SMART Access & identity 2024

ACCESS & IDENTITY ROUND TABLE

SMART Security Solutions hosted a round table discussion with various players in the access and identity market, to learn more about their market experiences and expectations.

Access and identity in 2024

By Andrew Seldon

T he end of 2023 saw SMART players in the access and identity market. The focus of the round table was to find out what the participants experienced in the market over the last year, as well as their expectations for 2024. While 2023 was a good year for most, it was also a tough year with no shortage of challenges. Looking ahead, 2024 looks to be much the same, with some people expecting significant changes in the market going forward. An interesting occurrence was that, while we had a list of questions we thought would be pertinent to the discussion, the participants took the discussion in other directions as they started to discuss issues among themselves. It became obvious that there was more happening in boardrooms in South Africa than merely technology. Our participants were: • Wouter Du Toit, Business Development Manager – Africa, IDEMIA. • Tarryn Fortune, Inland Business Development Manager, Gallagher Security. • Walter Rautenbach, MD of neaMetrics (Suprema distributor in Africa). Security Solutions hosting a round table discussion with various

• Ilze Blignaut, Regional Sales Manager, HID Global. • Kirby Rae Russell, Regional Sales Manager, Enkulu Technologies (Gauteng region). • Martin Meltz, Manager: Sales Channel, Ideco Biometrics. Starting, we asked everyone to briefly summarise their experiences of 2023 in the access and identity market. While all the participants operate in South Africa, many (if not all) are also involved further up into Africa and include this broader perspective in their summaries. IDEMIA’s Du Toit says that while 2023 was a challenging year, it was a good year, and things seem to eventually be getting “back to normal” following the economic disruptions of the pandemic. He says that the driver behind IDEMIA’s efforts and the new products it will release in future is security. While this may come across as an obvious statement, he explains that it is more than just access and identity. Security permeates everything the company is doing, securing their systems and solutions from the many threats electronic systems face today – software, hardware, communications, etc.

Additionally, facial biometrics is a focus area and has become a standard in many companies, many of which are staying with the touchless approach to access. Gallagher’s Fortune agrees that it had been a demanding year, but notes that business improved as the year went on, with more business coming in after a slow start. The business is not only with existing customers and projects, but also with new opportunities as the market picks up. Once again, facial biometrics is a key area for the company. Still, Fortune notes that one of the biggest challenges is educating the market and helping people understand the potential benefits of facial technologies and the risks of cheaper products that look good but carry significant risks. The market is also demanding more from vendors and integrators. Sales are more focused on the solutions they deliver and the return on investment (ROI) than the technology. Providing value is vital, no matter what products or technology is on the table. Rautenbach says neaMetrics is also experiencing a turnaround as more projects get off the ground, and that the company takes a

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