In 2006, Key Note estimates that the UK access-control market was worth £290m at current end-user prices, including the cost of installation, with growth of 7.4% in current value terms from 2005.The access-control market, as defined in this Key Note Market Report, is concerned with physical access control.
Therefore, the report discusses access control for a site, building or area, as opposed to access control for data or computer networks.
The products that can be described as physical access control include: audio and video entryphones; keypad entry systems; card- and token-based access-control systems, which cover Wiegand cards, magnetic-stripe cards, barcode cards, proximity systems, long-range/ hands-free systems, systems to control vehicle access, smart-cards and dual-function cards; and biometric systems.
Some systems incorporate more than one of these technologies for added security.The main factors driving the access-control market are investment in new buildings and refurbishment of existing premises, and the need to protect vulnerable locations against the threat of terrorism.
In 2006, construction output in the private commercial sector — which includes sites such as offices, shops, warehouses, banking and finance, and private leisure ventures — showed growth, even with its previously high level of output.
Annual housing construction output increased by a total of nearly 37% in 4 years between 2002 and 2006.
The threat from terrorism does not appear to have abated in 2006, and still provides a strong impetus to security markets.The rising popularity of proximity systems, since 2000, has been encouraged by falling prices of proximity hardware.
In 2005 and 2006, the continued success of proximity technology was helped by its accessibility for some disabled people (this is much easier than using cards that have to be fitted into reading machines).
However, the sector appears to have reached its peak, and there is growing competition from hands-free systems and contactless smart cards.The sector for smart-card systems is showing growth, while biometrics remains a relatively small sector, with potential for substantial growth in the future.The trend towards integration of security systems with building-management and fire-protection systems continues.
Access-control companies are offering products based on open architecture, which can be controlled over local-area networks (LANs), or over the Internet, and which can be integrated with systems from other manufacturers.
The possibility of transmitting security data over the Internet has, in turn, led to a demand for enhanced security in the form of data encryption.Key Note forecasts that the access-control market will grow in excess of 7% per year, in current price terms, between 2007 and 2011.
Growth is likely to be steepest for smart-card technology, although proximity and hands-free technologies will continue to take a large proportion of the market.
Looking further into the future, there is huge potential for the adoption of biometric technology and for the greater use of access control by the residential sector.