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| Credential form factors include mobile devices that provide a better way to open doors |
HID Global 2014/2015 Review and Forecast:
High-profile credit card breaches during 2014 raised the profile of low-security solutions while highlighting the need for more secure smart cards. There were no real surprises, as the industry steadily continued its large-scale transition to access control platforms based on open standards. This transition sets the stage for unprecedented innovations in access control security and convenience in the coming years.
We anticipate there will be growing demand for new credential form factors including mobile devices that provide a better way to open doors. As an example, ASSA ABLOY Mobile Access for Hospitality went live during 2014 at Starwood Hotels Resorts Worldwide, enabling Starwood Preferred Guest members to use their smartphone as a key at 10 hotels in markets including Beijing, Hong Kong, New York, Los Angeles and Doha, with plans to expand use of the system to 30,000 doors in 150 hotels by early 2015. This deployment also validated the use of Bluetooth Smart as an easy to use connection solution for mobile access.
As these and other mobile access control solutions are deployed, their benefits will drive many companies and organizations to seriously consider incorporating a combination of secure mobile physical and logical access into their facilities and IT access strategies. We will see users carrying multiple secure identities on a single card or phone, with the potential to replace all previous mechanical keys and dedicated one-time password (OTP) hardware for physical and logical access control.
Using Bluetooth Smart or Near Field Communications (NFC) technology on cards or phones, users will be able to simply “tap in” to gain access to facilities, VPNs, wireless networks and cloud- and web-based applications, and take advantage of an access control ecosystem that provides a seamless user experience and can flexibly scale and adapt while delivering growing value to the organization. They’ll also use their Bluetooth Smart connection with gesture technology to open doors from a distance by rotating their smartphone as they approach a mobile-enabled reader.
HID Global laid the groundwork for exciting new capabilities in 2014 with the launch of our HID Mobile Access solution. It includes Mobile IDs and HID Mobile Access Apps that are used with our mobile-enabled iCLASS SE and/or multiclass SE readers, and our HID Secure Identity Services portal for managing users and issuing or revoking Mobile IDs.
We continue to believe that the introduction and accelerating adoption of mobile access solutions is one of the most important industry developments of the past few years, and we look forward to helping our customers make the transition to these exciting capabilities during 2015 and beyond.
Finally, the move to biometric authentication will also be a big trend during 2015. It will move the focus from technology to the user experience, and take us beyond the hassle and security risks of PINs and passwords by making it significantly easier to know if someone is who he or she claims to be.
See the full coverage of 2014/2015 Review and Forecast articles here
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