Page 16 - Security Today, May/June 2021

Tapping into
Touch-free Digital
Experiences with trusted-Identity technologies
As the world glimpses a return to more “normal” life, one change seems likely to endure: the prefer- ence for touch-free digital experiences. The global pandemic both accelerated the world’s digital transformation and re-oriented it to a model that reduces or eliminates physical touchpoints and in-person contact.
Now, the same touch-free trusted-identity technologies that are being used to help re-open the workplace are proliferating across a wide variety of use cases that benefit from the safety, security, convenience and efficiency of contact-free interactions with both the physical and digital worlds.
Touch-free identity technology is being adopted in an exten- sive variety of enterprise applications, from automating physical- distancing and contact tracing protocols to simplifying how users enter secured areas and access print resources and other building services. They also are enabling employees to work securely from home and giving consumers greater confidence in financial trans- actions ranging from online banking to verifying the authenticity of high-value collectible items at the point of sale.
The New Hybrid Workplace
Mobile solutions used for access control and building manage- ment are creating safer, more secure, and more convenient experi- ences in the modern workplace. They are also reinforcing the role of trusted identities as a linchpin for more efficient, touch-free and resilient building environments—especially during the CO-
VID-19 pandemic.
Mobile IDs carried on smartphones and other devices elimi-
nate the need to physically touch cards, readers or keypads. Users present their smartphone to a reader to open doors, gates and elevators. They also provide touch-free access to time-and-atten- dance terminals, cashless vending machines, and printers, com- puters and workstations. Additionally, the ability to issue mobile ID credentials over the air removes the need for person-to-person ID card issuance or revocation of physical cards for both em- ployees and visitors. And, ultra-wideband (UWB) and other tech- nologies will take convenience even further in the future.
Visitor management has also been adapted to a more hands- off experience. Cloud-based solutions limit face-to-face interac- tion through self-service check-in. The badging process itself no longer requires visiting a crowded issuance center with cloud- based solutions that enable cards to be designed and printed from any office or satellite campus, on any device via a web in- terface.
The iconic Arcos Bosques Tower 1 in Mexico City offers one example of the appeal of the touch-free access experience. HID Global’s smart card readers and mobile access solution deliver integrated access control capabilities for approximately 3,500 ten- ants and visitors that pass through the tower’s 32 elevators and 16 turnstiles each day. Those who are using the mobile access capa- bility say they prefer it to using physical cards.
“Accessing the building by simply presenting a mobile phone
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MAY/JUNE 2021 | SECURITY TODAY
COVER STORY
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