In line with this philosophy of continuous evolvement the following new features are set to become available to Alcatraz customers on July 28th, 2025. 

These enhancements fall under the headings of Privacy, Flexibility, Convenience, Security and Performance and are built to make work simpler, spaces safer, and access control smarter:

1. Privacy: Empowering consent and data control

• Opt-In Biometric Processing (2FA Applications Only) - If card readers are used with Rock devices and have enabled two-factor authentication, users can now apply an optional policy that limits biometric matching to cardholders who are already enrolled. Biometric data is only saved after a card is presented and verified as linked to an active profile. This gives stronger control over how biometric authentication is applied at the edge, helping support opt-in privacy standards where required.  NB - This feature is intended for deployments with specific regulatory or contractual opt-in mandates.

• Custom Docusign Consent (Cloud & On-Prem) - Biometric consent can now be collected from end users using their own Docusign accounts, giving greater control over consent workflows and legal language whether deployed on-prem or in the cloud.

2. Flexibility: Adapting to enterprise workflows and infrastructure

• Adaptive 2FA - Adaptive 2FA builds on Alcatraz’s personalised authentication capabilities by using device-level intelligence to tailor security based on individual profiles. It allows organisations to enable face-only access for a limited group of trusted individuals—such as VIPs or high-clearance personnel, while maintaining two-factor authentication (2FA) for everyone else. This ensures frictionless access for high-profile users without compromising the organisation’s broader security posture. For broader user control, the existing biometric opt-in/out feature enables organisations to customise who is enrolled, how biometric data is processed, and when it’s discarded, offering powerful flexibility for privacy and compliance needs across all user types.

• SIP intercom support - Customers can now integrate SIP-based intercom systems directly with the Alcatraz platform, enabling two-way communication and providing a customisable, flexible voice access layer at access points. This capability activates the Rock X device’s built-in SIP intercom hardware.

• Rightcrowd Integration - Alcatraz provides a seamless integration with Rightcrowd, a leading Physical Identity & Access Management (PIAM) provider, allowing joint customers to streamline identity governance, synchronise personnel data, and scale biometric authentication across large enterprise environments.

• Web enrollment for on-prem - Alcatraz now supports web enrollment for on-prem deployments while the user retains complete infrastructure control. Customers can streamline onboarding by using their own SMTP server to send enrollment invitations, accelerating rollout without compromising security or flexibility.

3. Convenience: Streamlining Operations & Maintenance

• Rock maintenance mode - If the optional reset-on-tamper feature has been enabled, which triggers a factory reset if an internal tamper is detected, Rock Maintenance Mode provides a safer way to perform scheduled servicing. Admins can now place Rock devices into maintenance mode for a defined period (1 to 24 hours), preventing the reset behaviour during that window while continuing to log all tamper alerts. This reduces the risk of unintended resets during maintenance activities and helps streamline site operations.

• Visitor management automation (C•Cure only) - For customers using the C•Cure integration, visitor profiles can now be automatically flagged and managed based on ACS parameters. This reduces manual effort for front desk and security teams and ensures that visitors are handled consistently and in alignment with defined access policies from the moment they arrive.

• Profile provisioning visibility - Admins can now view a list of devices where a specific biometric profile has been provisioned directly within that profile’s management page. This supports better troubleshooting and lifecycle management without exposing any profile lists at the device level, preserving Alcatraz’s privacy-by-design architecture.

4. Security: Enforcing stronger access control

• Auto deletion of disabled profiles (C•Cure integration only) - If using the C•Cure integration, biometric profiles can now be automatically deleted when a card holder is disabled in the ACS following a configurable delay. This helps enforce clean off-boarding practices and supports compliance with data retention and privacy policies.

• TOTP 2FA using authenticator apps for admin portal login - The company has added time-based one-time password (TOTP) authentication using apps such as Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator for admin access to the Alcatraz Admin Portal - bringing it in line with best practices for secure identity management.

5. Performance: Boosting speed, accuracy & stability

• Enhanced tailgating detection - A new AI model has been introduced that improves real world tailgating detection performance helping to identify unauthorised entry attempts while ensuring a seamless experience for authorised users.

• Improved device behaviour for real world use cases - Refinements to how Rock devices handle badge presentations especially for users wearing lanyards to reduce false readings and authentication friction.

• Reader group persistence (C•Cure integration only) - For customers using C•Cure, reader access group assignments are now preserved even if the ACS disconnects or restarts. This ensures uninterrupted access for authorised users during network outages or scheduled ACS maintenance, reducing operational disruption and access control gaps.

• Security event retention policy - Customers can now configure retention policies for security logs, helping maintain server performance and storage health without sacrificing visibility. This gives IT teams better control over system health while retaining necessary audit trails.

• Robust card holder-biometric linking - Improvements in how biometric profiles link to card holder records ensure faster updates, stronger data consistency, and higher throughput at scale.