As previously discussed, FingerTec has set its eyes on firmly planting its foot in the access control market. Access control, or selectively restricting access to a place or resource, is actually a long-existing need and the industry has improved by leaps and bounds in terms of technology during these past few decades. The progression from the bricks and stones used in ancient times, to the industrialized solutions dating back to the 1960s and the biometric readers in the 2000s, has characterized the industry and maps out what FingerTec aims to achieve as we head further into the future.

Initially, access control was more restricted to mechanical tools such as key and lock, and had to be enforced by personnel such as ticket checker or border guard. The mechanical tools are able to block unwanted visitors, while the reinforcement done by the actual person serves as an extra layer of security. However, the keys can be forged and verification is highly susceptible to human error. This changed with the introduction of magnetic and barcode swipe cards in the 1960s, eliminating the need for human presence for verification. This was easily recognized as a landmark shift foretelling the industry’s direction in its next few decades.

With the introduction of non-contact RFID proximity readers and cards using the Wiegand signal in the 1970s, the stage was set for an economical and easy-to-implement automated access control system. As the commercial demand for access control steadily increased during this period, it was also during this time that the biometric concept crept up in pop culture as the public fantasized of security procedures that are completely token-less. Fantasy became reality in the 2000s as fingerprint readers finally became accessible to the market. Despite its higher costs as compared to using cards, this still represented yet another paradigm shift as fingerprints significantly lowered the possibilities of forgery.

The access control industry has grown exponentially these last 10-15 years, with the introduction of face recognition technology that made verifications contactless as well as the move to web-based applications for management tasks. FingerTec is ready to face the trade, with a range of access control products that cover everything from highly economical standalone solutions (such as H3i and s-Kadex), extremely convenient contactless readers (such as Face ID 3 and Face ID 4), and comprehensively powerful management software (such as Ingress and the TimeTec series). With other tricks up the company’s collective sleeves, it is no stretch to say that FingerTec is adequately prepared to go toe-to-toe with the big boys and stamp our marks on the industry.