Autonomous Access: The Future Of Building Controls

Controlling who does and does not enter a building is of paramount importance to many commercial and residential properties. Autonomous building access management is a technology that achieves this in an efficient way: it protects the building without inconveniencing legitimate visitors. It’s a field experiencing constant innovation, but greater reliance on tech makes cybersecurity ever more important.

The Growth Of Autonomous Access

Technologies such as keycards or biometric door locks aren’t new, but they have become more mainstream as businesses look for better ways to manage security. Increasingly sophisticated tech reduces reliance on human security staff who need to be alert, personable, fully trustworthy, and able to work often unsociable hours. Even then, staff are physically limited in how many access points they can control. Today’s autonomous access tech is getting smarter, with greater connection and connectivity.

Nigma’s Solutions

Nigma, based in Dubai, is one of the region’s leading providers of specialist autonomous building access systems. This includes the hardware, with biometric authentication such as facial recognition and fingerprint scanners.

Behind the scenes, Nigma’s systems include access control systems powered by IoT (Internet of Things) architecture for wireless devices integrated with cloud-based management. This means that while the system doesn’t require supervision, users can monitor and control access using mobile applications, rather than having to be on-site.

Nigma backs up this hardware and expertise with a commitment to improving the user experience and prioritizing security.

Why Biometrics?

The main advantage of biometric identification is that it doesn’t put any burden on the visitor. Building users don’t have to remember a passcode, which is often an unwelcome compromise between convenience and security. Similarly, there’s no need for people to carry a key or electronic pass that could be forgotten, lost, or stolen.

Unlike many physical passes, biometrics allow businesses to instantly change or remove access for specific users. There’s also no need for touchpads, a technology that’s increasingly unwelcome in the post-pandemic world.

Biometrics can also be combined with other forms of authentication and access control to maximize security. It’s a “real world” version of the two-factor authentication approach used commonly on websites and apps.

Reaping The Benefits

As we’ve noted, a well-designed autonomous access control system benefits everybody. Businesses can manage costs without losing control, while visitors and building inhabitants get a smoother experience thanks to seamless entry controls.

One benefit that’s often overlooked is the data produced by access control systems. With the right data and analysis, businesses and building owners can learn more about visitor footfall patterns. This can inform other facilities management decisions such as when to switch on lighting or heating, making buildings more energy efficient. It can also be an early warning signal of unexpected changes in activity.

Facing The Challenges

Nigma never loses sight of the inherent security concerns with the increasing use of remote access and cloud-based technologies, particularly when handling extremely sensitive biometric information. That’s why it uses a comprehensive approach to securing the systems and data.

The Future Of Autonomous Access Controls

Nigma is always excited about technological developments but will never rush into any new approach without considering the consequences. It stays on top of the latest research into new or improved approaches such as using AI to make biometric checks more reliable or harnessing “liveness” checks to counter attempts to spoof biometric identification. However, such advances can never undermine its commitment to reliability, privacy, and ethics.

Conclusion

Nigma doesn’t just want to serve its customers well but to set the standard and be a driving force in the entire field of autonomous building access controls. It harnesses the power of technologies such as biometrics in a way that helps clients achieve their security goals without unnecessary compromises. 

Nigma has experience with facilities management companies in Dubai to help secure their clients’ buildings without disrupting day-to-day work and life. Contact Nigma to learn more.