While access control systems have undergone rapid evolution during the past several years with the emergence of contactless technologies like near-field communications and radio-frequency identification, biometrics is often recognized as a segment with enormous potential. Despite this optimism, biometrics-based access control systems have yet to reach mainstream adoption, according to a SecurityInfoWatch report.

Bojan Cukic, director at the Center for Identification Technology Research, believes biometrics represents new opportunity for access control manufacturers, although he is unsure systems using biometrics will replace legacy applications, the news source said.

“The application of biometrics is still heavily dominated by government mandates,” Cukic said, according to SecurityInfoWatch. “It is an option for access control in the PC market or laptop market but we have not seen specific tipping points yet in the other mass markets.”

Cukic also said the increased demand for biometrics applications will force market consolidation with larger organizations acquiring smaller firms. In doing so, the industry will become more competitive and encourage manufacturers to drop their prices, which may lead to higher adoption rates, SecurityInfoWatch reported.

A separate report by Global Industry Analysts revealed the global market for biometrics is forecast to generate more than $16 billion in revenue by 2017. This growth will primarily be driven by the increasing physical security threat throughout a number of verticals and the emergence of laws mandating the use of biometrics in integrated security systems.

Cukic also said the diversity of biometrics will contribute to its growth, as organizations can leverage iris, fingerprint, facial scans and other applications to confirm an individual’s identity, SecurityInfoWatch noted. In time, biometrics will become a normal part of security instead of a separate branch.