Enterprise physical access control technology is making its way into the home. Residential building managers find that using cards or key fobs enable easy access to front doors and shared spaces the same way they do an office building.

Access-IS launched its new Supplemental Access Control compliant devices; FIME announced that its laboratories in Asia, EMEA and Korea have been qualified to perform official NFC Forum analog certification testing; Farpointe Data released a system that protects card-based systems from skimming, eavesdropping and relay attacks; MorphoTrak announced Scott Swann has joined the company as the senior director of innovation for the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Business Unit.

Cards will not be going away any time soon. They along with mobile devices will work together seamlessly within a centralized identity management system that will support both form factors. These new systems will support their use across multiple applications and on a growing range of digital platforms beyond smartphones including wearables.

Electric substations need to be secure and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is working on standards for physical access control and identity in the energy sector.

Body recognition biometrics may be the most accurate form of authentication, based on theoretical research conducted at the University of Adelaide. A PhD student used an old online database of body measurements from 4,000 U.S. military personnel to come up with this system. What she found is that a series of large body measurements combined with one another is better than facial recognition.

Within the next five years, consumers will be carrying multiple secure identities on smart devices and not plastic cards – a move that could replace all previous mechanical keys and dedicated one-time password hardware for physical and logical access control. This single card or device will be part of an access control ecosystem that provides a seamless user experience and can flexibly scale and adapt, while also delivering growing value to the organization.

Gallagher started out helping businesses with animal management, farming, wild game and zoos but realized that protecting and managing animals of the four-legged variety could translate to securing facilities for two-legged people. The company is now making waves in the U.S. federal space with its physical access control products.

Gemalto acquired all of the outstanding shares of Marquis ID Systems; HID Global announced the addition of partners who have joined the company’s Enterprise Application Partners program; Entrust Datacard released the Datacard DuraShield Holographic Overlay to its secure supply product line; The Secure Identity & Biometrics Association and the Security Industry Association announced the formation of the Airport Entry and Exit Working Group; Farpointe Data unveiled its P-900 proximity reader that enables up to 20-inch read range applications.

It’s been a busy year for the newly branded Entrust Datacard. The merger of the two companies was announced a year ago, with the new company and brand being revealed at the 2014 CARTES conference. The company followed that up by also announcing an extension of a partnership with Interpol and two new product announcements.

Starwood Preferred Guest members will be able to skip the check-in desk and use SPG Keyless, an application that uses Bluetooth low energy to access their rooms. The system is rolling out in 10 hotels in markets including Beijing, Hong Kong, New York, Los Angeles and Doha in Quatar.