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| The mobile access control pilot at ASU was the first to validate the use of digital credentials on NFC smartphones |
HID Global, trusted leader in solutions for the delivery of secure identity, announced it has successfully completed the world's first university pilot of NFC smartphones carrying digital keys. The pilot was implemented using the company's SIO technology, a key feature of its award-winning, next-generation iCLASS SIO-Enabled (iCLASS SE) credential and reader platform that transforms how secure identity is delivered and managed while enabling new levels of access control security, portability and performance.
"The completion of this pilot is an important step toward global deployment of mobile access control technology beyond cashless payment applications," said Debra Spitler, vice president of mobile access solutions with HID Global. "The pilot results have clearly demonstrated the benefits of opening doors using digital credentials that have been securely embedded into NFC smartphones. We are very pleased with the results, and appreciate all of the valuable help from ASU and pilot partners ASSA ABLOY Americas, Device Fidelity, Kratos/HBE, Research In Motion and Verizon Wireless."
The mobile access control pilot at Arizona State University (ASU) was the first to validate the use of digital credentials on NFC smartphones for physical access control on a college campus. A group of ASU staff and students were given NFC smartphones containing HID Global's iCLASS SE credential technology, which was recognised this year with awards at some of the industry's most influential conferences in 2011 including ASIS International and CARTES & IDentification. The ASU pilot participants gained access to their residence hall and selected rooms by presenting the phones to their door readers, just like they do with their existing iCLASS-based physical campus ID cards. Participants used a variety of popular smartphones connected to all major mobile networks. For more information, view the Arizona State University case study video with a first-hand look into the pilot and commentary from many of the partner participants.
"The initial feedback we received mid-way through the pilot in September was confirmed through its completion, cementing our vision of a future where virtual identities can be created for each registering student and then delivered to them via a mobile application," said Laura Ploughe, director of business applications and fiscal control, University Business Services, at Arizona State University. "This pilot proved the viability of the NFC-based mobile access model using secure portable credentials and the next generation of advanced access control systems, and also confirmed the high value that staff and students place on using their phones for more and more applications, including opening doors throughout the campus."
SIO technology protects the integrity of identities, regardless of the card technology, while enabling the use of multiple form factors ranging from smartphones to microprocessor-based cards, contactless smart cards and other devices. SIOs on the credential side and the SIO Processor on the reader side work together to execute functions previously performed by traditional cards and readers, using a new standards-based, technology-independent and flexible identity data structure that significantly enhances security, portability and performance. SIOs are at the heart of HID Global's iCLASS SE platform, which is an essential building block in the access control industry's first NFC-enabled mobile identity and access management solutions.
HID Global's SIO processor and iCLASS SIO-Enabled (iCLASS SE) credential and reader platform are available now.
Mobile access using NFC has received broad support across the industry. Companies and partners across the ecosystem recognise that NFC is the future of physical access and are committed to its development, integration and deployment.
Thanasis Molokotos, President and CEO, ASSA ABLOY Americas Division
"With NFC and the other solutions that we offer as the ASSA ABLOY Group, we see a number of opportunities including the ability to deliver a variety of different solutions depending on the kind of door that you would like to secure. Now that NFC has been added to the solution spectrum, we can go a little deeper and offer access control solutions for different budgets, from $300 to $3000, depending on the kind of door."
Chris Corum, Founder and Executive Editor, Avisian Publishing
"The physical access control side of this was great, and great to see. Because, to me, really the most crucial transactions are the identity and the security transactions. But I think when people talk about the mobile wallet, the first thing they think about in their wallet may be that series of credit and debit cards that they're carrying. But equal importance -- or, as I argue, of more importance - in our wallets are those building ID cards, and those access credentials into your campus if you're a students, or into your corporate center if you're an employee, or into your buildings and corporate and government sites if you're a government employee carrying a PIV card. I think that physical access and identity are going to prove to be equal to -- or more important than -- payments in the long run for NFC, and for that idea of the handset as the wallet or the handset as the credential."
Andrew Bocking, Vice President of Handheld Software Product Management, RIM
"With the brand new BlackBerry Bold and the brand new BlackBerry Curve, we've now got NFC embedded right into the products. We're very excited about the entire NFC ecosystem, and access control and logical access are very important parts of that. As we look forward to the future, mobile devices really become an extension of your identity, and this is just another example of how you can now use that identity to access things with your BlackBerry device."
Humphrey Chen, Executive Director, New Technologies and New Market Development, Verizon Wireless
"From a pilot perspective, it was clear that the students loved it, and they want it. The pilot gave us a clear indication that people would use their smartphones to unlock their dorm room doors, and this technology can be used for office doors and home doors, too."
