It’s not surprising that in the year 2021 the traditional fob or keycard access credential is finally seeing some serious competition. With the increasing sophistication of smart phones, it is only a matter of time that people take advantage of the technology. In today’s world most people have an android or apple smartphone and the technology that is natively employed within these devices make them terrific for mobile credentials. In a similar way that Apple Pay utilizes your phone to become a credit card, mobile credential systems allow your phone to become the credential.
But why consider the switch to mobile credentials?
Let’s start with the problems that we've seen with physical credentials.
Plastic access control cards have been around for nearly forty years and for the entire period they have had issues. First, it was another item that everybody had to make sure they had with them before they left their house in the morning. We have all experienced arriving at work only to discover we had left our access card at home. No problem, someone will let me in, and I can always borrow someone’s card if I need one during the day. No way I am driving home to pick up my card for the day.
Second, cards could be lost and if the company name was printed on the badge, you have essentially provided the finder of the card with the same access that the card owner had. Anyone who was in possession of the card could use it until it was disabled in the system.
Third, creation, distribution and recovery of cards is clumsy at best – and expensive. If a new employee starts, you better have the new card order in with enough time to make sure it is available on the first day of work. And make sure you collect the card on the last day or their employment and disable it within the access control system. The cards themselves are of insignificant expense, but if you add in the card printer, printing supplies, the labor to print a card and ongoing servicing of the print equipment the costs add up fast.
And lastly, older technology prox cards are incredibly easy to clone, just take it to the closest keys kiosk at your local mall.
Mobile credentials solve these issues. Although you may get halfway to work and discover you forgot your phone, nearly all of us will turn around and get it – not so with your physical access card.
In the next blog post, we will take a deeper look into how mobile credentials provide a greater level of security, improve the ease of use for the user of the credential and in administration, and reduce your overall costs.