeter.

Passwords, Badges, and Chumming the Waters: A False Sense of Physical and Online Security

For decades, physical and online security was built on a simple premise: if you know the secret or hold the credential, you can be trusted. Passwords protected systems, badges opened doors and PINs acted as MFA backup authentication. It all felt extremely secure. But the enormous problem (lurking below the surface) is that none of these methods actually prove identity—they only verify possession or knowledge… the shared way in. All of it can be stolen, shared, or replicated.

Passwords became the weakest link in cybersecurity. Phishing attacks tricked users into giving information away. Credential stuffing exploited reused passwords. Data breaches exposed millions of customers’ personally identifiable information (PII).

Physical security wasn’t much better. Widely available tools such as Flipper Zero—a handheld device capable of reading and emulating certain RFID and NFC credentials—have exposed the weaknesses of many legacy access cards. PINs were routinely shared among employees, and lost or stolen credentials often went unreported. Sticking with the Jaws analogy, it’s the equivalent of chumming the water before the shark arrives. Instead of deterring threats, we built systems that unintentionally attracted them.

Identity Takes Center Stage

As threats evolved (and we all figured our way through COVID), so did the industry’s thinking about access. We began moving beyond passwords, plastic badges and paper credentials toward digital identity. The conversation shifted from simply granting access to verifying identity through authentication and authorization.

Biometrics and mobile credentials brought us closer to answering the question that really matters:

Who is this person, really?

That’s where AI, identity and zero-trust principles began converging at the moment of access. Instead of trusting someone because they possessed a credential, we started asking whether they were actually the person they claimed to be.

The Digital Perimeter Is No Longer a Fence

It’s an access decision made at every opening. But even as mobile credentials closed many of the gaps left by passwords and plastic badges, they didn’t eliminate them. Devices can still be lost, stolen or shared. Privacy, legal and compliance challenges continue to evolve.

We built a stronger boat—but the shark kept evolving.

So What is a Passkey Actually? The Bigger Credential Defined

A passkey is a password less way to prove you are who you say you are—without creating, storing or transmitting a traditional password that can be stolen, guessed or reused.

You’ve probably already seen them in action. When Microsoft, Apple or Google asks, “Would you like to create a passkey?” they’re offering to replace your password for that website or app with a more secure way to sign in, often using your fingerprint, face or device PIN.

Here’s how it works physically in the real world:

1. Setup – A device generates a private key (kept secure on the device) and a public key (stored by the system)
2. In the field – Authentication is needed, such as when someone is at a perimeter gate requesting access; the system sends a challenge to the device, i.e., a badge, wearable, or mobile device.
3. Private key – The device signs the challenge with the private key.
4. Verification – The system verifies it using the public key.
5. Unlock – The user unlocks the process with biometrics for zero trust/absolute trust that “person is who they say they are.”
6. Here’s the Big Difference: A passkey helps prove identity—not just what someone knows or what they have. It creates a phishing-resistant authentication process that cannot be easily shared or cloned and does not require centralized biometric storage. In other words, it provides the Jaws equivalent of “shark repellent” by creating a strong binding between a person, their device and verified identity.

Now a Dose of Industry Reality: Is Convergence Finally?

I previously interviewed Megan Shamas, formerly with the FIDO Alliance—a cybersecurity advisor and former employee of the FIDO Alliance—the organization behind the FIDO passkey standards redefining modern authentication. She highlighted a critical turning point for the physical security industry, one that reinforces why passkeys are arriving at exactly the right time.

“I do think that the prox technology that exists within these enterprises isn’t necessarily what people should be using today… there are some newer technologies that are a bit more secure.”

This reflects a reality many in the field already recognize. Legacy proximity (prox) cards are still everywhere. And while newer credential technologies have incrementally improved security, they haven’t fundamentally solved the identity problem.

The bigger shift, however, is convergence.

“Now there’s a real viable way to get to convergence. That’s the key shift happening today. For years, convergence between physical access control systems (PACS) and identity systems has been more aspiration than reality. Integration was complex. User experience lagged. And security teams often operated in silos. Passkeys have changed that. They provide a common identity layer that works across hardware, software applications, access control and video platforms.”

Passkeys don’t simply replace passwords or badges—they create a common identity layer that allows physical and digital security to work together more seamlessly. That’s what makes true convergence practical rather than aspirational.

And perhaps most tellingly, Megan captured a perception that has quietly held the industry back:

That may be the biggest shift of all. Access control is no longer just about opening doors—it’s becoming the intelligent decision point where identity, AI and security converge.

Applying Passkeys to the Perimeter is where the term “Fence Defense” becomes real and the AID2Entry concept comes to life. Passkeys don’t just improve login—they transform how access is granted across physical environments.

They’re no longer just for logging into apps—they have the potential to redefine physical access control, both inside and outside the perimeter.

Imagine access control from cards to cryptography. No more badge cloning.  No shared PINs. No transferable credentials. Identity would be verified in real time at every opening. That’s what modern perimeter defense looks like.

Now imagine combining that with video security. Picture identity linked to video events. Add AI-driven behavioral analytics, and you introduce a second layer of biometric authentication based on gait (the way a person walks). Now your access control and video systems aren’t just recording events—they’re interpreting and responding to them in real time. This is mobile, touchless, frictionless AID2entry technology… George Jetson style. (If you have to Google George Jetson, congratulations—you’ve just confirmed I’m older than you.) For the curious, here’s more about The Jetsons.

The applications are endless.

Perimeter Passkeys are the foundation of a “defentified (defend + identity + verified) perimeter.” A place where authentication never sleeps and trust is constantly evaluated—not assumed. It’s privacy-first security without a centralized biometric database (because who really wants one of those?). Better yet, passkeys help converge a single trusted identity across your buildings, networks and applications. One person. One identity. Everywhere that matters.

The Lesson from Jaws—50 Years Later

The biggest lesson from the movie Jaws wasn’t the shark—it was what happened when people ignored the warning signs.

Fifty years later, the warning signs are everywhere: credential theft, identity spoofing, insider threats and AI-powered attacks. Yet many organizations are still relying on security strategies that would have looked pretty familiar back in 1975.

So yes…you’re going to need a bigger credential.

I call them “Perimeter Passkeys.” Why? Because passkeys shouldn’t stop at your laptop. Imagine using the same phishing-resistant authentication that gets you into your banking app to also unlock your office, data center, hospital, campus or critical infrastructure site. That’s the idea: extending trusted digital identity all the way to the physical perimeter.

Perimeter passkeys aren’t just another security feature—they’re a reset. They strengthen identity, eliminate phishing-resistant authentication gaps and finally move us toward the convergence our industry has been talking about for decades. Pair them with intelligent access control and video security, and as Megan Shamas pointed out, the technology is finally ready. The path is clear. Now it’s up to us to actually use it.

One Final Thought About Passkeys

At the end of the day, smart perimeter security isn’t really about doors. Or fences. Or cameras.

It’s about trust. Who belongs here? Who doesn’t? And can you prove it without slowing everyone down?

That’s the challenge every organization is trying to solve.

Meanwhile, the bad guys are getting smarter, faster and cheaper thanks to AI. (Talk about an unfair advantage.)

So maybe the question isn’t whether you’ll need a bigger boat. Maybe it’s whether you finally have a better way to know who should be allowed on board.

Perimeter Passkeys won’t solve every security problem. But they just might become one of the smartest foundations for building the intelligent, identity-first perimeter we’ve been chasing all along.

By Doug OGorden

Traditionally, access control systems have been treated like a security system, deciding who comes in, who goes out, and logging everything that happens. Although these are still imperative functions of access control, the expanding threat landscape and operational environment are pushing us to think bigger.

Access control is evolving from a security solution into an operational necessity as the need to manage active shooters, severe weather, power outages, cyber threats, facility lockdowns, and evacuations continues to grow.

The question is no longer whether an access control system can secure a door but whether it can continue supporting life-safety and emergency response efforts when normal operations break down.

Access Control’s Expanding Role in Emergency Management

During an emergency situation, time is of the essence. Security teams, first responders, facility managers, and administrators require instantaneous visibility and command of the facility. Access control becomes the go-to platform to execute emergency response protocols such as locking down the facility, restricting access to certain zones, opening designated exit routes, monitoring occupancy/location of personnel, deploying emergency response teams, granting access to first responders, and ensuring business continuity during times of crisis.

In these moments, access control is no longer functioning as just a security layer. It becomes part of the organization’s emergency infrastructure.

The effectiveness of a response often depends on whether authorized personnel can quickly execute emergency procedures without relying on manual intervention or physical keys.

Prepare for Emergencies Before the Crisis

Many organizations invest heavily in perimeter security, surveillance, and cybersecurity while giving less consideration to how access systems will perform during a crisis; but emergencies and their aftermath are near impossible to predict.

If a lockdown situation calls for immediate facility-wide security, a severe weather incident may necessitate partial shelter-in-place directives. Or in a medical emergency, first responders may need instantaneous access. In every situation, the access control system should enable decisions, not hinder them.

This requires organizations to think beyond normal operating conditions and ask important questions like how can lockdown procedures be initiated immediately? Can access privileges be modified in real time? Can security teams monitor events across multiple facilities? Can emergency actions be executed remotely? And how can operations teams continue if parts of the network become unavailable?

Planning for these scenarios requires access control systems designed with resilience and emergency workflows in mind from the outset.

Lockdown Capabilities Must Be Immediate and Flexible

Schools have become one of the primary use cases driving the need for emergency-focused access control design.

During an active threat incident, administrators don’t have time for complicated processes or slow responses. Robust lockdown solutions should enable authorized users to lock doors, secure rooms, and communicate with ease.

Many modern platforms allow for a variety of lockdown methods. From full facility lockdown to zoning lockdowns, and remotely-triggered capabilities, institutions can select the best response for the situation at hand.

To improve response times and situational awareness, it’s helpful to implement systems that can execute a lockdown across a desktop, mobile device, or designated emergency station. Organizations will also want solutions that can quickly restore safe operations after the threat has passed.

From Cybersecurity to Infrastructure Resilience

Cybersecurity rightly receives significant attention in discussions about access control. Organizations are focused on protecting credentials, preventing unauthorized access, and securing network-connected devices.

Yet resilience extends beyond cybersecurity. An access control system may be fully protected from cyber threats but still fail when faced with power loss, network interruptions, or hardware failures. Emergency infrastructure must continue functioning under adverse conditions.

Organizations should assess availability factors, including local decision-making authority, alternate communication routes, battery backups, decentralized structure, fail-safe vs. fail-secure, and offline availability.

The goal is not simply to prevent failure but to ensure continuity when failures inevitably occur elsewhere in the environment.

A resilient access control architecture can help maintain critical functions even when portions of the network or supporting infrastructure are unavailable.

Integrating Access Control into Emergency Workflows

One of the most significant shifts occurring across the industry is the integration of access control into broader emergency management processes.

Historically, security systems often operated independently from emergency response planning. Today, organizations increasingly recognize that access control should work in coordination with life-safety systems, communication platforms, emergency operations centers, and incident response teams.

When integrated effectively, access control can help automate and accelerate emergency response.

For example, a lockdown command may trigger access restrictions, activate alerts, notify personnel, and provide responders with real-time status updates. Similarly, an evacuation event may automatically unlock designated exits while preserving security in sensitive areas.

These integrations reduce reliance on manual actions during high-stress situations and help organizations execute response plans more consistently.

Visibility and Situational Awareness Are Essential

Emergency decisions are only as effective as the information supporting them. Access control systems generate valuable operational intelligence that can help emergency managers understand what is happening inside a facility.

Real-time monitoring of door status, credential activity, occupancy patterns, and alarm events provides greater situational awareness during evolving incidents.

Security operation centers serving multi-building campuses, school districts, healthcare facilities, and enterprise buildings require even greater visibility. Security teams must be able to see events from multiple locations at a glance without losing the ability to respond immediately on-site.

Response is enhanced when you can monitor, verify, and respond from one central location, especially during critical incidents.

The Future of Access Control Is Operational Resilience

As organizations confront increasingly complex risks, the role of access control continues to evolve.

Access control is no longer simply about opening doors and managing credentials. It has become an essential component of operational continuity, emergency preparedness, and organizational resilience.

The best security access control systems are those that work for both the daily flow of operations and the unexpected situations. Systems that allow your security team to keep things running smoothly during the day but can also flex, adapt, and give you control when you need it most.

When considering your next access control investment, ask yourself how it will perform when things don’t go according to plan. Think beyond the typical perimeter security needs and picture your access control solution under the toughest of circumstances.

Because when an emergency happens, access control is no longer just security hardware – it becomes critical infrastructure.

By Karen Evans, President & CEO, Sielox

Organizations spend millions of dollars each year on electronic security technologies. Cameras become more intelligent. Access control systems become more connected. Analytics platforms become more sophisticated. Yet while many security leaders focus on the next software upgrade or technology refresh, one critical component of a comprehensive security strategy is often overlooked: physical security infrastructure.

The truth is, technology gets outdated quickly. Security entrances, when designed properly, can last for generations, adding value year after year. Measuring security investments with lifetime performance in mind, secured entrances are often one of the lowest-cost, highest-impact solutions for a comprehensive security program.

The Hidden Cost of Unauthorized Access

In today’s security environment, unauthorized access can present some of the biggest risks to an organization. From workplace violence to theft, cybercrime to loss of intellectual property, to noncompliance with regulatory standards, many of these incidents begin with an inability to control who enters a building. Cameras and access control can detect or even record these security breaches, but they don’t prevent them from happening. Secured entrances eliminate that possibility by allowing organizations to go from reactive to proactive with their security strategies.

Access control failures in data centers, hospitals, manufacturing facilities, and corporate offices can lead to downtime, regulatory fines, liability issues, reputational harm, and financial loss.

But most troubling of all are the unknowns that come with allowing unauthorized access. If you can’t account for everyone who enters your facility, you don’t have control of your environment. Every instance of tailgating or piggybacking presents an unknown risk that your security technology just can’t account for.

Detection Isn’t Prevention

Traditional access control systems authenticate people but don’t enforce access control. Secured entrances prevent unauthorized individuals from entering secure areas. With detection, you will know when someone who shouldn’t have entered your facility has done so. Prevention builds that into the infrastructure.

Security revolving doors, mantrap portals, and other advanced secured entrance solutions create controlled entry environments that significantly reduce opportunities for unauthorized access. By utilizing sophisticated sensors, authentication systems, and physical barriers, these solutions help eliminate common vulnerabilities such as tailgating and piggybacking.

Within high-security facilities, enforcing single-person entry can be most effectively accomplished with mantrap portals. These units credential users and employ sophisticated sensing technology to allow only one person to enter at a time. Revolving security doors also help prevent multiple people from entering at once while allowing for a much higher traffic volume.

Protecting Against Modern Threats

In addition to controlling physical access, secured entrances also defend against social engineering. When it comes to controlling access to your facilities, there is no human element with secured entrances. They apply your access policies automatically every time.

Secured entrances can also help you to mitigate newer threats like active shooters and workplace violence. Bullet-resistant glass, high-security locks, and divided vestibules are just some of the features secured entrances can include to give your employees and assets another layer of protection.

Improving Operational Efficiency

Secured entrances provide value beyond security by increasing operational efficiency through a streamlined, orderly flow of traffic into and within a building. When integrated with mobile credentials, biometrics, and access management platforms, secured entrances can also help create a seamless experience for people while keeping facilities secure.

Many security departments are facing labor shortages and growing cost burdens. Secured entrances can reduce dependence on security officers by functioning with or without staff coverage. Many systems will even help security teams spend their time more effectively. Since secured entrances can typically operate unattended, they can provide a quicker realization of ROI through reduced staffing needs.

Lowering Total Cost of Ownership

Energy savings is another less obvious benefit. Take security revolving doors. They exchange far less air than traditional swing doors. By reducing heating and cooling loss, your organization can be more energy efficient, decrease overhead with utility costs, and keep indoor spaces comfortable. All while realizing savings during operation that can add up to a significant part of your return on investment over the life of the entrance.

Meeting regulatory compliance is one more way secured entrances provide a calculable value. If your business falls under HIPAA, PCI DSS, NERC, FSMA, or any other security standard, you are required to prove you have proper access control. Secured entrances help you meet that compliance by allowing you to create auditable and enforceable barriers.

Access control systems should be considered infrastructure investments, rather than strictly electronic security purchases. Technology platforms may need to be replaced every few years, and software licenses are ongoing payments. Even security cameras have a technology lifecycle that will eventually expire. While technology advances, security entrances are a long-term investment in your infrastructure that can last for generations and provide reliable protection with minimal upkeep costs.

With such longevity factored into the equation, TCO is significantly reduced. Although upfront costs may exceed those of other traditional security solutions, decades of service life, lower staffing costs, operational efficiencies, compliance enablement, and risk mitigation can equal considerable returns over time. In fact, many businesses find secure entrances to be one of the most cost-effective investments in security they will make.

Future-Proofing Physical Security

Secured entrances provide a future-ready foundation that supports both current and emerging security challenges.

The most effective security strategies recognize that prevention is always more valuable than documentation after an incident occurs. Unlike traditional security measures, secured entrances help prevent incidents before they occur.

Investing in Security That Lasts

Businesses can be easily swept up in new technology investments. When looking to strengthen your security posture, don’t forget about your security entrances. Secured entrances are more than just access points. They are long-term investments that will help protect people, assets, information, and operations daily for years to come.

When it comes to security technology, there are constant innovations happening. Physical security infrastructure is one of the longest-lasting investments your organization will make. By investing in secured entrances as part of a layered defense strategy, you can build a stronger security program with lower lifetime costs and greater confidence in who has access to your most important spaces.

By Joe Seagriff, Vice President of Sales, Boon Edam

Identity-Centric Perimeter Security