
Access control and authentication refers to the various measures, either physical or electronic, designed for monitoring of people and objects, and controlling access to and preventing intrusion of any property and information. It is primarily concerned with the restriction of physical access to unauthorized people in controlled facilities. Access control and authentication systems are powerful tools used to investigate or prevent crimes that may occur in public places such as shopping malls, multiplexes, airports, banks, casinos, and ATMs. Security also incurs costs and is never completely perfect in entirely eliminating the risks. It uses various principles of defense in depth with better complementary controls in order to prevent any unlawful activities. Rising incidences of terrorism and concerns about safety and security are some major reasons for the growing demand of access control and authentication systems in the global market. Due to advanced infrastructure developments, extensive adoption of access control systems in business organizations, and growth in criminal activities, the access control and authentication market is becoming both more sophisticated and complicated. This has led to the growth of service industry in the access control and authentication market.