Identive promotes Stephen Healy to EVP of Access Control & Security

Editor / Provider: Identive Group | Updated: 8/26/2013 | Article type: Security 50

Identive Group, Inc., a provider of solutions and services for the identification, security and RFID industries, announced the appointment of Stephen Healy to the company's executive management team as Executive Vice President, Access Control and Security. Previously, Healy served as Vice President and General Manager, Access Control and Security. In his new role, he will continue to manage Identive's physical access control business, which provides integrated security solutions under the company's industry-leading HIRSCH brand to customers in the government, enterprise, education, healthcare and critical infrastructure markets globally.

Ayman S. Ashour, chairman and CEO of Identive Group, commented, “Steve is an accomplished executive who combines deep knowledge of the security industry with creative strategies that deliver positive results. Over the past two years, Steve has provided strong leadership for our Access Control and Security division, overseeing the development of important new products and managing customer transitions to next-generation platforms. He has helped the company to respond to a challenging budget environment in the US Government sector by reinforcing relationships with Federal agency customers while expanding our presence in commercial markets and internationally. Steve's continued leadership will build on these successes and further strengthen this important pillar of our business.”

Healy has more than 25 years' experience in the security industry, including more than 18 years in sales management positions with the Kidde-Fenwal division of UTC Fire and Security. He joined Hirsch Electronics, which now comprises Identive's Access Control and Security division, in June 2010 as Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing and was also named General Manager in March 2011. He holds a BS in Business Management, Marketing and Finance from Westfield State University in Massachusetts.

“New technologies such as near field communication and cloud-based content delivery are beginning to shape the way security managers are thinking about their access control systems, even within the highly security-conscious U.S. Government market. Identive is positioned to provide access control solutions that marry rigorous security mandates with technologies that increase convenience and efficiency for users and administrators. I look forward to further expanding Identive's presence in the security market with new solutions that build on the solid performance and service for which we are known,” said Healy.

Identive provides cashless payment services at Olympiastadion Berlin

Editor / Provider: Identive Group | Updated: 8/23/2013 | Article type: Security 50

Identive Group, Inc., a provider of solutions and services for the identification, security and RFID industries, has been awarded a multi-year contract to provide cashless payment services at home matches of Berlin football (soccer) club Hertha BSC in Olympiastadion Berlin, the second largest football stadium in Germany. The Berlin stadium has a seating capacity of over 74,000 and is the seventh within the German Football League to implement Identive's cashless payment solution, which encompasses system implementation and ongoing operations by Identive's payment solution subsidiary.

“Identive's justpay system provides our fans and visitors with a service-oriented, simple and convenient way to pay for their refreshments, which makes their experience during home matches at the Olympiastadion even more enjoyable,” said Ingo Schiller, CFO of Hertha BSC. The system's main benefits for the fans include shorter and fast moving concession queues and the ability to reload the payment cards online. “Cashless payment is a growing trend in the entertainment sector, as it allows venues to serve more customers more quickly and increase sales while reducing the cost of handling cash,” explained Sascha Busse, CEO of Identive's payment solution subsidiary. “With the addition of Olympiastadion Berlin we now provide cashless payment solutions for the two largest stadiums in Germany as well as five more in the first and second domestic leagues. Identive continues to build early leadership in the stadium market by helping our customers run their businesses more efficiently and cost effectively.”

justpay is a closed-loop cashless payment system that includes contactless payment cards, fixed and mobile point-of-service devices and a central, cloud-based database and analytics platform. On league match days, contactless payment cards are the only form of payment accepted at concession kiosks, which significantly shortens sales transactions as merchants no longer have to handle cash or process bank cards and wait for authorization. Analytical and reporting capabilities from Identive's cloud-based database provide insight into the performance of concession operations. For the majority of its justpay customers, including Hertha BSC, Identive's payment solution subsidiary also provides complete operational support for the system, including staff to sell and reload the payment cards, financial clearing and accounting services, and regulatory filings and authorization.

Identive Group reports Q2 2013 financial results

Editor / Provider: Identive Group | Updated: 8/16/2013 | Article type: Security 50

Identive Group, a provider of products, services and solutions for the identification, security and RFID industries, reported its financial results for the second quarter (Q2) ended June 30, 2013.

“In the second quarter 2013, we delivered growth in target markets and gained traction with key offerings, demonstrating Identive's strategy is coming to fruition,” said Ayman S. Ashour, CEO of Identive Group. “Focused on becoming the leader in Secure ID, we have been investing in emergent markets with hyper-growth potential, including NFC and mobility solutions, cashless payment, and Identity-as-a-Service. Our Q2 results included successes that we believe are the early stages of important positive trends.

“For example, our increased transponder capacity drove 50% growth in RFID tag and inlay shipments. On the cutting edge of cashless payments, we have established a strong business model and sealed it with additional stadium contracts. In addition, we created a foothold with early adopters of identity on-demand and have begun to build a stable recurring SaaS revenue stream.

“While our revenue growth momentum was offset by delays in project implementation and sales in our normally stable Access Control & Security business, we view the effects of the U.S. Government federal budget sequester as a temporary setback. We are confident this business will improve and augment the growth in our target emergent markets.

“Revenues excluding our U.S. Government business grew 13% year-over-year. During Q2, more than one-quarter of transponders shipped were NFC, and more intelligent products sales continued to improve transponder margins. These factors, combined with good cost management, resulted in improvements to the bottom line,” added Ashour.

Financial Results for Q2 2013 Compared with Q2 2012
- Revenues were $23.6 million, compared with $23.9 million. 
  * Revenues from the Identity Management Services and Solutions segment were $10.6 million, compared with   $14.2 million.
  1. Access Control & Security revenue decreased 41% related to the U.S. Government federal budget sequester, the effects of which management believes are temporary.
  2. ID Solutions revenue decreased 16% due to the timing of orders in Europe and lower demand in the U.S.
  3. Cloud-based Identity Management recorded its first meaningful revenue, won a major international healthcare customer and signed a $2 million long-term SaaS contract with a leading technology company.
  * Revenues from the ID Products segment grew 34% to $13.0 million, compared with $9.7 million.
   1. Transponders revenues increased 81%, reflecting several large NFC product orders for mobility and M2M applications.
   2. ID Infrastructure revenues remained stable with orders from several regions supporting a variety of applications.
- GAAP gross profit margin was 39%, compared with 40%, primarily due to lower Access Security & Control sales.
- GAAP operating expenses were $11.9 million, compared with $52.9 million of which $39.7 million were related to goodwill and intangible asset impairment costs and related adjustments.
- Non-GAAP operating expenses were $10.8 million, compared with $11.9 million; the 9% reduction reflects 2012 restructuring and ongoing initiatives to improve operational efficiencies.
- GAAP net loss was $(2.9) million, or $(0.05) per share, compared with net loss of $(36.4) million, or $(0.61) per share, including the aforementioned impairment costs.
- Non-GAAP net loss was $(2.5) million, or $(0.04) per share, compared with non-GAAP net loss of $(1.1) million, or $(0.02) per share.
- Adjusted EBITDA was $(1.0) million, compared with $(1.1) million.
- Backlog at the end of Q2 was $19 million, reflecting orders over the next 12 months for NFC and reader products as well as payment and cloud-based systems; also on the order book is an additional $8 million from longer-term contracts.
- Cash and cash equivalents were $3.7 million at June 30, 2013, compared with $7.4 million at December 31, 2012. Today, the company announced that it has confirmed subscriptions in connection with a private placement of its equity securities that is expected to close this week.

Outlook for Q3 2013
Based on its current expectations and the continued uncertainty associated with the U.S. Government business, management expects revenues of $23.0 million to $25.0 million for the third quarter of 2013, and further expects adjusted EBITDA of $(0.5) million to $0.5 million. For full year 2013, management expects revenues of $98.0 million to $105.0 million and adjusted EBITDA of $(1.0) million to $1.0 million.

ievo biometric readers installed at London footaball club

Editor / Provider: ievo | Updated: 8/1/2013 | Article type: Commercial Markets

Situation
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club was to construct an all-round state-of-the-art training academy, on a 77 acre site at Bulls Cross, Essex. This new facility would be where first, reserve sides and younger academy teams could train to the highest standards, in a well-equipped, comfortable and secure environment. Proposed facilities at the site comprised: 11 outdoor pitches, one fully covered training pitch, gymnasium and therapy pool.

Task
The club selected Classic Security Solutions (Classic) as their main contractor, responsible for sourcing an integrator who would be able to deliver an intelligent integrated system capable of managing and controlling security, access and building management solutions from multiple vendors as well as provision a future-proof and scalable solution, enabling further expansion and integration capabilities.

Key requirements of the integrated security system included:
- Site-wide intruder detection system to EN50131 grade 3
- Access control for 40+ doors
- Control and monitoring of entire site via graphical interfaces at multiple locations
- An IP based infrastructure to ensure the site was future proof and the contractor could minimise the number of ducts and cables
- Real-time asset tracking system to detect and instantly report unauthorised movement of high value items, (lawn mower tractors and grounds maintenance tools) preventing unauthorised movement, removal or theft from site
- For first team players, deliver a biometric access control solution which would work effectively with dirty hands and all-weather play
- Rather than use a standard access control card which would be difficult for reserve team and younger academy team players to carry, utilise a light-weight and non- intrusive wristband incorporating RFID access control technology
- Ability to create and print access cards away from the main security

Action
Classic Security Solutions won the security tender for this impressive build and selected the Inner Range's integrated hardware platform Concept 5000 and its integration software system Insight, as the main components to manage and the control security, access and building management systems, required to create an efficient and secure environment for the football club.

Inner Range's design input during the build, coupled with their intelligent systems enabled Classic to integrate the required 3rd party solutions so they could be managed and controlled from one system and deliver a robust, scalable and future proof solution.

Inner Range also provided integration to biometric readers from ievo and RFID solutions from Identec so that Classic could meet the clubs specific access-control requirements for players and academy training teams as well as implement a solution to protect against unauthorised movement or removal of high value assets belonging to the academy.

Result
Working with Inner Range resulted in Classic Security Solutions being able to:
- Design and implement a system, to EN50131 grade 3 standards, that is not only capable of integrating at both hardware and software level with multiple 3rd party systems, but also via logical programming of either software or hardware, automatically take decisions based on system status or information from other systems
- Provide a robust access control solution for all doors, with boundless provisioning (up to 50,000 doors)
- Using graphical interfaces at multiple locations, provide complete visibility and control of all security and building management systems technologies across the entire site
- Deliver an IP based solution to future proof the security project and minimise ducts and cables
- Install a biometric access control solution which means that first team players never have to carry an access-control card and the solution will provide access to authorised areas, even with dirty hands and in all weather conditions
- RFID access-control wristbands with the ability for authorised staff to automatically create access cards via a portable card maker
- Deploy effective asset tracking which protects all valuable assets against loss and theft by monitoring their location and movement in real-time

Salto provides RFID access control solution for Royal University

Editor / Provider: Salto Systems | Updated: 7/24/2013 | Article type: Education

Established in 1845 the Royal Agricultural University, president HRH Prince of Wales who lives at nearby Highgrove House, was the first agricultural school to be established in the English speaking world. As a leading university it offers over 40 career-focussed programmes within its School of Agriculture, School of Business and School of Real Estate and Land Management covering agriculture, equine management, business and rural land and property management and is home to a vibrant community of over 1000 students.

“The former mechanical lock installation within the university was not providing the level of protection or security information reporting required to manage the access movement of the students” comments Jim Caola, Sales Manager of Guardian Security South West, the local Salto certificated partner.

“To prevent this a more robust product was required, one which would not only offer a greater degree of physical protection but also provide a full complement of modern access control benefits including smart card operation, audit trail information, flexible calendars, auto locking and unlocking and so on” Caola said.

Having a security solution that is reliable and dependable is obviously important for a campus housing so many young people. And with an increasing number of female students choosing to study at the Royal Agricultural University, electronic locking was found to appeal to both the students themselves and their parents as it is perceived to be safer and more secure than other forms of security.

Salto was selected by the university as they are market leaders in education security systems, providing access control solutions to the many of the world's top universities including Oxford, Cambridge and Princeton among others.

The result has been the implementation the Salto platform, a single system that allows the university to integrate all staff and student physical security needs through networked stand-alone locks and on-line wall readers to provide real-time access control across campus.

This has been retro fitted into existing buildings, replacing the outdated mechanical keyed system, as well as installed into new build properties to offer an up to date security solution that delivers far greater control over who can access what, where and when and provide full audit trail accountability to resolve any access issues should these arise.

The upgrade is being carried out on a rolling project basis with all properties being fitted with Salto locking system wall readers and electronic escutcheons in a stainless steel finish.

The first phase consisted of two accommodation blocks fitting 2 online doors controlled by wall readers at ‘hot spot' main entranceways to control perimeter security, 20 offline bedroom doors and 4 offline office doors. The second phase saw the main building, conference rooms and services areas protected.

The third phase is seeing all residential accommodation – currently 350 bedrooms across campus - secured with Salto. Wall readers have been fitted to all main entrance doors with the internal keyed doors being upgraded on a rolling basis. Corridor doors have timed entrance/exit times, auto locking at pre-determined times. The newest building – West Lodge – has 58 bedrooms secured with the Salto solution as are the main car park barriers.

The campus wide system uses Salto's patented data-on-card SVN(Salto Virtual Network) technology which is capable of controlling an unlimited number of users and doors in a single system.

The handle sets read, receive and write information via Mifare cards as students enter and leave the accommodation buildings and since most access related information is kept encrypted on these cards, the perimeter door mounted wall readers are able to update and receive information from the cards at any time.

This provides 90% of the benefits of a fully online access control system at the cost of a stand alone system, and as the students use their smart ID cards, they build up an on-card audit trails enabling RAU Estates management to track their movement through both the offline and online parts of the system as and when required. And if a card is lost or stolen it can be quickly deleted from the system.

Phil Wood, Facilities Manager at the Royal Agricultural University comments: “We're very impressed with the Salto product. Its advanced system design gives an impressive degree of control over our student accommodation security. And as this same accommodation is also used by Conference delegates during the summer months when our normal students are not in residence, the flexibility of our new locking system endorses the fact that we can safely and securely look after these visitors too.”.

Identive announces 2013 Q2 results; up 17% overall, gov sales down 41%

Editor / Provider: Identive Group | Updated: 7/23/2013 | Article type: Security 50

Identive Group announced preliminary results of its second quarter (Q2) ended June 30, 2013. These results are subject to further review and completion by the Company and its auditors. Identive intends to hold a conference call and webcast to discuss Q2 performance on August 13, 2013.

Preliminary Q2 Results
Revenue for Q2 2013 is expected to be approximately $23.6 million, in the mid-range of management guidance for the quarter of $22 million to $26 million. This represents sales growth of approximately 17% year-over-year, excluding the company's Access Control & Security business, which decreased 41% year-over-year mainly as a result of temporary, sequester-related delays in US government sales. Revenue growth in the quarter came from an 81% increase in Transponder division sales, the tripling of SaaS sales in the idOnDemand division and a slight increase in ID Infrastructure (smart card reader) sales, offset by a 16% decline in ID Solutions sales compared with the same quarter of 2012. The decrease in ID Solutions sales primarily resulted from variability in the timing of orders from payment customers.

Gross profit margin is expected to be approximately 38.9% in Q2 2013, compared with 40.2% in Q2 2012. Operating expenses are expected to be approximately $11.9 million, reflecting an 11% decrease in base operating expenses (sales and marketing, research and development, and general and administrative expenses) year-over-year as a result of cost reductions initiated in the company's 2012 restructuring.

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Q2 2013 Performance Highlights
During Q2, Identive was awarded a $2 million, long-term SaaS contract from a leading technology company, won a major health care customer, and recorded the first meaningful revenue from its idOnDemand cloud-based identity management solution. These new orders begin to build a stable, visible source of recurring revenue in the company's SaaS business.

Producing at full capacity, Identive shipped 46 million RFID tags and inlays (transponders), an increase of approximately 50% over Q2 2012, to address a variety of contactless applications. As a result, year-to-date 2013 shipments are already on par with the total number of transponders shipped in the full year 2012. A number of large orders for NFC inlays and tags to enable M2M electronic games and mobile phone-based applications, such as access and payment, contributed to this growth, with NFC transponders accounting for more than one-quarter of transponders shipped in the quarter. By selling more intelligent products and subsequently moving up the value chain, the Transponder/NFC business also continued improved margin development.

Within its ID Solutions business, Identive won a multiyear contract at a seventh German sports stadium to provide payment systems for concession sales. The company also continued to deploy payment products, software and services under a $4 million contract with a retail food franchise that includes more than 300 locations in Europe.

Adjusted EBITDA in Q2 2013 is expected to be approximately $(1.0) million, below guidance of $(0.5) million to $0.5 million as a result of lower Access Control & Security and ID Solutions sales. The company defines Adjusted EBITDA as earnings before interest income, taxes, depreciation, amortization of purchased intangibles, stock-based compensation, other income (expense), net, non-controlling interest, pension expense, transition and integration costs and any unusual items.

Cash and cash equivalents were approximately $3.7 million at June 30, 2013, compared with $5.5 million at March 31, 2013. In addition to supporting the $1.0 million Adjusted EBITDA loss, principal uses of cash in Q2 included service of financial and related party liabilities and associated interest of $1.7 million plus a build-up of inventories to support customer orders. Net proceeds from capital raised during the quarter amounted to $2.6 million.

Integration just what the doctor ordered

Editor / Provider: Tevin Wang, a&s International | Updated: 7/29/2013 | Article type: Commercial Markets

The high-stress environment of health care requires more control. An integrated system allows a hospital's security staff to be more efficient, creating a more secure environment. Wireless locks, asset management, and the convergence of physical and logical access control enable organizations to leverage existing investments to create a fully interoperable security solution. Ultimately, there will be a return from improved security, efficiency, and patient satisfaction.

Wireless electronic locks are becoming standard for health care facilities. They anchor the principle of reducing complexity in all areas. “These have become an inexpensive way for facilities to enter the ‘badge-access' world. Limited expertise is needed and they allow the ability to report access and usage details for security,” said Ben Myers, Director of Plant Operations at Deaconess Medical Center.

Ease of installation is another crucial factor, making wireless locks more common. Installers can install wireless locks without running wires to every door, which is easier, cheaper, faster, and less intrusive to patient areas, compared to wired solutions “Wireless locks can easily be installed to secure areas where hard-wired controls may not have been present before, due to the difficulty or impracticability of installation,” said John Davies, MD at TDSi. Wireless locks provide the benefit of not having to run cable in hospitals and not incur as much dust prevention and infection control during installation.

Wireless locks offer improved security over wired systems, which are dependent on potentially vulnerable wires to operate. “Wireless locking systems allows end users the ability to control access to areas of their facilities from a central networked computer or from a remote workstation,” said Kenneth Mara, President and CEO at World Wide Security. “Wireless locking systems are an essential part of the security installation. This allows for the integration of biometrics access and area cameras into the locking system. Controlled access and a view of those coming and going offers supreme security and flexibility.”

Strong Pulse
While automated asset management is in the early stages of deployment, the potential is huge. “With more than 10,000 hospitals and more than 1.7 million hospital beds in the U.S. alone, there are significant opportunities to deploy solutions,” said Ryan Maley, Director of Strategic Marketing, Zigbee Alliance. “Some of the drivers pushing adoption include the falling cost of the technology itself, the introduction of standards like Zigbee Health Care which help create interoperability among devices, and the needs of health care providers, who are increasingly judged on outcomes rather than simply on treatment.”

Asset management with RFID technology or mesh networks brings greater transparency to hospitals. “RFID tags can be used to track high-value items, which in a hospital are likely to be important for the provision of services in critical situations,” Davies said. “They can also be used to track elderly or psychiatric patients, as well as infants, who may be a danger to themselves or others. RFID tags can also be used to track pharmaceutical products or containers to ensure they are not removed by unauthorized individuals.”

The latest RFID tags include GPS for watching and knowing where the tag is. “This is great for locating any asset or person. The tags with greater reach are smaller and very affordable. Some of these tags also come with the two-way and three-way communications ability as well as integrating area cameras, so the tag can activate the security system around it during the alarm event. These tags can be integrated into the security system for alarm and event monitoring, making sure people and items are where they are supposed to be,” Mara said. “We are now able to locate the asset being tracked, to communicate with it, to provide third-party viewing with law enforcement, as well as to locate where the asset is, all at the same time. The hospital industry was one of the first to embrace this technology, using it for movement of both the patients and the employees. It has also been used successfully in the hospital setting as inventory management for equipment, supplies and medical samples. It is Instrumental in lowering the chances of mixing up patient samples, which was once so commonplace.”

Logical Choice
The ability to combine physical and logical access control on a single credential improves user convenience while increasing security and reducing deployment and operational costs. “There is an obvious synergy between physical and IT security within an IP-based access control environment. These solutions enable organizations to leverage their existing credential investment to seamlessly add logical access control for network log-on and create a fully interoperable, multilayered security solution across company networks, systems and facilities. They also help organizations enforce more consistent policies, while facilitating the use of consolidated audit logs throughout the enterprise,” said Sheila Stromberg, Director, Corporate End User Strategies at HID Global. “A key to realizing the benefits of IP-based, networked access control is the use of an open and scalable platform. This ensures that information can be seamlessly exchanged between the previously disparate systems. Systems based on open standards also make it easier for users to expand, customize and integrate solutions while delivering more robust security. Standards-based solutions also give users the flexibility to choose from many different products and suppliers, and to tailor these solutions to their own, specific needs.”

“The integration of physical and logical access control via wireless locking could provide the benefits of an added layer of security on top of badging and passwords without adding complexity for the end user,” said Scott Bartlett, CEO at Southwest Surveillance Systems. “With wireless locks, re-securing accessed resources becomes automatic as well. The less interference a security system creates, the more valuable it becomes.” While physical and logical access control systems are a comprehensive suite for security systems integrating all the necessary technology to make a customized security management system for a customer, this is not an out-of-the box solution, cautioned Mara. “All companies enjoy being the primary company on-site to perform all the tasks associated with advanced security solutions over a long period of time. This is not always possible, so it is vital to understand every aspect of technology from programming to trouble shooting and to re-engineering, when necessary.”

Myers agreed. “This is where most health care facilities currently live and have issues. The IT security solutions often do not correlate or talk to the access control. This requires multiple databases that are managed by separate departments.”

“It is very common that the systems are installed by separate departments with different providers. Retrofitting them to play together can be costly,” said William Plante, Director of Professional Services at Aronson Security Group. “Getting to the front end of this process would be key to an organizations success.”

Since many health care facilities and hospitals do not have the financial resources to start from scratch with new security technologies, open standards-based solutions would be the logical choice. “If physical and logical access control systems are installed at different times by different people, it may be harder to ensure the integration and compatibility of security tools,” Davies said. “Many logical access control installers are now ensuring the compatibility with physical security, but there is some way to go with regards to physical security installers automatically linking to logical security systems.”

Most hospitals view security as a cost rather than an investment. Cost-effective solutions are the ones driving movement. Although there is a push towards cost-efficiency, hospitals must balance protecting patients and employees against workflow efficiency. “Most hospitals understand the significant cost of inefficiencies like underutilized assets,” Maley said. “Additionally, there will be a return from improved patient satisfaction and as hospitals are increasingly measured on patient outcomes, improved service through the use of technology will actually allow hospitals to increase the payments they receive for providing high-quality services.”

Under “Obamacare” legislation, hospital reimbursements are partially tied to patient satisfaction scores. “Having an unwelcomed event at a hospital that could have been prevented with basic security measures is very harmful to that organization's reputation. With increasing crime rates and potential threats against staff, patients and visitors, it becomes increasingly important and challenging to provide a high level of security,” said Matt Vellek, Southeast Regional Sales Manager at AMAG Technology. “With the convergence of IT and security as well as the integrations that are available, it makes the system more of a management tool for the organization, which drastically shifts it from a cost to an investment.”

Assa Abloy/Hid Global Awarded Gesture-Based Access Patents for Smart Cards and Phones

Editor / Provider: Assa Abloy/Hid Global | Updated: 7/10/2013 | Article type: Security 50

HID Global announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted several patents for the company's innovation related to gesture-based methods of using three-dimensional (3-D) motion sequences to increase privacy, security and convenience when using RFID-based devices such as smart cards and NFC-enabled smartphones for a broad range of applications. These patent additions strengthen HID Global's IP portfolio of over 1,000 pending and issued patents and protect the company's intellectual capital.

HID Global's latest inventions allow a user to define a series of hand motion sequences or gestures to be used to control operation of an RFID-based device, introducing the notion of a new authentication factor. For example, when incorporated into a RFID smart card, a user can present the card to a reader, rotate the card 90 degrees to the right and then back to the original position to enable the card to be read. This greatly minimizes the possibility of a rogue device surreptitiously stealing the user's RFID credential in a “bump and clone” attack.

The invention opens up a new field of gesture-based authentication and is particularly pertinent when incorporated into an NFC-enabled mobile phone. Apart from the benefits of convenience and speed, the user can define gesture-based passwords to easily add an additional factor of authentication (e.g., something you know in addition to something you have) to the phone-based transaction. These user-defined, gesture-based passwords can also work in a two-dimensional mode similar to a combination lock, or they can also include 3-D motions such as moving to the left, right, forward and backward.

HID Global's invention can also be utilized to unlock Apps as well as to lock and unlock a door, similar to the way a mechanical key is used to lock and unlock a door. Additionally, it can allow the user to secretly signal that he is using his card or phone to gain access but is under duress.

New patents granted to HID Global for this invention are US 8,427,320 and US 8,232,879, and the company has received notification that the European Patent Office has indicated their intention to grant a patent.

Scottish swimming center upgrades access control infrastructure for international games

Editor / Provider: Salto Systems | Updated: 7/5/2013 | Article type: Government & Public Services

Scotland's newest international sporting facility, the Tollcross International Swimming Center in Glasgow, has installed Salto RFID electronic locks to provide a state-of-the-art access control solution as part of its overall security package.

The center has just re-opened its doors to the public after a US$20.7 million (￡13.8million) refurbishment to make it ready to host the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. The 2015 IPC World Swimming Championships have also been awarded to the venue and it is also at the heart of the city's bid to host the 2018 Youth Olympic Games.

As well as the pool improvements, Tollcross will also be a community facility. The fitness suite has been doubled in size to become one of the biggest and best equipped gyms in the city with 85 cardiovascular and strength conditioning stations, and a range of equipment is available for people with disabilities, including three hand cycles and six fixed resistance machines.

To handle security into and within the facility, Tollcross International Swimming Center has deployed a contactless RFID access control solution from Salto Systems and fitted it to a variety of internal room and storeroom doors.

David Brown from Scotdor, Salto's local partner that won the contract and carried out the installation, comments “We fitted a range of standalone battery powered RFID products from Salto'sproduct including 79 handle sets in a smart and practical stainless steel finish, 2 double sided locker units, 3 online doors and 3 electronic cylinder controlled doors.

For the online doors, we were required to install a separate network from the main system to comply with the client's requirements and the Data Protection Act not to transfer data for these doors across from the main network. This was no problem, and we were able to install and set up the controlling software for these doors completely to the client's satisfaction.”

Brown continues “The centre has been very impressed with the technical ability of the products, in particular the ability to control access via the Mifare smart ID cards. Since most access related information is kept encrypted on these cards, the locks are able to update and receive information from the cards at any time. So not only is the system easy to use, but its functionality has practically all the benefits of a fully on line access control system at the cost of a standalone system.

The ‘smart' access cards build up 'on-card' audit trails through normal use giving the centre complete control over access and enabling the movement of staff to be controlled and tracked if and as required. This enables a complete access profile of each individual to be established and updated as necessary as well as having the ability to see who accessed what door, where and when.

Cards can be programmed to allow access to specific rooms or areas within the centre for selected periods only, with the doors auto locking at pre-specified times as required. And if card security is breached due to the loss or theft of a card, it can be instantly deleted without the need or cost of rekeying or changing locks – saving the centre time and money.”

Assa Abloy/VingCard Elsafe introduces interactive RFID locking solution

Editor / Provider: Assa Abloy/VingCard | Updated: 7/1/2013 | Article type: Security 50

VingCard Elsafe, the global supplier in hospitality security and part of the ASSA ABLOY Group, announces the introduction of “Allure by VingCard,” a highly innovative RFID locking solution with a unique, interactive design and more features than ever before available in an electronic locking system.

VingCard Elsafe initiated a growing trend toward minimizing lock hardware on the guestroom door with the introduction of its Essence by VingCard locking system last year. Created with the hotel designer in mind, Allure by VingCard is a flexible, design-centric hardware and software solution that takes the minimalistic “invisible lock” concept one step further.

With Allure by VingCard, all external hardware on the door has now been completely eliminated through the use of a futuristic signage panel that adds a host of additional benefits and functionality to the locking system. These include a higher degree of flexibility in design, as well as the ability to add guest-facing in-room features such as “Do Not Disturb (DND) and “Make Up Room” (MUR) notifications to hotel staff. This is accomplished through an interactive touch panel located inside the room, An LED light on the door lock alerts staff of the request, so that guests are not disturbed unnecessarily.

An attractive exterior panel, easily installed on the wall next to the door in both reconstruction and new construction hotels, can be used to showcase the hotel's logo to allow for personalization. It also includes a touch doorbell, displays the room number, and notifies the guest when the door has been unlocked. The flexible design allows it to be used either as a component of a VingCard RFID locking system or as a pure DND/MUR panel-only configuration, which can be installed in properties that already have a locking system in place.