Twist Mobile Access Adoption Growing

Twist Mobile Access Adoption Growing

Twist Mobile Access Adoption GrowingToday’s secure identity technologies enable organizations to use a combination of smart cards and other smart devices in a growing ecosystem of interoperable products and applications. Smartphones are expected to steadily replace mechanical keys and physical access cards as part of a centralized access and identity management system that can adapt to evolving threats and business requirements, and will improve the user experience and deliver growing value while introducing capabilities like “twist and go” gestures for opening doors and gates.

Smartphones are also emerging as an ideal convergence platform that can replace dedicated One Time Password (OTP) logical access authentication hardware. In other words, the same phone that can receive digital credentials and “present” them to readers to open doors and gates will also generate OTP soft tokens for accessing network or cloud- and web-based applications. In the future, users will be able to use the same phone that gets them through the door to authenticate to a VPN, wireless network, corporate intranet, cloud- and web-based applications, single-sign-on (SSO) clients and other IT resources.

Organizations will need to take a technology-agnostic approach to mobile access control, using open and adaptable physical access control system (PACS) architectures that support multiple platforms, short-range communication and card emulation approaches.  In particular, systems that use phones to open doors and parking gates will likely need to accommodate multiple short-range communications technologies used by today’s commercially available devices.Twist Mobile Access Adoption Growing

While Near Field Communications (NFC) was initially the primary short-range communication technology for mobile access control, the industry is now also moving to Bluetooth Smart because of its broad availability on both Apple and Android device platforms.  Bluetooth Smart also supports a simplified deployment and identity provisioning model as compared to NFC (which requires the use of a secure element in the phone and commercial relationships with the mobile operators that manage them). To simultaneously accommodate both Apple and Android devices, however, access control platforms will likely need to support both Bluetooth Smart and NFC, as well as NFC Host Card Emulation (HCE) technology (which simplifies deployment as compared to NFC, but does not work with Apple phones).

Another advantage of Bluetooth Smart is its longer reach, which means a smartphone wouldn’t necessarily have to be close enough to be tapped to a reader in order to open a door, as with NFC technology. A big opportunity here is to incorporate gesture technology into a Bluetooth-based smartphone solution, so that the phone can simply be rotated or “twisted” as the user walks up to a mobile-enabled reader. This new “twist and go” gesture technology capability will offer an additional layer of authentication and new ways to open doors and parking gates.

Organizations can prepare for the benefits of mobile access control today by implementing open and adaptable security infrastructures that will support migration to these new capabilities. Adding smartphones and other mobile devices to an interoperable ecosystem of access control cards and devices will yield increasingly valuable benefits over time, including greater user convenience and efficiency, additional layers of authentication, and new ways to open doors.

About the Author

John Fenske is vice president of product marketing for HID Global.

Featured

  • Survey: 48 Percent of Worshippers Feel Less Safe Attending In-Person Services

    Almost half (48%) of those who attend religious services say they feel less safe attending in-person due to rising acts of violence at places of worship. In fact, 39% report these safety concerns have led them to change how often they attend in-person services, according to new research from Verkada conducted online by The Harris Poll among 1,123 U.S. adults who attend a religious service or event at least once a month. Read Now

  • AI Used as Part of Sophisticated Espionage Campaign

    A cybersecurity inflection point has been reached in which AI models has become genuinely useful in cybersecurity operation. But to no surprise, they can used for both good works and ill will. Systemic evaluations show cyber capabilities double in six months, and they have been tracking real-world cyberattacks showing how malicious actors were using AI capabilities. These capabilities were predicted and are expected to evolve, but what stood out for researchers was how quickly they have done so, at scale. Read Now

  • Why the Future of Video Security Is Happening Outside the Cloud

    For years, the cloud has captivated the physical security industry. And for good reasons. Remote access, elastic scalability and simplified maintenance reshaped how we think about deploying and managing systems. Read Now

  • UL Solutions Launches Artificial Intelligence Safety Certification Services

    UL Solutions Inc., a global leader in safety science, today announced the launch of artificial intelligence (AI) safety certification services, enabling comprehensive assessments for evaluating the safety of AI-powered products. Read Now

  • ESA Announces Initiative to Introduce the SECURE Act in State Legislatures

    The Electronic Security Association (ESA), the national voice for the electronic security and life safety industry, has announced plans to introduce the SECURE Act in state legislatures across the country beginning in 2025. The proposal, known as Safeguarding Election Candidates Using Reasonable Expenditures, provides a clear framework that allows candidates and elected officials to use campaign funds for professional security services. Read Now

    • Guard Services

New Products

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

  • HD2055 Modular Barricade

    Delta Scientific’s electric HD2055 modular shallow foundation barricade is tested to ASTM M50/P1 with negative penetration from the vehicle upon impact. With a shallow foundation of only 24 inches, the HD2055 can be installed without worrying about buried power lines and other below grade obstructions. The modular make-up of the barrier also allows you to cover wider roadways by adding additional modules to the system. The HD2055 boasts an Emergency Fast Operation of 1.5 seconds giving the guard ample time to deploy under a high threat situation.

  • Unified VMS

    AxxonSoft introduces version 2.0 of the Axxon One VMS. The new release features integrations with various physical security systems, making Axxon One a unified VMS. Other enhancements include new AI video analytics and intelligent search functions, hardened cybersecurity, usability and performance improvements, and expanded cloud capabilities