Mobile technologies has now penetrated every aspect of our lives, including the workplace. It would be wise for enterprises to take advantage of this trend to not only increase convenience, but also to enhance existing physical access control systems.
Mobile technologies have brought in new levels of choice and confidence to access control. From smartphones to wearables and tablets, mobile devices are ever present in today's office environment, always on-hand to serve a variety of purposes. It has become the go-to technology of the new millennium, offering convenience and portability.
In light of these developments, leveraging mobile technology to access doors, parking facilities, and gates – not to mention networks, other enterprise applications, and so much more – is a logical step in the evolution of access control. These advancements have encouraged a more secure identity lifestyle built around the convenience and ubiquity of mobile devices.
It would be, perhaps, the next logical step that organizations and employees consider the use of smart devices to enable physical access (mobile access control). This article will highlight the benefits to consider when implementing mobility initiatives which would enable organizations to answer end-user demand for convenience and choice in a new mobile-first world.
Smart Devices Are Everywhere
The convenience that mobile connectivity offers is changing the way we live, work, and play. By extending access control functionality to a mobile device, it allows the end users to securely and conveniently access the workplace using their smart devices.
In this era of mobility and cloud computing, enterprises and individuals are increasingly concerned about the security and protection of their physical environment. Correctly implemented, secure mobile access has the potential to change how we interact and remains a critical front line of defense for enterprises. Confidence and education in the use of contactless applications and technologies such as wearables, NFC, Bluetooth, mobile wallets, iBeam, and iBeacon are continuously growing and so is the understanding of which technologies are best suited for mobile access control.
No matter what the technology, mobile devices offer an unparalleled way to change the way we open doors. However, security administrators and IT directors will need to review which mobile-related technologies will allow them to best engage with their employees to create the optimal access experience on their premises.
Taking Wearables Into Account
The wearables market is growing exponentially. The International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker reported the shipment of 78.1 million units in 2015, a 171.6 percent increase compared to the previous year. It is, therefore, only a matter of time before wearables and other mobile products join the device ecosystem and give users even more choices and flexibility.
Indeed, another research by Gartner also stated that wearable devices would offer many opportunities for customers and employees and that the array of devices available would evolve rapidly in the short term. It is because of this rapidity that these truly mobile, "always-on" devices are the ideal natural candidates for access control applications because of the ready-to-use convenience they offer.
Transactional Experience
Imagine a world where access fits in the palm of your hand. Smart devices are ubiquitous and always at hand; thus, becoming the most valued technology we own. Using mobile devices to open doors is therefore seen as a marriage of security and convenience, offering an individual the ability to securely access doors, gates, and areas not open to the general public through his mobile device.
Alex Tan, Director of Sales,
Physical Access Control System,
ASEAN, HID Global
Secured mobile access solutions allow for the secure creation, issuance, and management of digital credentials into smart devices. In today's more progressive solutions, digital credentials or Mobile IDs can be securely managed and revoked remotely from a central management portal. As mobile devices proliferate, their users can always utilize connected networks.
Another emerging trend in the mobile space is the convergence of cloud and mobile computing, which is expected to promote the growth of centrally coordinated applications powered by embedded intelligence that can be delivered to any smart device.
Leveraging the Mobile-First World
Driven by convenience and operational efficiency, enterprises are increasingly seeking to leverage the potential of a mobile-first world. Harnessing the mobile revolution for physical access control will eventually merge the network and other secure access needs, creating a more connected environment.
With the rapid adoption of the "bring your own device" (BYOD) trend developing at work, some enterprises have been caught by surprise. However, BYOD challenges are gradually being met by more manageable methods of deploying mobile devices in the organization.
Instead of an unknown, potentially unsupported population of employee-owned devices, organizations are granting select personal devices permission to access corporate systems. Several options, including the "choose your own device" (CYOD) strategy — where the organization offers a list of permitted devices and applications for specific roles — are overcoming these challenges.
Management Considerations
Creating and managing access cards can be a time-consuming process for security professionals and administrators. This is especially true for school campuses where the task of creating and disabling cards for large numbers of students enrolling and graduating can be quite challenging. In such cases, connected secured mobile devices can help manage mobile identities in near real time using cloud-based portals and save the administrative staff valuable time.
Another advantage of implementing a cloud-based portal is that all identities are centralized. This is particularly useful in places with addresses in more than one location. With card-based access systems, a visitor from one branch to the next would have to get a visitor badge, or go through other forms of red tape to gain access to the other office. With a cloud-based portal, the employee simply sends a notification to the system administrator before leaving for the branch office which would then have an additional mobile identity sent over by the time the said employee reaches the place. In that sense, the management process is significantly streamlined and shortened.
Security Considerations
One thing to consider when going for mobile access is the possibility of cyberattacks through many tools and techniques. When a mobile access solution is implemented, devices and backend security systems require multilayered security models to mitigate the effects of such attacks. The upshot of this is that if the attackers manage to breach a layer, the doors will still remain locked.
That said, mobile operating systems, such as Android and iOS, are built to maintain high levels of security. With a secured mobile access app like ours, enterprises can take advantage of these security features to ensure that its data cannot be accessed or modified by other running apps.
Finally, mobile identities can be signed and encrypted to mitigate the effects caused by their theft. In case someone loses his smart phone, his mobile identity can also be deleted to prevent it from entering the wrong hands.
Mobile Technology in Physical Security
Mobile devices are changing the way employees work and enterprises think about their operations, networks, and security. The next logical step for many organizations will be replacing their legacy systems with physical access security systems which would support mobile access on smart devices. Putting mobile devices to work as tools for secure access is more convenient for users, easier for enterprises to manage, and more secure than older generation technologies. This will create many opportunities for the convergence of network and physical security that are simply unavailable with legacy access tools.