Page 36 - Security Today, April 2020

Using the Cloud
for Identity Protection
Providing the means to open doors and access IT systems
BTy Robin Tandon
he way ID cards are used in the enterprise and on college and university campuses has changed dramatically in re- cent years. Once a simple identification tool, corporate ID badges now provide the means to open doors and ac-
cess IT systems, networks and data, and campus IDs are used to pur- chase meals, check out library books, enter dorm rooms and more.
The way cards were issued had not changed much for two decades, using one or more PCs that were each connected to a nearby printer. Now, enterprises and universities are making a shift to cloud-based solutions that enable a remote card issuance experience, transform ID card printers into edge devices within the Internet of Trusted Things (IoTT), and redefine the econom- ics of card issuance by ushering in new service-based models.
Improved User Experience
Traditionally, ID cards were designed and printed from a PC that was connected to a nearby printer. Someone had to be physically present at the PC to design the card, use the student ID database to encode data on the card, and send the card to a printer.
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Some suppliers added a piece of locally installed software that enabled web-based design and, in some cases, a certain level of en- coding work. In contrast, today’s true cloud-based platforms bring all the elements required for secure issuance into a centralized and integrated system that enables the entire process to be managed and executed remotely, from design and encoding to printing.
An administrator in a card office or any satellite facility or other remote location, for instance, can seamlessly create new cards, encode data on them, issue replacements and manage print queues. This can all be accomplished through one trusted system using a tablet, laptop or any device with a web interface.
This cloud-based model improves the user experience by enabling instant issuance at many different locations, rather than requiring a visit to the main card office in order to pick up an ID. Card print- ers can be installed anywhere, including remote offices and satellite campuses, and cards can be sent to any of these printers. Printers essentially become smart, secure, web-enabled edge devices in the IoTT that can leverage all of the platform’s functionality.
Security and privacy protection are both improved with the
ID CARDS
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