Industry experts talk about challenges, best practices, and the future of mobile credentialing at ISC East 2024.
Skyrocketing innovation in mobile credentialing is redefining access control for organizations, integrators, and end users. As Bluetooth-based systems give way to near-field communications (NFC) and beyond, new challenges arise that require security practitioners to rethink their roles and responsibilities. On the morning of November 21st at ISC East, three industry experts joined moderator Lee Odess, CEO of The Access Control Collective, to discuss what this might mean.
The End User at the Door
For Mike Green, Product Manager of Mobile Solutions at LenelS2, the crux of the mobile credential revolution lies in improving the end-user experience at the door. A user’s first interaction with an access control system is using it as an entry point, and mobile credentials offer a practical solution to employee forgetfulness that complements ease of use.
“How often do you leave your badge at home?” Green asks. “If I realize I’ve lost my badge driving into the office, I’ll just wear the red badge of shame for the rest of the day. Now, how often do you forget your phone? If I left that behind, I would just turn around and drive back home.”
Green explains that phones are the perfect credentials to combat forgetfulness. Mobile phones’ utility has made them indispensable in day-to-day life—their absence is felt more profoundly than a missing badge or key card. The potential catastrophe of losing access to a mobile phone is usually enough to incentivize vigilance in their owners.
This behavior comes with the benefit of eliminating lost or compromised employee badges, a common vulnerability in credential access systems. It also frees security administrators from having to replace or remove lost badges in the system. Green points to delays in employee reporting that exacerbate this issue by allowing lost credentials to remain active, potentially lengthening the window a threat actor can use to breach the building.
“We’ve all had that sinking feeling when leaving our badge or phone at home,” concurs Danny Smith, owner of ColorID. “But the user experience also relies on interacting with access control and other third-party systems.”
According to Smith, an “explosion of use case variety” depends on the verticals serviced. New cloud-based access systems and other integrated services have helped streamline mobile credentialing implementation. “Mobile credentialing is a great vehicle for enhancing the user experience,” he comments.
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