Page 42 - Security Today, September 2018

embracing the cloud to evolve the way in which campus cards are being issued. Instead of issuing cards using one or more PC work- stations, each connected to a nearby printer, universities are making a shift to cloud-based solutions for a new, remote card issuance ex- perience. This move is also transforming ID card printers into edge devices within the Internet of Trusted Things (IoTT).
An even broader range of capabilities are possible when cloud- based platforms are combined with mobile technologies and the IoT.
A Mobile Tipping Point
Mobile access control is gaining popularity as solutions mature, and are integrated into other systems. Until recently, the notion of a credential on a mobile device was a niche for a small segment of the market. However, their ability to provide greater operational ef- ficiency, enhance the user experience, deliver increased security and integrate with other systems has now positioned mobile access as a strong option for many organizations in the mass market. Demand will be greatest in the following use cases: opening doors with a smartphone; using a mobile device as an authenticator for applica- tions such as identity verification to protect online banking applica- tions or while accessing a digital network; or carrying an ID such as a driver’s license on a phone.
The more mobile form factor options there are for carrying trust- ed identities, the better, so that organizations can support the broad- est range of use cases. Smart watches and personal biometric devices are the most common wearables for use in the enterprise environment today, and the extended use of wearables for enterprise access solu- tions continues to be part of the conversation. These devices are get- ting smarter and more common with support for a growing number of applications.
Other mobile access benefits will become evident, especially as solutions are integrated across whole buildings and campuses. The technology will prove its ability to enhance user convenience on a large scale, and the shift to verifying identities via mobile phones will also reveal a trend toward digital cohesion, in which everything is interconnected and available on an app—from verifying login to a bank account or VPN, to using a phone as a mobile driver license, to verifying the authenticity of a physical credential.
Embracing advanced technology has not been limited to mobile credentials alone; the move away from de facto Wiegand to the Open Supervised Device Protocol (OSDP) standard is also poised to be a major disrupter for access control. High profile exposure of legacy Weigand vulnerabilities, coupled with the desire for a more connect- ed experience when managing readers, has driven demand for the OSDP standard.
Although NFC offers an attractive alternative to consider for the future in access control, Bluetooth remains the only ubiquitous com- munication standard that enables cross-platform support for mobile access today. Still, organizations investing in infrastructure today are considering readers that support both communication standards to be ready to embrace new experiences as the mobile device industry changes rapidly. Access control reader technology will also adapt to leverage the power of mobile technology and cloud platforms. Or- ganizations will use a mobile device to provision readers, inspect in- stalled readers and detect their current configuration, upgrade them to new capabilities and/or revoke access to them.
More Connected Experiences in the IoT
More than ever, smartphones carrying trusted IDs are enabling a growing range of other secure, on-the-go smart building manage- ment capabilities that connect the world of people with the world of things. For instance, a new class of security solutions adds trust to NFC tags that can then be affixed to mechanical keys and also positioned at locations throughout a facility so that, as an example, key checkout can be automated and guards on patrol can log their
presence at a security checkpoint using cloud-based authentication. Organizations can combine this same technology with Commer- cial Maintenance Management Software (CMMS) solutions to en- able secure transactions between fire and safety equipment and on- line maintenance systems to help simplify fire and safety processes
and facilitate compliance to city mandates.
Today, using BLE beacons, cloud services and current mobile net-
works has also significantly reduced the infrastructure costs to deploy smart building IoT applications. BLE–to-Wi-Fi location services pro- vide facility managers with real-time visibility into when a specific area is being used throughout the workday to assist in space planning and overall building use—from individual offices and shared work- spaces to heavily used conference rooms.
For example, building occupants and visitors can easily navigate throughout a facility using location services for directional assistance, making it easier to collaborate, locate team members, and instantly find meeting spaces. IoT-based innovations can also add another lev- el of security by enabling facility managers to assign access to specific secure zones in a room, manufacturing floor, or any area that requires an additional layer of zone-based security.
There are many opportunities for organizations to these capabili- ties across a number of vertical markets and requirements. For ex- ample, healthcare organizations can use real-time location services to optimize workflows in emergency departments and clinical op- erations and provide wayfinding for patients and visitors navigating the hospital. Access control systems are also being extended to cre- ate more activity-aware environments in industries such as oil & gas, where it is crucial for security teams to receive the precise location of employees during emergency or “man down” situations.
Combining mobile technologies, trusted identities and the cloud will have a dramatic impact on the workplace. It will fuel more in- telligent environments and even more comprehensive secure identity experiences that are easier to deliver and manage.
Ian Lowe is the director of product marketing of Enter- prise Physical Access Control and Mark Robinton is the director of business develop- ment & strategic innovation, Identification Technologies, at HID Global.
40
0918 | SECURITY TODAY
CLOUD SECURITY
Wright Studio/Shutterstock.com