ROC launches biometric physical access control software as enterprise market heats up
Biometric access control is a growing market on both the demand and supply sides, with ROC the latest entrant into an increasingly crowded competitive landscape. Goode Intelligence forecasts the global biometric physical access control systems (BPACS) market to reach $16.3 billion by 2031 in its latest report. Goode Intelligence Chief Market Analyst Alan Goode told the Biometric Update Podcast that face could be two to three years away from taking the mantle as the dominant modality in BPACS from fingerprints. While ROC makes algorithms for both, its new software is for face biometrics. In emails about the market impact of dormakaba ’s recent investment in expanding its U.S. market reach , Access Control Collective CEO Lee Odess told Biometric Update that while biometrics are struggling to build mainstream market adoption, they are gaining traction among enterprises, particularly in financial services. ROC targets BPACS market ROC has expanded its Vision AI platform with physical access control software combining its face biometrics with real-time security intelligence, according to a company announcement. The new Access Face1 is designed to compliment existing access control systems, ROC says, with high-assurance biometric identification. This integration approach allows businesses to modernize their access control while continuing to get value from their existing infrastructure investments. Access Face1 made its public debut as part of the Demo Competition at ISC West 2026 on Wednesday. “ROC’s proven performance in AI and compute capabilities mean that access control devices no longer need to be limited to single file or single purpose deployments,” says Gary Jones, SVP of commercial security and attendance market at ROC in the announcement. “Our Face1 solution distributes components and processing power in a way that allows us to offer more security and functionality whilst dramatically reducing the risk of obsolescence experienced by many other biometric readers in the market. We designed Face1 with the philosophy that a biometric access control reader should be an integral part of the surveillance infrastructure, and not a siloed piece of hardware.” The results of NIST’s FRTE evaluations for both verification (1:1) and identification (1:N) support ROC’s claims to high-performing facial recognition. Launches, integrations and updates from Precise, CyberLink, ZKTeco, Telaeris Palm biometrics have an established place in the access control market as well, and Precise Biometrics has moved to protect its position in that segment with the launch of dedicated software. Palm Access Pro software provides touchless and multi-factor authentication and anti-spoofing capabilities, along with flexible orchestration, the company says. Precise also offers to provide compatible palm biometrics scanners for easy integration. The company built direct integration with palm recognition devices into its Precise Visit visitor management system last October, as it expands its portfolio in both the modality and the market. Precise is in the early stages of a proposed merger with Fingerprint Cards , which seeks to capitalize on scale to reduce costs, cross-sell products and develop new ones. The new update of CyberLink ’s facial recognition access control software introduces a Visitor Access Management Suite to replace manual check-ins for visitors and physical credentials like access cards. FaceMe Security 8.7’s Visitor Access Management Suite allows administrators to designate visitors as short-term guests, vendors or long-term partners for fine-grained permissions and access control. The software has also been optimized for edge cameras and integration with Genetec Security Center. ZKTeco USA and workflow automation and identity management specialist braXos have formed a technology partnership to combine the Armatura One platform with network interfaces to enable high-security biometric elevator access control. What makes it high-security is that it dispatches the elevator only to the floor the user is pre-authorized for, which addresses a long-standing vulnerability in commercial real estate, according to the announcement. “This integration is the missing link that property managers have been asking for,” says ZKTeco USA President Manish Dalal. “Armatura One already delivers world-class biometric identity management pairing it with braXos means every elevator ride is now as secure as the front door.” The partners say their combines solution is designed for Class A office towers, mixed-use developments, healthcare facilities, luxury residential buildings, hotels and government facilities. Telaeris has expanded its BPACS platform with patrol tracking and guard tour management functions introduced at ISC West 2026. The new Guard Tour capability is built into XPressEntry so security personnel can use the same application as they are already using for identity verification, badge validation, emergency mustering and entry and exit tracking. Built into Telaeris’ handheld badge and biometric readers, the software provides audio, photo and video evidence collection along with incident reporting directly to the organization’s SOC.
