HID Global mobile access control pilot with Arizona State University recognised by NACCU

For the pilot, ASU staff and students were given NFC smartphones containing HID Global’s SIO technology

HID Global, trusted leader in solutions for the delivery of secure identity, announced that the company’s mobile access control pilot with Arizona State University (ASU) has been recognised by the National Association of Campus Card Users (NACCU) with the organisation’s inaugural Innovative Technology Award. The award was given to ASU in recognition of the pilot program’s ground-breaking work in validating the use of digital credentials on NFC smartphones for physical access control on a college campus.

“We are honored that NACCU has recognised this pilot program, which 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 clearly demonstrated the benefits of opening doors using  HID’s digital credentials that have been securely embedded into NFC smartphones, and we appreciate all of the valuable help from ASU and pilot partners ASSA ABLOY Americas, Device Fidelity, Research in Motion and Verizon Wireless."

To conduct the pilot, which was completed during the summer of 2011, a group of ASU staff and students were given NFC smartphones containing HID Global’s Secure Identity Object (SIO) technology, a key feature of the company’s iCLASS SE credential and reader platform. SIO technology protects the integrity of identities 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 standards-based, technology-independent and flexible identity data structure that significantly enhances security, portability and performance.

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. Feedback from pilot participants cemented ASU’s vision of a future where virtual identities can be created for each registering student and then delivered to them via a mobile application. Approximately 80 percent of participants said using a smartphone to unlock a door is just as convenient as using campus ID cards, and nearly 90 percent said they would like to open all doors on campus using their smartphones.

“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,” said Laura Ploughe, director of business applications and fiscal control, University Business Services, at Arizona State University. “We are very pleased with the results, and gratified to have received this recognition from NACCU.”