CHARDON, Ohio — A market survey of security and loss prevention managers, as well as other executives, found an overwhelming majority want the same access control that allows them to enter a building to allow them to access their computer network.

The survey, conducted by Sandra Jones and Co. and commissioned by ASSA ABLOY and IT security firm CoreStreet, found 87 percent of those surveyed found it important that a common credential be established for physical and logical access control. Common access outweighed the addition of smart cards, integration with other systems and biometrics in the respondents’ minds as a factor in upgrading an access control system. In fact, only 30 percent said the addition of biometric access control was “very important.”

The poll also found that 29 percent of respondents didn’t involve their IT and network managers in the selection of their access controls. “The one thing that surprised me is not who was involved but who was not involved,” says Sandra Jones, principal of Sandra Jones and Co., who adds this elevates the importance of the security industry to lead the integration of physical and computer security. “That means were ahead of the trend. The end user is looking for this and we are responding to the consumer.”

Jones will be hosting the 9th Securing New Ground Conference — which brings together the security industry and the investment community — on Oct. 13 and 14 at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York. For more information, call (888) 833-3969.

 

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