Key Note estimates that the UK market for physical access control was worth £311m at current end-user prices in 2007, having increased in value by 7.2% on 2006. Key Note's estimates include systems installation and maintenance as well as the cost of hardware and software.
Physical access control relates to control of access to a site, building or area, rather than access to data or computer networks. The products included in this market are: audio and video entryphones; keypad systems; card- and token-based access-control systems, including 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. Systems may include more than one technology for added security.
Between 2003 and 2007, the economy showed positive growth in excess of inflation. Business confidence improved in 2004 and the level of business investment has remained relatively strong, leading to contracts to equip new premises and upgrade old security systems. The market appears to have slowed in the second half of 2007. The credit crisis towards the end of the year shook business confidence and some sectors found it difficult to obtain finance for investment plans.
By 2007, Internet Protocol (IP) technology and IP-to-the-door was beginning to make an impact on the access-control market. This reduces the cost of cabling and allows control of each door from PC software or by using remote software over the Internet. The system is easy to manage and adapt, and unified systems can easily combine access control with closed-circuit television (CCTV) and other devices.
There is increasing demand for systems that combine access control with time-and-attendance systems or other security and fire-protection systems. Access control can also be combined with building management, so that lights and air conditioning are not wasted on empty rooms. As pressure to save energy and reduce carbon emissions increases, this type of technology becomes increasingly attractive.
With regard to reader technologies, proximity systems account for the largest number of installations but, by 2007, this technology is thought to have peaked. There is growth in demand for hands-free and smart-card systems.
Key Note forecasts slightly slower market growth in 2008, as a result of background economic trends slowing down investment in some commercial sectors, notably retailing. Over the forecast period (2008 to 2012), growth is likely to be steepest for smart-card technology. Long-term prospects are also good for biometric technologies. As simple, low-cost biometric devices for home security have appeared on the US market, take-up is likely to follow in the UK, although penetration is expected to be slow. For medium to large installations, demand for IP-based access control will increase, and the use of IP-to-the-door is likely to become important. By the end of the forecast period, there will be a demand in the UK for the integration of physical access control with logical access control (access to PCs, digital data and networks).
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