Survey: User Experience, Convenience Are Drivers for Access Control in Workplaces

Survey: User Experience, Convenience Are Drivers for Access Control in Workplaces

Brivo, a provider of cloud-based access control and smart building technologies, today publishes the 2023 Top Security Trends Report which identifies user experience and convenience as rapidly emerging drivers behind the adoption of new physical security solutions.

Brivo’s sixth annual trends report is based on responses from 677 security professionals across the world working in over two dozen sectors. They pointed to growing expectations for frictionless access into workplaces, as more Millennial and Gen Z cohorts enter the workplace, and a general rise in convenience as a major consideration in physical security.

Key findings that speak to this trend include:

  • 84% of security professionals think user experience is either extremely important or very important to access control.
  • 65% pointed to user convenience as a benefit of mobile access control, speaking to the growing popularity of mobile devices as an access credential over a traditional plastic FOB.
  • Tenant and workplace experience apps are growing in popularity, ranking as the fifth most popular security system integration this year – according to the respondents. These apps give more control to employees over their office space via mobile-derived services.
  • Security professionals listed remote door management, instantaneous credential management and outsourcing oversight responsibilities as applications for cloud-based security that make their lives easier – highlighting the appreciation that security professionals have for convenience in their own work.

Responses elsewhere in the report show that data collection and system integrations are business imperatives today. Security professionals continue to integrate security systems with cross-functional areas but more are using access data to understand access trends and space usage (45%), find and prioritize unusual activity (42%), and give value to other departments like supply chain, process, and HR (42%).

This year’s report also reveals that today’s security professionals are bullish on the potential of biometric access solutions. Sixty percent want to add biometrics to their buildings in the next three years and, again, 60% predict that facial recognition will have the biggest impact in access control technology over the next three years.

“The key takeaway from our 2023 Trends Report is that user experience and convenience are vital considerations for security professionals today, and this trend shows no sign of slowing as more cohorts of Generation Z enter the workplace with expectations for technology-enabled frictionless access,” said Steve Van Till, founder and CEO of Brivo. “Cloud-based access control collects the most valuable data for security professionals to make better informed business decisions. The integration of access control with other security and proptech platforms will be essential in meeting stakeholder expectations on convenience and delivering the next generation of access solutions.”

Other interesting findings from Brivo’s report include:

  • Respondents reported a surge in access control integrations. Integrations of identity and access management solutions are most common as more organizations pursue streamlined operations by connecting physical and digital security systems for added protection.
  • A lack of budget (39%) was most commonly cited as the reason for not adopting cloud-based access control solutions.
  • More organizations are looking to centralize their security – with 38% saying their organizations are partly centralized today, up from 31% in 2022’s report.

Featured

  • Report: 47 Percent of Security Service Providers Are Not Yet Using AI or Automation Tools

    Trackforce, a provider of security workforce management platforms, today announced the launch of its 2025 Physical Security Operations Benchmark Report, an industry-first study that benchmarks both private security service providers and corporate security teams side by side. Based on a survey of over 300 security professionals across the globe, the report provides a comprehensive look at the state of physical security operations. Read Now

    • Guard Services
  • Identity Governance at the Crossroads of Complexity and Scale

    Modern enterprises are grappling with an increasing number of identities, both human and machine, across an ever-growing number of systems. They must also deal with increased operational demands, including faster onboarding, more scalable models, and tighter security enforcement. Navigating these ever-growing challenges with speed and accuracy requires a new approach to identity governance that is built for the future enterprise. Read Now

  • Eagle Eye Networks Launches AI Camera Gun Detection

    Eagle Eye Networks, a provider of cloud video surveillance, recently introduced Eagle Eye Gun Detection, a new layer of protection for schools and businesses that works with existing security cameras and infrastructure. Eagle Eye Networks is the first to build gun detection into its platform. Read Now

  • Report: AI is Supercharging Old-School Cybercriminal Tactics

    AI isn’t just transforming how we work. It’s reshaping how cybercriminals attack, with threat actors exploiting AI to mass produce malicious code loaders, steal browser credentials and accelerate cloud attacks, according to a new report from Elastic. Read Now

  • Pragmatism, Productivity, and the Push for Accountability in 2025-2026

    Every year, the security industry debates whether artificial intelligence is a disruption, an enabler, or a distraction. By 2025, that conversation matured, where AI became a working dimension in physical identity and access management (PIAM) programs. Observations from 2025 highlight this turning point in AI’s role in access control and define how security leaders are being distinguished based on how they apply it. Read Now

New Products

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

  • Compact IP Video Intercom

    Viking’s X-205 Series of intercoms provide HD IP video and two-way voice communication - all wrapped up in an attractive compact chassis.

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols.