Why physical access control and cybersecurity must converge
Why physical access control and cybersecurity must converge
In an upcoming webinar, Jaroslav Barton, Head of Product Marketing, Physical Access Control, Europe at HID, highlights the critical considerations to strengthen your organisation’s holistic security posture.
Have you ever poured your heart into solving a critical problem at work, only to discover another department had already tackled the same challenge, perhaps even years ago?
All that effort, all that time, all potentially wasted.
This duplicated effort, a common symptom of organisational silos, can have devastating consequences.
Kodak, despite inventing the digital camera, notably exemplifies this.
The company’s internal silos prevented it from capitalising on this technology, ultimately contributing to their downfall.
The teams were so focused on protecting their existing film business that they failed to recognise and adapt to the disruptive potential of their own invention.
Working in silos isn’t just inefficient – it’s a direct threat to achieving your desired outcomes, ultimately hindering your company’s success.
This type of siloed thinking is particularly dangerous in the realm of security, where the interconnected nature of threats demands collaboration between physical security, cybersecurity, IT and facilities management.
Each team holds a crucial piece of the puzzle, responsible for protecting different facets of an organisation’s assets. But when these teams function in isolation, vulnerabilities abound.
The rising cost of security breaches
The average cost of a data breach was nearly $5 million in 2024 (a 10% increase from 2023), but the implications go far beyond direct financial impact.
A compromised access control system, for example, can trigger a cascade of security failures, enabling unauthorised entry, disabling alarms, manipulating access privileges and ultimately leading to the exfiltration of valuable information.
When security operates in silos, a holistic view of the system becomes impossible, creating blind spots that malicious actors can exploit and exacerbating the potential financial impact.
Industry recognises integration is needed
The security industry is taking note of these challenges.
According to this year’s State of Security and Identity Report from HID, which surveyed over 1,800 end users and industry partners—including installers, integrators and original equipment manufacturers—across the globe, a significant majority (67% of security leaders and 73% of integrators and consultants) are shifting toward software-driven solutions that unify critical functions such as video surveillance, access control and intrusion detection into a single platform.
One key aspect of this shift towards integrated security is the rise of mobile credentials, which are transforming how organisations manage access control.
As physical security systems transitioned from analogue, closed circuit, siloed systems to IP-based networks and endpoints, cyber and physical security operations became increasingly interconnected.
This has been particularly evident in access control, where mobile credentials are emerging as a crucial component of modern security frameworks.
The adoption of mobile credentials is striking, with 61% of respondents identifying mobile identity as a top trend, and almost two-thirds of security leaders having either deployed (37%) or planning to deploy (32%) them for access control.
Currently, 84% of security leaders use a mix of mobile and physical credentials, recognising the need for different credential types for different user groups.
Mobile credentials offer several key advantages:
• Enhanced security and convenience through smartphone integration: This eliminates the need for physical cards, which can be lost or stolen and allows for centralised management and revocation of access
• Seamless integration with smart building technologies: Mobile credentials can enable automated access control based on user presence, improving efficiency and convenience
• Support for sustainability goals by minimising physical waste: Reducing the need for plastic cards contributes to a more environmentally friendly approach to security
• Valuable insights through real-time access tracking and analytics: Organisations can gain a better understanding of building usage patterns and identify potential security risks
Breaking down walls, building up security
When it comes to security, each department is a crucial piece of the puzzle, as previously mentioned.
But those pieces only form a complete picture when they’re connected. Imagine a scenario where the IT team is implementing a new cloud-based application.
If they don’t coordinate with the security team, they might overlook critical vulnerabilities in the application’s access controls, leaving the organisation exposed to data breaches that could compromise sensitive customer information, disrupt operations and damage the company’s reputation.
Only through collaboration can these risks be proactively addressed. Similarly, while Product Development might be working on a new feature, IT might be implementing a new network infrastructure, and security needs to ensure both are secure.
If these teams don’t talk to each other, you end up with gaps and vulnerabilities that can be exploited by malicious actors.
The increasing adoption of integrated platforms by security leaders is a clear indication that the industry recognises the need for better communication and collaboration.
The increasing pressure to address vulnerabilities and rising threat levels directly supports the findings of the State of Security Report, which highlights key benefits for security integration, including:
• Improved efficiency (44%) across the operations and maintenance of multiple disparate systems used within a security framework
• Simplified management (30%) for faster incident response for better detection, analysis and response to security incidents
• Enhanced visibility (16%) across multiple solutions for better
This industry trend toward integration is further substantiated by Gartner, which reports that 41% of enterprises plan to converge aspects of their cyber and physical security operations by 2025—a significant 10% increase from 2020.
To be sure, creating a fully integrated security ecosystem is an ongoing journey, not a destination. There’s no single, perfect “one-size-fits-all” solution that completely integrates every aspect of a business, especially when dealing with something as complex as security.
Each organisation has unique needs and challenges.
However, the increasing adoption of integrated platforms by security leaders demonstrates the industry’s commitment to improved communication and collaboration, and a recognition that even incremental improvements in integration can yield significant benefits.
Mitigating risk in the age of mobile credentials
The convergence of physical and cybersecurity is no longer optional—it’s imperative for modern enterprise security.
As organisations face increasingly sophisticated threats across both digital and physical domains, the traditional siloed approach to security becomes not just inefficient, but dangerous.
The industry’s shift toward integrated security platforms, supported by mobile credentials and unified management systems, represents a fundamental evolution in how we approach enterprise protection.
While challenges like integration complexity and implementation costs remain, the benefits of improved efficiency, enhanced visibility and stronger security far outweigh these hurdles.
Organisations that successfully break down these departmental barriers and embrace a unified security ecosystem will be better positioned to proactively identify and mitigate threats, respond more effectively to security incidents and adapt to emerging challenges with greater agility.
This proactive approach will not only strengthen their security posture but also enhance their overall business resilience.
The future of security lies not in the strength of individual components, but in the seamless integration of all security elements working in concert to create a robust, responsive and resilient security framework.
Disclaimer – This post has only been shared for an educational and knowledge-sharing purpose related to Technologies. Information was obtained from the source above source. All rights and credits are reserved for the respective owner(s).
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Source: SJUK (Security Journal United Kingdom)
