SMART Access & identity 2024

ACCESS & IDENTITY ROUND TABLE

Martin Meltz.

Kirby Rae Russell.

Wouter Du Toit.

different approach to its distribution business in that it customises the technology for customers and also makes sure the products it supplies work in the African context. Facial recognition is, again, a growing area for the company, but he sees interest in mobile credentials expanding as well as a more significant focus on privacy issues than ever before. HID’s Blignaut believes 2023 was the busiest year she has experienced in her four years at HID, with more “getting out into the market” than before. Following the component shortages as part of the supply chain challenges in the past few years, which HID could deal with through its scale of operations as part of ASSA ABLOY, stock levels are back to normal now, and the focus is on delivering orders on time, which has been challenging as HID posted excellent growth in 2023. She also says there is a focus on education, letting the market know about different credentials and options for the access and identity industry, as well as the issue of security – which credentials are secure and which are best for various scenarios. The education drive will continue in 2024 with the added component of explaining why cheaper is not always better. Enkulu’s Russell agrees that 2023 was a good year, and the company posted solid growth over the year while also noting the challenges of juggling time between the various aspects of the industry, which is constantly evolving. Once again, the education of partners is key for her, helping people understand the changes in the market and what solutions are appropriate for their projects and customers. Building trust in the

market is also critical to doing business and creating long-term relationships. Meltz from Ideco Biometrics also ranks 2023 as a good, but challenging year, as it assists partners in making decisions in the identity space. Once again, educating the market is critical for Ideco, not only in terms of helping integrators and installers deliver quality work for their customers, but also in terms of understanding what they are installing and the technology’s full capabilities. Security in its broader context is also part of the company’s focus as even a simple access control reader becomes part of the wider IoT infrastructure companies are implementing – even if they do not see it as such. Interestingly, Meltz notes that many micro trends have been popping up in his customer base in the recovery from the COVID-19 period. Companies are not looking at technology for technology’s sake, but are more closely examining what they have to get more out of their existing solutions and to be more critical in deciding what they may additionally require. While facial recognition is also a key element of Ideco’s work, Meltz says many people are working on innovative identity solutions, and more are including mobile credentials in their plans. The need for education As seen above, educating partners and end users is a crucial principle for access and identity companies today. These firms want to provide facts that allow customers to discern why the cheap brand that looks like it does the same as a premium brand (opening a door is opening a door, after all), is not the same. When the customer needs to know that only

authorised people can open the door and someone holding up a colour printout of a picture or an image on their phone cannot, things get a little more complicated. The essential aspects for the buyer to consider are the reliability and capabilities of the technology (including False Acceptance Rates and False Rejection Rates), what integration capabilities exist, and, above all, the system’s security. The term security is a catch-all that includes the software, firmware, privacy protection, connectivity, physical installation, and more. Meltz says that buying something ‘good enough’ is a poor investment as one needs to buy for the future, making sure the systems you have can adapt to whatever may be required in the future. The sudden need for touchless access control when COVID -19 hit was a prime example of needing solutions to meet an unforeseen need – although a pandemic is not something one can plan for. Fortune agrees, noting that one must, for example, explain how the algorithms work in tier-1 products and how they can be integrated and expanded beyond simply opening the door. This is key to delivering value and helping users and channel partners understand the return on investment they can obtain beyond merely opening a door. According to Du Toit, this is where educating channel partners is all the more important, as the manufacturers do not have enough feet on the ground to assist every end user in their decisions. IDEMIA is focused on providing accurate information and training to its partners to ensure they can sell viable

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access & iden i y 2024