Page 35 - Security Today, February 2018

disparate systems at lower cost and with better ROI than other approaches while enhancing monitoring and delivering a better experience as people enter, navigate and interact with buildings and their services.
Among the most popular new applications to take advantage of mobile ID capabilities is energy management, combining ac- cess control and the IoT to help facility managers more efficiently control HVAC systems. As people use their smart cards or smart- phones to enter or exit a suite or common area, their trusted iden- tities are used to automatically adjust environmental settings.
Today, trusted identities are used with proximity and real-time location services so organizations can confirm when personnel are near a given area for use cases like automatically logging em- ployee check-ins and check-outs and for managing room occu- pancy to comply with health and safety regulations. In the future, people will be able to use a smart card or phone to book rooms, auto-configure audio-visual equipment and share their locations in real time for emergency mustering and safety alarms.
Cloud maintenance management software (CMMS) applica- tions leverage the combination of mobile devices, cloud authenti- cation services and trusted tags that are affixed to company assets to streamline and improve efficiency.
Technicians tap the tags with their mobile devices to authen- ticate to and access the CMMS application, acquire information and perform all tasks in a trusted authentication environment. This model is also ideal for “proof of presence” applications guard tour management, combining trusted IDs with cloud- based authentication so that users can simply tap a phone to a trusted tag to prove they were there and completed assigned tasks.
Many organizations start their path to these applications by deploying mobile-ready Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) readers that support a combination of physical ID cards and mobile IDs on smartphones, as well as older card technology during the tran- sition. Some organizations are moving directly to a mobile-only ID model to open doors, connect to networks, and interact with smart buildings and services, while others are laying the founda- tion for adding these capabilities in the future. The initial impetus for upgrades is typically a desire to replace earlier lower-security ID cards. However, organizations quickly embrace the robust ca- pabilities of advanced smart card technology and mobile IDs on smartphones as they begin equally focusing on adding multiple applications to a single credential for a more efficient, connected and enjoyable workplace.
Many other capabilities will emerge as trusted identities are used in ways that are contextually aware, continuous and truly seamless, while also delivering actionable intelligence.
Leveraging Identity Intelligence
Mobile devices used for physical access control will be increas- ingly connected to the cloud, and a variety of data will be con- solidated to drive deep learning and improve analytics. Data will come from sources ranging from virtual/digital identities, mobile access systems, video streaming and biometrics to IoT applica- tions, BLE sensors and location services. This data will be cou- pled with advanced analytics to provide services such as intention detection for a more seamless, secure and connected user experi-
ence. Within this trusted environment it will be possible to an- ticipate, respond to and interact with users based on their unique identity and behaviors.
Consider today’s end-to-end ecosystems that combine the power of BLE beacons, BLE-to-WiFi gateways and a cloud ser- vice portal to collect, aggregate and manage real-time data about the location of the workforce throughout a facility. This same data can also enable organizations to leverage actionable identity analytics. With a combination of trusted identities and real-time location services, organizations can monitor room usage in real time and benefit from deeper analytics around personnel move- ments for better insights about how to optimize usage of facili- ties, common areas and individual rooms. These insights help ensure safety, compliance and security in a much more holistic manner than was previously possible.
Another example is CMMS, cloud-based equipment monitor- ing services and other asset-management applications. The abil- ity to understand the real-time location and the past and pres- ent condition of critical equipment, assets and other items helps organizations shift from a reactive or prescriptive approach to maintenance to a more predictive and streamlined approach to optimizing operations.
Trusted mobile IDs facilitate this, delivering increased visibil- ity into equipment performance using multiple data points so organizations can monitor and react quickly to critical events, and leverage predictive and actionable analytics in a meaningful format for optimal asset performance. They also help determine the health and predict failure of these assets while also leverag- ing powerful policy engines to quickly identify potential issues and provide alerts so that organizations can take action to re- duce downtime.
Predictive analytics has already been proven in access con- trol applications. Today’s physical identity and access manage- ment (PIAM) software solutions allow organizations to prevent possible threats based on contextual data analysis. Logged data from multiple security devices and systems is transformed into critical knowledge and actionable “indicators of compromise” that not only help organizations save on their operational ex- penditures but also trigger automated, preventive actions for a possible threat. The same concept will be applied to mobile ac- cess and enhance the user experience as identity data is used to authenticate people and their credentials, analyze their intent, and grant access based on risk profiles and other real-time per- mission parameters.
Combining mobile IDs with IoT applications and other technologies using trusted identities promises to simplify sys- tems and applications. It offers the opportunity to improve all aspects of operations – from opening doors and accessing data, networks and cloud applications, to how organizations manage assets and streamline processes while creating a better user expe- rience. Moving forward, security will continue to be embedded more seamlessly and imperceptibly into trusted, hyper-connect- ed IoT ecosystems that leverage identity data to deliver valuable new capabilities.
Darren Learmonth is the vice president of innovation with HID Global. WWW.SECURITYTODAY.COM NS13