In the world of cybersecurity, ethical hacking proactively identifies security vulnerabilities before malicious actors (i.e., unethical hackers) can exploit them. By simulating real-world attacks, organisations can strengthen defences, protect sensitive data, and maintain public trust. In the physical security world, ethical hacking can transform cybersecurity of security systems from a reactive struggle into a strategic safeguard. We asked our Expert Panel Roundtable: What is the role of ethical hacking as it relates to physical security?

Next-generation (Next-Gen) technologies are products, services, or infrastructures that represent a significant leap forward rather than a small, incremental update. In the physical security industry, NextGen products are those that enable disruptive change, breakthrough performance, and a fundamental change that renders previous products obsolete. We asked our Expert Panel Roundtable: What is the next generation of physical security solutions, and how will they change the industry?

Emphasising proactive rather than reactive security shifts the focus from dealing with crises and damage control to prevention. Advantages of a proactive approach include cost efficiency, better business continuity, and fewer crises that draw attention away from strategic improvements. Staying ahead of threats is a core mission of the security department, and technology has evolved to enable security professionals to deliver on that mission better than ever. We asked our Expert Panel Roundtable: How are security systems transitioning from reactive to proactive, and what is the benefit?

Multiple technology trends are transforming the physical access control market. There is a fundamental shift away from physical cards and keys toward digital identities — mobile credentials, digital wallets, biometrics, and cloud-native access platforms. These next generation access solutions are radically reshaping how buildings operate, protect staff, and perform functionally. At the same time, AI and analytics solutions are being layered onto these physical access control systems to support predictive threat detection and behavioural insights. Access data itself is becoming an asset for sustainability, space optimisation, and smart building initiatives. Risk, impact operations and experience The annual HID Global Security and Identity Trends Report highlights these and other issues The annual HID Global Security and Identity Trends Report highlights these and other issues. The survey cites improving user convenience as a priority for nearly half of organisations, while 41% are focused on simplifying administration, and 28% struggle with system integration. These are not theoretical challenges, they are day‑to‑day friction points that add cost, increase risk, impact operations and experience, and, of course, must be addressed. HID Global’s commercial focus HID Global’s commercial focus is to help organisations digitise their access control — with mobile identities, biometrics, and cloud platforms — and then to use the data to deliver more value. “We are turning access control from an operational cost into a software-driven asset that improves efficiency, supports Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals and even creates new revenue opportunities,” says Steven Commander, HID Global’s Head of Consultant Relations. The impact of digital transformation Digital transformation is the method of moving access control from hardware and physical credentials Digital transformation is in the process of moving access control from hardware and physical credentials to a software-driven, integrated experience. The transformation strengthens security while also improving user convenience — transforming the “pavement to the desk” journey. HID enables this shift through mobile credentials, biometrics, cloud-native platforms, and solutions that allow third-party applications to run on door hardware. “This helps customers turn access data into operational and commercial outcomes, while also improving the overall user experience,” says Commander.  Digital transformation in access control is not focused on chasing the latest trends. Rather, transformation is about turning software, data and integration into outcomes that matter to customers, says HID. “Security becomes stronger and more adaptive,” says Commander. “Operations become simpler and more cost‑effective. Experiences become seamless and consistent. Sustainability moves from ambition to action. And the financial case becomes clearer as efficiencies are banked and new value streams emerge.” The challenge of futureproofing with long lifecycles Given that physical security technologies will be in place for 15 to 20 years, it is important to plan for how systems can evolve over time. Considering how rapidly security threats, compliance standards, and user expectations change, 15 to 20 years is a long time. The decisions made at the beginning of a system’s lifecycle can either limit flexibility later (which will be costly) or enable long-term adaptability. Support for open standards such as Open Supervised Device Protocol (OSDP) is therefore important Choosing products and platforms that are open, interoperable, and designed for updates can enable future-proof projects. Support for open standards such as Open Supervised Device Protocol (OSDP) is therefore important.  In addition, systems built on open controller platforms — such as Mercury — enable organisations to switch software providers or expand functionality without replacing core door hardware. Architectural openness is key to system lifecycles and maximising the return on investment (ROI) from a chosen solution. Digital credentials and mobile access Flexibility and upgradeability should also be top of mind when it comes to endpoints like access control readers. While RFID cards are still commonplace, there is a clear trend toward digital credentials and mobile access. Readers that support both allow organisations to transition at their own pace, without committing to a full system overhaul. A long system lifecycle does not mean technology should remain static. Security, particularly cybersecurity, demands more frequent updates. Technologies that support firmware upgrades in the field extend the value of a deployment while helping organisations keep pace with emerging threats. In that sense, lifecycle thinking is not just about longevity — it’s about maintaining resilience and readiness over time. Applying biometrics and mobile identities Biometrics is becoming mainstream as a credential alternative, strengthening security without adding friction Biometrics is becoming mainstream as a credential alternative, strengthening security without adding friction. Many organisations are now deploying biometrics to support fast, seamless access journeys, with adoption already around 39% in access control according to HID’s recent research.  In addition, 80% of organisations surveyed expect to deploy mobile identities within the next five years. Full technology integration enables tap‑to‑access without opening an app; the user journey becomes faster, safer, and more convenient. “It is where the industry is headed and we are at the vanguard of this,” says Commander.    Ongoing challenge of cybersecurity At HID Global, cybersecurity is embedded into everything, from corporate processes and development practices to the solutions they bring to market. “Our approach ensures that customers can strengthen their overall security posture, not only by deploying secure products but by benefitting from HID’s commitment to the highest industry standards,” says Commander. HID holds multiple globally recognised certifications, including ISO 27001, ISO 14298, SOC Type 2 and CSA STAR, which demonstrate their robust information security and cloud security practices. In addition, HID’s SEOS® secure chipset is independently SEAL-certified, providing one of the most advanced levels of protection available on the market today. “Ultimately, this means organisations are not just purchasing isolated secure products; they are implementing solutions developed and delivered within a comprehensive, cybersecure framework,” says Commander. “When deployed according to best practices, HID solutions enable customers to achieve the highest levels of resilience against evolving physical and cyber threats.” Developing green and sustainable solutions A huge amount of waste is generated from the manufacture of plastic RFID access cards Digital credentials align with the sustainable solutions that everyone wants. A huge amount of waste is generated from the manufacture of plastic RFID access cards. Over 550 million access cards are sold annually. This creates 2,700 tons of plastic waste and 11,400 tons of carbon, based on a PVC card weighing 5 grams.  Therefore, digital credentials self-evidently reduce the reliance on plastic cards (helping reduce carbon emissions by up to 75% according to HID’s research), while leveraging access control system data supports energy optimisation by shutting down or reducing systems in unused spaces. Energy use and CO₂ emissions can be cut dramatically, showing how access systems can contribute to sustainability goals and green building certification. What is the latest in smart buildings? Smart buildings increasingly rely on mobile access control as the backbone for digital services. Real-time access data enables new services such as automated room bookings, HVAC control, lift/elevator calling, e-bike hiring, and so on. Smart buildings increasingly rely on mobile access control as the backbone for digital services The financial upside is clear; smart, digitally transformed buildings can deliver around 8% higher yields per square foot versus traditional office space. Operational savings accrue from reduced administration, the removal of card production and shipping, and lighter IT support. This creates a value cycle — better experiences drive adoption, adoption fuels monetisation, and monetisation funds further improvements. Achieving technology impact in the real world One standout project is One Bangkok – a $3.9 billion mixed used development in Thailand – which demonstrates the scale of what can be achieved when access control data is used for optimisation, particularly when it comes to monitoring facilities usage and occupier behaviours. By switching lights off or lowering the temperature in unused rooms, for example, the One Bangkok building demonstrates this potential with a 22% reduction in energy consumption, saving 17,000 MWh and 9,000 tons of CO₂ annually.  Sustainability is a key factor in contributing to how properties are valued. And sustainability extends far beyond digital credentials having a lower environmental impact than plastic cards.  Buildings with recognised sustainability certifications often command rental premiums of around 6%, and three‑quarters of security decision‑makers now consider environmental impact in their procurement assessments.

rf IDEAS, a global manufacturer of RFID credential readers, announces that its WAVE ID® readers support Gallagher Employee Badge in Apple Wallet, expanding the range of credential technologies supported across its flexible, interoperable reader platform. With this support, organisations can use a Gallagher Employee Badge in Apple Wallet credential across both physical and logical access. The same credential can unlock a Gallagher access-controlled door and verify identity at rf IDEAS WAVE ID® readers for applications such as single sign-on, secure print, and visitor management. Enabling seamless integration Designed for broad compatibility, WAVE ID readers securely read and authenticate credential data from Apple Wallet directly to downstream applications, enabling seamless integration across systems without requiring changes to existing infrastructure. Built on NXP® MIFARE DESFire® technology, Gallagher credentials leverage secure, shareable keys that can be provisioned once and extended to trusted third-party devices like rf IDEAS readers. This allows organisations to deploy a single mobile credential across multiple systems and reader environments without reissuance. Evolving credential technologies “Organisations are looking for flexible, secure ways to support multiple credential types across their environments,” said rf IDEAS President, David Cottingham. “With support for Gallagher Employee Badge in Apple Wallet, WAVE ID readers continue to give customers the freedom to deploy mobile credentials to support a more secure and digital-first future.” Gallagher Security Product Manager, Tyson Barnett says, “Identity is managed centrally but verified at the edge. That requires interoperable credentials that can be read everywhere. Our partnership with rf IDEAS reflects our vision for that future.” This enhancement reinforces rf IDEAS’ commitment to delivering highly configurable, future-ready readers that adapt to evolving credential technologies, giving organisations greater flexibility as they modernise authentication. WAVE ID® readers supporting Gallagher Employee Badge in Apple Wallet are available now.

Brivo, the AI innovator and global pioneer in cloud-native physical security, announces it has joined the Secure Building Council (SBC) and that Brivo Founder and President Steve Van Till has been appointed to the SBC Advisory Board. SBC is a non-profit dedicated to creating more secure, resilient, and intelligent built environments. Its SHIELD Certification program is the first AI-powered building security certification. Encompassing security design, technology implementation, operations, compliance, and liability, the certification delivers essential guidance for owners and architects to protect people and assets. Critical enterprise priority “The Secure Building Council aims to do for physical security what LEED did for sustainability,” said Van Till. “By creating a credible, outcome-based certification, they are providing a framework that building owners actually want.” “Throughout his career, Steve Van Till has pioneered the move to cloud-native, data-driven security,” said Paula Balmori, SBC President. “We are honoured to have Steve join the SBC Advisory Board. His vision aligns with SBC's core mission: elevating security to a critical enterprise priority.” “Brivo appreciates SBC’s commitment to a unified and proactive approach to security,” said Dean Drako, CEO of Brivo. “We’re pleased to join leading security and business experts in building defined metrics that improve safety standards for buildings around the world.”

Today at the Black Hat Conference, Rubrik, the Security and AI Operations Company, announced Rubrik Agent Identity, a powerful new AI-based solution to manage and control AI agents' access and permissions, addressing a key obstacle in enterprise agent deployment. AI agent deployments are rapidly evolving, with the potential to execute complex, automated workflows across SaaS applications, databases, and APIs at unprecedented speed and scale. Yet most organisations lack the capability to monitor and control agent access and actions at the necessary speed and scale. Rubrik Agent Identity is designed to reduce operational vulnerabilities that stem from agent identities by allowing customers to both monitor every agent and model context protocol (MCP) at runtime using AI, and to deliver just-in-time permissions per tool call.  Traditional security boundaries "Agents are no longer just synthesising information, they are acting on behalf of employees, and the access models we built for humans. Static credentials were never designed for autonomous actors," said Dev Rishi, General Manager of AI at Rubrik. "Agent Identity lets enterprises decide who can do what with agents and enforces it per tool call, at the moment of action, with scoped, short-lived access and no standing permissions. With Rubrik Agent Cloud, enterprises can govern agent activity, enforce identity-aware policies, and apply semantic policy evaluation before sensitive actions execute. By using audit logs to prove what happened, agent adoption can scale with confidence, avoiding potential blast radius." Modern AI creates an unmonitored "shadow workforce" that bypasses traditional security boundaries. Because these systems often rely on broad, static credentials, a single compromised agent can trigger destructive, system-wide actions with zero visibility. Single compromised agent According to recent data from Rubrik Zero Labs, 86% of global IT and security pioneers expect AI agents to outpace their organisation's security guardrails within the next year, while only 23% report full visibility into the agents operating in their environments. Rubrik Agent Identity, delivered as an expansion of the Rubrik Agent Cloud platform, establishes a unified "Govern, Control, and Prove" model across the entire agent lifecycle. The new solution operates alongside Rubrik's established SAGE governance framework, and now provides four distinct Rubrik Agent Cloud pillars: Agent Observability: Monitor every agent and MCP at runtime. Agent Identity: Control access per tool call at speed and scale using fine-tuned AI. Agent Runtime Security: SAGE intent-driven governance to enforce policies, and detect agent errors in real time. Agent Rewind: Undo agentic mistakes. Agentic identity posture The architecture introduces key capabilities designed to help enterprises rapidly harden their agentic identity posture: Build an Agent Identity Inventory: Discover and catalogue all active AI agents, MCP servers, skills, and plugins to immediately eliminate unmonitored shadow AI. Delegate Least-Privilege Access: Scope access to specific MCP servers and tools by user and group using On-Behalf-Of federation, extending existing enterprise identity structures rather than replacing them. Enforce with Just-In-Time Tokens: Eliminate standing permissions entirely by minting scoped, short-lived tokens per tool call, ensuring access is validated at runtime before execution. Potential operational impact To prevent malicious or erroneous actions before they occur, every MCP tool call must clear three distinct checkpoints before execution: Behavioural Analysis: SAGE semantically evaluates the requested tool call, its context, input parameters, and potential operational impact before execution. Access Policy Enforcement: Run-time security policies are verified at the infrastructure layer, enriched with SAGE context. Identity Verification: The agent session is authenticated, and the system mints a short-lived token specifically scoped to that single tool call. Existing enterprise identities If an unauthorised action is attempted, such as a write or modification without an explicit policy scope, the transaction is immediately blocked before execution. For unexpected agent behaviors, Agent Rewind instantly and precisely undoes an autonomous agent’s destructive action., addressing the widespread industry concern where 88% of leaders worry about meeting recovery time objectives as agentic threats scale. Rubrik Agent Identity integrates seamlessly with Okta and Microsoft Entra ID, extending existing enterprise identities to autonomous machine actors without requiring new directories. The MCP Gateway provides a unified security checkpoint for all API-based and MCP resources across the enterprise. Ultimately, Rubrik Agent Identity advances the company’s vision to deliver Agentic Cyber Resilience to the customers, helping them keep pace with machine-speed attacks powered by frontier AI models.

Downtime costs reach $19 million per hour on average when endpoint devices become inoperable, according to Absolute Security’s latest research. This level of loss is especially alarming when considering that 88% reported that autonomous recovery capabilities would enable a measurable reduction in the cost of downtime incidents, while only 4% described their organisations as “broadly autonomous.” Absolute Security, an Autonomous Cyber Resilience pioneer, publishes the third volume in its State of Enterprise Cyber Resilience research series: Autonomous Cyber Resilience in the Era of AI. The report features results from a survey conducted by Censuswide that includes 1,000 Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) based in the United States (500) and the United Kingdom (500). Leveraging AI and agentic tools “Downtime is the real cost of a breach, it often exceeds every other related cost and is capable of permanently damaging a business,” said Christy Wyatt, President & CEO, Absolute Security. “With threat actors now leveraging AI and agentic tools to launch attacks and spot vulnerabilities at rates previously unimaginable, security and risk leaders are faced with either continuing to fall victim to costly disruptions or deploying solutions that operate with the same speed and efficiency as those being used against them.” Revealed in the report are additional findings that highlight the state of autonomous security and recovery solutions in use and the trust challenges and barriers causing organisations to lag cybercriminals. This research suggests that closing that gap will require cyber resilience capable of detecting, responding to, and recovering from disruptions at the same speed as the attacks themselves. Among several top takeaways:  AI-accelerated vulnerability exploitation Forty-one percent of organisations experienced AI-accelerated vulnerability exploitation in the past 12 months, with 58% of leaders in agreement that AI-assisted attackers are weaponising vulnerabilities faster than patching processes can address them. For production-system autonomy, trust ranks as the top-cited barrier (38%), ahead of integration complexity (33%) and budget (18%). When asked whether Anthropic Mythos and similar tools presented too much risk for their organisations to consider using, 43% agreed, while 32% disagreed and 25% had no opinion. Further underscoring these concerns, 41% agreed the tools should be blocked within their organisations until more is known about how they work, while 30% disagreed and 29% had no opinion. Production-system autonomy "Trust in autonomous solutions remains among the top barriers standing between enterprises and the recovery speed they need to minimise downtime. This research will help security leaders see the risk they're up against and give them the confidence needed to cross the bridge to autonomous recovery," continued Wyatt. To discover more about how Absolute Security stops downtime, meet the Cyber Resilience experts at Black Hat 2026, Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, booth 5526.

iDenfy, the global RegTech solution provider that delivers identity verification and fraud prevention tools, has implemented Czech Bank iD into its electronic identity verification software. The addition of the new digital ID or non-document verification method for the Czech market gives businesses a native alternative for verifying Czech citizens through their existing bank login credentials, without asking for a physical document during the onboarding process. Czech Bank iD is a nationwide, bank-issued digital identification system introduced in the Czech Republic in 2021. It allows citizens to use their internet banking credentials to authenticate themselves for both e-government and private sector services. Separate identity document The system is currently used by over 5,000,000 internet banking users, which corresponds to an adoption rate of 57% across the Czech Republic with 9 million people. Czech Bank iD runs on the OIDC protocol and operates through a bank delegation model, meaning the verification is confirmed directly by the user’s bank rather than through a separate identity document. iDenfy’s non-document verification platform was built to operate alongside the platform’s standard document-based KYC flow. Businesses can configure the platform to automatically route users to the Czech Bank iD path when traditional document capture is unavailable or produces insufficient image quality, a scenario that iDenfy’s internal data consistently shows as a recurring source of session drop-off. The combined flow is available to all iDenfy clients at no additional cost and can be activated in the dashboard settings without any additional integration work. Additional integration work To perform a successful verification, Czech Bank iD checks the person’s given name, family name, middle name, full name, date of birth, nationality, sex, phone number, and full address details. Where available, it can also return document data, such as document type, number, issue date, expiration date, issuing country and authority. This gives businesses a verification result that is both broad in scope and consistent in structure, since the data is returned directly by the bank network rather than extracted from a scanned image. As defined by Regulation (EU) 2024/1183, each of the EU 27 will have to implement the EU Digital Identity Wallet for citizens and residents by the end of 2026. Every bank, payment, and electronic money institution will have to support wallet-based credentials as Strong Customer Authentication measures. Bypassing security controls The Czech Republic has the third-highest risk of cyber fraud globally, according to security firm Gen Digital, which conducted research from Avast, AVG, and Norton companies. Social engineering attacks, a form of psychological manipulation in which criminals trick people into giving up private data, downloading malware, or bypassing security controls, made up 86% of the threats that happened in the country. iDenfy states that for businesses that serve Czech market users, the ability to verify identity through a credential that more than five million adults already use for banking and government access can remove a document capture step that often contributes to onboarding drop-off. It still maintains a secure enough compliance procedure to keep the process trustworthy for both the user and the business so it can validate a real person behind it. Digital identity networks “Czech Bank iD has become one of the most widely trusted digital identity credentials in the Czech Republic. Our clients that serve that market can now meet Czech users on those terms and present a verification path that feels familiar and requires no additional physical document capture at the point of onboarding,” said Domantas Ciulde, the CEO of iDenfy. It is worth mentioning that iDenfy’s KYC software currently covers over 16,000+ government-issued documents across over 200+ countries and territories. If a case is not resolved automatically, it is reported to iDenfy’s internal compliance review team, which works 24/7 to review identities and fix any onboarding issues. “Czech Bank iD is deeply embedded in how Czech citizens already access banking, government, and private sector services. For our clients, adding Czech Bank iD is not just an onboarding improvement. It is a direct connection to one of Central Europe’s most established digital identity networks,” added Domantas Ciulde. Czech Bank iD support is available now across iDenfy’s identity verification platform.

Xtract One Technologies announces multiple SmartGateway deployments across California healthcare facilities, reflecting growing demand from health systems across the state ahead of the March 2027 compliance deadline for California Assembly Bill 2975. Deployments are underway at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital in Hollister and Contra Costa Health in Martinez, with expected completion by mid-August, in addition to the previously reported San Mateo Health deployment. AB 2975 requires hospitals across California to implement enhanced security measures at high-traffic public entrances by March, 2027. The mandate reflects a broader recognition among healthcare administrators and state regulators that emergency departments and other public-facing hospital entrances require dedicated screening to protect staff and patients from weapons-related violence. Real procurement decisions "California health systems are making real procurement decisions right now, and the facilities selecting Xtract One are doing so because the technology fits the environment," said Peter Evans, CEO of Xtract One. "SmartGateway was built for high patient and visitor volumes, diverse populations, and clinical staff who need to focus on care. What we're seeing across Hazel Hawkins, Contra Costa Health, and San Mateo – and more broadly with healthcare systems in general – is that once an organisation sees accurate, high-throughput detection running in a real hospital environment, expanding the solution across the facility becomes an obvious next step." Divesting personal items Xtract One's presence in California healthcare predates the AB 2975 mandate. San Mateo Medical Center deployed SmartGateway at its main campus in 2025 following extensive testing of available solutions, with plans to expand to all satellite clinics. The Hazel Hawkins and Contra Costa Health deployments build on that established footprint as health systems across the state accelerate their procurement timelines ahead of the March 2027 deadline. Xtract One's SmartGateway is designed specifically for high-throughput environments with lower volumes of personal belongings. The system identifies concealed guns and knives while allowing individuals to walk through at a natural pace without divesting personal items, distinguishing it from traditional walk-through metal detectors that alert broadly on any metal object. For healthcare environments where speed and accessibility are critical to patient care, that distinction matters. Emergency department entrance The first of three initial SmartGateway systems is now operational at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital's emergency department entrance, the hospital's main entrance, and the labour and delivery wing. "Our emergency department sees the most public foot traffic of any entrance we have, which makes it the right place to start," said Jorge Ramirez, Director of Emergency Management and Security at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital. "Reducing the risk of violence against our staff, our patients, and our visitors is the goal behind every part of this rollout." Weapons-related incidents "This deployment gives our team the ability to screen for weapons without slowing down the emergency department or changing how patients and staff experience our facility. That balance mattered to us throughout the evaluation process," said Dale Fors, Manager of Security at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital. The hospital noted that the new security measures are being implemented to meet the requirements of the state mandate rather than in response to any specific increase in weapons-related incidents at the facility. Possible security posture Contra Costa Health has also selected three SmartGateway systems for deployment across its main entrance, emergency department, and psychiatric entrance in the primary hospital facility. The deployment is driven by a clear security mandate of detecting and intercepting firearms and bladed weapons before they reach clinical environments. Contra Costa Health has prioritised detection accuracy above all other operational considerations, implementing a bag check protocol alongside SmartGateway screening at its main entrance to ensure the most thorough possible security posture across all three entry points.

Evolv Technologies Holdings, Inc., a security technology company pioneering AI-based solutions designed to create safer experiences, announces that Evolv Express®, the company’s people-screening system, has been selected as a security partner in Northwestern University’s new Ryan Field following a rigorous evaluation process. As Ryan Sports Development prepares to open the first NFL-type stadium in college sports, they evaluated available screening solutions before selecting Evolv Express to help deliver an elevated fan security experience. Evolv Express uses advanced sensor technology and AI to detect concealed threats and identify the location of the potential threat while allowing people to move through checkpoints at their natural walking pace. Advanced sensor technology The New Ryan Field, in the final stages of construction, will have a capacity of 35,000 fans when it opens on October 2nd with a nationally televised game. In addition to Northwestern football games, New Ryan Field will also host other athletic and community events throughout the year. The project is designed to set a new standard for the college football experience and boasts several features and innovations fitting its ambitious vision, including the Evolv Express security systems. The multi-year agreement between Evolv and Ryan Sports Development includes a variety of marketing elements and designates Evolv as Northwestern University’s “Official Fan Screening Provider.” Exceptional arrival experience “Our goal for the New Ryan Field is simple: build the best place to watch football in America,” said Pat Ryan Jr., CEO of Ryan Sports Development. “That ambition covers not only the event itself, but also the entire time that a fan is on site. We built a stadium designed to represent the future of college athletics, and so much more, and we rigorously evaluated available screening technologies and selected Evolv Express because it aligned with our goals of delivering a secure, convenient, and exceptional arrival experience.” “When an institution invests in creating what it believes will be the premier college football venue in the country, every decision matters, including the first impression fans receive when they arrive,” said John Kedzierski, President and CEO of Evolv Technology. Ambitious stadium projects “Northwestern had the opportunity to evaluate the industry’s leading screening solutions as part of this landmark project, and we are honoured that Evolv Express was selected to help deliver the elevated fan experience Ryan Field is designed to provide. It’s a testament to the strength of our technology that one of the most ambitious stadium projects in college sports chose Evolv to help welcome fans through its gates.” The New Ryan Field at Northwestern is another signature deployment on Evolv’s growing roster of higher education customers, as well as numerous stadiums, arenas, theme parks, schools, hospitals and other public spaces around the world.

  A school access control system brings together access control, video surveillance, intruder detection, and emergency response into a single platform, allowing schools and universities to protect students, staff, and assets while maintaining the open, welcoming environment essential to education, across single campuses or multi-site institutions.      A school access control system is the foundation of how modern educational institutions protect students, staff, and campus assets. Schools and universities are large, open, and highly connected environments, with thousands of students, staff, and visitors moving freely across expansive campuses every day. From lecture theatres and research laboratories to student accommodation, libraries, and sporting facilities. Because of this diverse nature of facilities, institutions must balance accessibility and collaboration with the need to protect people, assets, and infrastructure.  It's a balance that's becoming harder to manage, and institutions are investing accordingly. The global education security market is projected to grow from around USD 1.01 billion in 2025 to USD 1.82 billion by 2031, as schools and universities modernise ageing systems and move toward integrated, campus-wide security.  The core challenge is unauthorised access. Campuses span vast, open spaces with multiple entry points, making them naturally vulnerable to people who shouldn't be there. Add the valuable assets held on site (equipment, IT infrastructure, research, and chemicals) and the need to protect residential accommodation and staff areas, and the security picture becomes genuinely complex. Institutions must manage all of this while keeping the environment welcoming, inclusive, and accessible.  Campus access control for open environments    Educational institutions carry a distinctive tension. A profusion of valuable assets must be protected (buildings, equipment, chemicals, and research facilities) while a vibrant, changing student population needs everyday access to classrooms, libraries, sports halls, and laboratories, often across multiple buildings and campuses.  Inner Range ensures that only authorised staff and students are permitted in restricted areas while keeping common areas open and accessible. Multiple authentication methods (cards, fobs, mobile credentials, PINs, and biometrics) provide flexibility, with multi-factor combinations available for high-security areas such as laboratories and data rooms. Access permissions can be automatically revoked based on a calendar schedule or a specific campus activity, ensuring access rights always reflect current enrolment and timetabling. All activity logs are recorded digitally, allowing the auditing of access to resources including time and actions taken.  Integration with student management systems  One of the most powerful capabilities for education is automatic access provisioning. Inner Range seamlessly integrates with external systems such as student management applications, offering the convenience of automatic access upon enrolment. This provides a safer campus and a better student experience while dramatically reducing administrative overhead.  Student access permissions can be supplemented by enrolment and training records, providing a tailored solution for each campus. A single credential can serve multiple campuses and functions including access control, personal ID, and library services.  Protecting empty campuses out of hours  Some of the greatest risk to a campus happens when nobody is there. Outside school hours, on weekends, and during holiday periods, unattended facilities become prime targets for break-ins, theft, vandalism, and graffiti. Large campuses with multiple blind spots are especially exposed.  Inner Range protects campuses around the clock. When an intruder enters a restricted area, the system can trigger an alarm, notify a central monitoring station, initiate a guard tour, and send an instant alert to the building manager. Intrusion detection can be armed automatically when the site closes and disarmed during operational hours, ensuring continuous protection without interfering with daily routines.  Incident response and emergency coordination    When incidents occur, institutions need to respond quickly across large, distributed environments. Inner Range enables coordinated responses through real-time alerts, automated actions, mass notifications, and system-driven workflows. Whether coordinating an emergency response across multiple buildings or managing a specific incident, the system ensures the right information reaches the right people at the right time, with tailored messages based on assigned roles and responsibilities.  Inner Range's Priority Access adds a further layer, keeping doors in a protected area locked until a designated staff member is first on site. During an emergency, Priority Access also safeguards entry to affected areas, giving authorised responders control while keeping others out.  Integrated video surveillance and intercoms    Video surveillance integration gives control rooms immediate access to live and recorded footage across the campus. Take a common scenario: a student presses the help button on an intercom point in a car park. The system treats it as an alarm and triggers a coordinated response. Guards receive texts and emails. Relevant video appears on the guard's video wall. The surrounding area can be locked down automatically.  Every system works hand-in-glove to deliver an effective response, improving coordination across the campus.  Single pane of glass across multiple campuses    The Inner Range Enterprise Solution provides a single pane of glass for monitoring security, access, alarms, and operational events across multiple campuses and facilities. Rather than juggling independent systems across different locations, teams maintain consistent policies, reporting, and operational procedures throughout the entire institution.  Bringing together access control, intrusion detection, alarm monitoring, mobile technologies, and operational workflows, Inner Range simplifies complex security environments while sharpening visibility at every level of the organisation.  Smarter, safer, more efficient campuses    Beyond security, Inner Range helps institutions save energy and enhance safety. Lights and heating turn on and off automatically based on whether people are in a building. Facility managers get centralised control over cameras, gates, and parking lights, all from a single, easy-to-use platform. Administrative tasks are simplified through automated, customised reporting delivered to relevant stakeholders.  With more than 130 native and 350 third-party integrations, the platform connects into existing infrastructure and scales effortlessly, from a single school to a multi-campus university.