The security industry is undergoing monumental change as innovative technologies continue to emerge. The presence of new solutions is driving trends in the market for a number of industries, including government and education.

The rapid advancement of access control systems, for example, is changing policy in the public sector. In the post-9/11 government landscape, decision-makers are forced to yield to several new mandates, including Federal Information Processing Standard 201, or FIPS 201, and personal identity verification.

These policies require government agencies to develop a robust plan last year for implementing access control technologies. Specifically, the PIV accessory needs to be a smart card, which will help drive the market for such products.

A separate report by ABI Research revealed that the global market for smart cards will generate nearly $15 billion in revenue in 2014, while overall intelligent credentials used in healthcare and government environments will produce more than $72 billion in revenue by 2016.

"This market has produced some excellent [year-over-year] growth over the past few years as vendors add value and increase the appeal of smart card-based solutions," ABI Research group director John Devlin said. "Shipment growth should continue for at least the next four years."

Another trend currently happening in the access control industry is the increased adoption of the technology in college campuses around the world. Rather than using low-quality credentials, school administrators are switching to more complex and innovative security solutions to ensure a safer learning environment for students, staff and faculty members. While many schools have traditionally used magnetic stripe accessories, more facilities are beginning to use near-field communications.

NFC and mobile keys are becoming increasingly common throughout the government and education verticals. By leveraging these technologies, individuals can use NFC-enabled smartphones, instead of conventional ID cards.

By using near-field communications technologies, organizations can use smartphones and tablets as credentials and ID authenticating tools. As the mobile device market continues to grow and evolve, NFC-enabled gadgets will likely be more commonly used in access control systems to enhance security and improve convenience for users.

As NFC and other access control system solutions continue to emerge, more organizations around the world will use them to improve the security of physical assets, such as people and buildings.