With the proliferation of active shooter tragedies happening in the U.S., it’s imperative that schools, institutions of higher education, and hospitals adopt effective visitor management strategies and have the ability to quickly lockdown. Additionally, many states require or are developing legislation that would require school districts to inspect their doors, door hardware, and locks to ensure they will work properly during a security incident.
“Legislative changes in states like Florida and California are prompting schools to update their classroom lock systems to meet new standards,” says Paul Timm, who is Allegion’s director of education safety. “Florida HB 1473 requires all classroom doors be locked at all times, except between class times when students are walking to different classrooms.”
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Prompted by the 2022 Robb Elementary School mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, the state of Texas is also now mandating schools do a better job of keeping unwanted intruders out.
It’s not surprising then that locks and/or door hardware have been the most popular access control purchases made by campuses over the past several years. Eight out of ten respondents to Campus Safety’s 2023 Access Control and Lockdown Survey implemented upgrades to this technology over the past two years. Additionally, locks and/or door hardware were the most popular planned purchases or upgrades, with 43% of all survey takers saying they were considering making upgrades to their lockdown solutions in the next two years.
Mechanical locks (79%) and electronic locks (76%) are the most frequently used access control, lock, visitor management, and door hardware solutions, according to CS’ 2024 Access Control and Lockdown Survey. About half of all 2024 survey participants can lock more than 90% of their doors from the inside.
Here are the key trends in locks and visitor management that experts, campus security practitioners, and consultants expect to see in 2025.
Visual Indicators and System Integration Improve Lock Performance
ASSA ABLOY K-12 National Security Program Manager Guy Grace sings the praises of indicator locks, which enable occupants of a classroom or office to see a visual indication on the lock that their door is secured.
“My former district experienced a school shooting at one of our high schools in 2013,” Grace says. “After that event, we immediately sought solutions that would empower the occupants to be able to lock the door from the inside and know that door was secured. We were presented with ‘indicator locks’ that were emerging at the time. I can say that after we installed the new locks district-wide, it was one of the most positive accepted security implementations we ever did because all the occupants from teachers to students were trained and empowered to use the hardware.”
Timm agrees it’s essential that doors have visual confirmation that they are locked. He also is seeing the focus on door hardware shifting toward integrated security solutions, emphasizing a cohesive ecosystem rather than individual components.
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“The concept of a ‘single pane of glass’ for managing various security systems through a unified management platform is gaining traction, allowing for more efficient oversight and control,” he says. “In the context of security, a ‘single pane of glass’ refers to a management console that aggregates and displays data from various systems on a single screen, such as a computer monitor or mobile device.”
Napco Security Technologies Assistant Marketing Manager Matthew Finn is also seeing greater integration of electronic locking hardware with physical access control systems.
“The most recent push has been ‘programming on card’ or ‘programming via smart devices,’” he says. “This allows the lock to be a standalone device without the infrastructure to support the wireless lock. The programming is sent to the device, and when the cardholder presents their credential to the lock, it will push the latest programming information to the lock.”
Michael Fellows, who is with Georgia Institute of Technology’s Campus Services department, believes the trend in door hardware and locks is moving towards more versatile programming, especially for non-wireless solutions and Wi-fi connectivity.
“This allows for greater flexibility and ease of use, making it simpler to manage access control systems remotely and efficiently,” she says.
However, Fellows would like to see Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant solutions that are more dynamic.
“As my own personal awareness increases, I am finding that we need more and better technology options on the market to better serve people with mobility challenges,” she adds.
Many K-12 Campuses Installing Secure Vestibules
In addition to putting locks on interior and exterior doors, schools, hospitals and colleges must have an effective way to control who comes on campus. The installation of secure entrance vestibules/mantraps are one way many campuses — but particularly K-12 schools and to some extent, hospitals – are trying to improve the management of their visitors. In only two years, the adoption of secure vestibules has jumped from 30% in 2022 to 45% in 2024.
Grace is an enthusiastic proponent of this approach.
“School entrances require constant access by a wide variety of parties, while at the same time, are the most critical area for a school to secure,” he says. “This creates a surprisingly complex set of issues to address.”
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He recommends schools review the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS) whitepaper on the topic
Overall, visitor management is an increasingly popular campus security investment, with 55% of CS’ survey respondents saying they are considering upgrading how they manage guests on campus. Additionally, the percentage of respondents using visitor management software has jumped 18% since 2022, from 33% two years ago to 51% in 2024.
Visitor Management System Integration Benefits: Streamlined Processes, More Security
Like with locks, many experts believe that more visitor management systems that integrate with other technologies will be implemented in 2025.
“Unified systems that manage the entire visitor journey – from pre-registration to exit – will continue to gain popularity, especially those that integrate with broader access control and video surveillance platforms,” opines Genetec Executive Education Lead Bruce A. Canal. “Features like automated notifications, digital check-in, and identity verification streamline processes for both visitors and security staff. As campuses aim to improve transparency and compliance, visitor management systems will also facilitate detailed reporting and audit trails, which are essential for meeting regulatory standards.”
Security Consultant Michael Cruz believes artificial intelligence (AI) will play a major role in improving visitor management.
“AI-driven systems will help automate many aspects of visitor handling, from predicting security threats based on visitor behaviors to optimizing workflows during peak visiting hours,” he says. “AI-powered chatbots could also be deployed to assist visitors with check-in processes, help them navigate facilities, or provide real-time information… all without needing significant staff involvement.”
Cruz also predicts visitor management systems will deepen their integration with Internet of Things (IoT) devices and smart building technologies.
“By connecting to building management systems, these solutions will have the potential to enhance the overall visitor experience,” he adds. “HVAC, lighting, and environmental controls can be adopted in real time based on visitor presence, ensuring both comfort and efficient resource usage.”
Another trend he anticipates seeing more of in 2025 is advanced credentialing techniques, particularly with the implementation of multi-factor authentication. Cruz believes high security environments will adopt more sophisticated verification methods, such as combining biometric authentication with a mobile-based one-time password or digital QR codes.
Locks, door hardware, and visitor management systems in 2025 appear to be following many of the same trends that experts believe access control systems will experience next year, such as increased integration with other technologies, greater use of AI and the cloud, and leveraging the use of mobile credentials and biometrics.
