SMART Access & identity 2024

MOBILE ACCESS CONTROL

it comes to mobile access deployment. Whether you are a small regional commercial real estate company or a large university, you need partners who understand your needs, provide customer driven solutions, and make the transition as seamless and cost-efficient as possible. Lakin: Wholesale system replacement is an absolute worst-case scenario for many businesses and will lead to many sleepless nights for the team responsible for its implementation. With this in mind, STid has ensured that its Architect and Spectre range of readers are 100% compatible with existing access control platforms. This ensures that any technology upgrade can start and end at the reader level if required. All readers can be supplied Bluetooth ready, allowing the client to change readers and then gradually transition to virtual credentials as circumstances change and their landscape develops. The entire process is conducted in consultation with the customer, utilising the STid partner network and/or the STid team in the country to ensure a smooth transition and a successful implementation. Rautenbach: All Suprema’s devices released in the past three years support mobile credentials, cards, and PIN (devices with PIN pad), independent of whether it is a biometric or non-biometric device. Our clients, therefore, have the option to use any or any combination thereof should multi-factor security be considered. Suprema’s mobile credentials are managed on a secure portal, which includes mobile credential reseller functionality (stock management and transfer to clients) and secure APIs for easy integration into external systems, or otherwise is fully integrated with Suprema’s BioStar 2 access control platform. No rip-and-replace is required with Suprema. Should older non-compliant devices be used, then Suprema’s Airfob is a super thin, energy harvesting and affordable peripheral that can be applied to any Mifare terminal, converting it into a Suprema mobile credential reader. For more information, contact: • Vikki Vink, HID Global, +27 31 717 0700, vikki.vink@hidglobal.com, www.hidglobal.com • neaMetrics, +27 11 784 3952, info@neametrics.com, www.neaMetrics.com • John Lakin, STid, +27 79 891 1912, john@jlte.co.za, www.stid-security.com • Suprema, +27 11 784 3952, enquiry@Suprema.co.za, www.Suprema.co.za

Most of these issues are born from ignorance and can be dealt with in a proper consultative phase with user information sharing. Mobile credentials are not just being used in the workplace, with an increasing number of other business applications having adopted Bluetooth devices in one form or another. These include residential estates and complexes, sports clubs and gyms, storage facilities, parking garages and workspace environments. In absolute worst-case scenarios, the technology allows for conventional PVC solutions to work alongside the virtual, with similar levels of security depending on the card technology chosen. Rautenbach: I believe that, in some way, employees are getting over this. Yes, sure, some might still prefer to carry two devices or use a card, but from personal experience, newer generations become accustomed to using tablets as part of school, are far too eager to install any attractive or useful app and easily frown upon the thought of requiring an additional device. I am describing the attitude and not saying we will give such employees dedicated work devices, although some large corporates prefer doing just that to keep their IP/data safe. In most cases, we have the option to use a card or perhaps a PIN if the company policies allow these more susceptible technologies within their environment. SMART Security Solutions: Following on from above, what has your company done (what is it doing) to make implementing mobile credentials as simple and streamlined as possible for customers, without requiring substantial rip-and-replace investments? Blignaut: The transition to mobile access requires an ecosystem of partners, from the manufacturer of the mobile access systems to the integrators who install the readers and integrate the various software and hardware platforms in your facility. These mobile access experts can help you assess your needs, plus the readiness of your legacy system, and recommend future-proof components, making it easier to evolve as mobile technology does. For example, some readers can easily be made mobile-capable by adding a small device, while older legacy readers may need to be replaced with mobile-ready models. Many readers from HID are already equipped for mobile readiness, even if they were previously installed for traditional card access. As such, a range of experience, verified security credentials and a broad solutions portfolio all matter when

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mobile credential supported across any operating system, it will remain as such. The challenge with OS providers is that these large companies each like to focus on their own revenue, with security as an excuse for not supporting cross platform technology not belonging to them. Bridging this will surely boost physical and logical access convergence, although the lack of open standards in mobile credentials, especially inoperability, presents the same challenges. SMART Security Solutions: One argument against mobile credentials is that users do not want ‘company stuff’ on their phones. Is this really a problem? If so, how does one get around it? Blignaut: The beauty of mobile access is its convenience. Nowadays, employees can seamlessly integrate their employee badge into their digital wallet, granting them access to their workplace and authorised corporate applications without needing a dedicated work app. Digital wallets can store diverse credentials – employee badges, tickets, and passes – each with unique encryption, ensuring clarity and avoiding confusion between different access items. For example, when presented to access control readers like the HID Signo, the mobile device automatically selects the correct access credential, simplifying entry without manual selection. By eliminating the need for separate work related apps and consolidating access into a familiar digital wallet environment, it addresses concerns about cluttering personal devices with ‘company stuff’ while delivering a user-friendly, highly secure and efficient access control solution. Lakin: Historically, employees have looked for any reason to ‘buck the system’ with many excuses provided. There have been multiple complaints about biometric data and its storage, maintenance, accessibility and disposal.

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