Star India deploys HID Global Mobile Access for improved security and user experience

Staff access control

Star India is the country’s largest multimedia entertainment company. Founded in 1991 as STAR India with headquarters in Mumbai, the media conglomerate creates more than 20,000 hours of content annually for over 50 channels in its network. Star India caters to a diverse audience, producing programs in eight different languages that are broadcast to over 100 countries around the world.

With thousands of employees, Star India sought a new solution that provided advanced yet convenient access control for staff at its headquarters. The solution needed to also improve security and be easier to manage by the company’s security personnel. According to Sumir Yadav, Senior Vice President (Administration and Facilities), Star India, the company relied on smart cards for building access in the past. The cards were easily damaged and often misplaced, resulting in costly re-issuance of badges. Another weakness of the card-based access system was its inefficiency. Each new or replacement card had to be provisioned manually, costing Star India time and money as it continued to grow over the years.

With the popularity of smartphones and other smart devices soaring in India in recent years, Yadav started to look for a new solution that could enable Star India to make use of employees’ smart devices for better physical security. “Mobility has always been rated highly in our offices, so from the get-go we knew the new access control solution had to work with smartphones,” added Yadav.

HID Global Mobile Access solution

Working with Chubb Alba, an India-based security solutions integrator and HID Global partner, Star India revamped its security system in its Mumbai headquarters with HID Global Mobile Access, powered by Seos®. Star India has deployed 2,500 Mobile IDs onto staff member smartphones and has procured mobile-enabled iCLASS SE® R10 contactless readers for use at gates and doors throughout the 32-story building. The deployment, from the initial planning to the solution going online, took Star India only 12 weeks, and has been in operation since January 2016.

“As the nation’s largest multimedia company, we have extremely high standards when it comes to security. HID Global, known for being the market leader for access control solutions, was able to fulfill all of our requirements. The new solution from HID Global lets us take advantage of technology in this mobile-first age and achieve better security without being intrusive or compromising on user experience,” said Yadav.

HID Global Mobile Access utilises existing mobile technologies for a user-friendly access control that is convenient to use, easy to deploy and simple to manage. Supporting smart devices running the latest iOS and Android™ operating systems, HID Global Mobile Access enables Star India employees to unlock doors and gates with their mobile device using a simple tap or the HID Global patented “Twist and Go” gesture.

Mobile IDs are at the centre of the solution. Since they are provisioned via a robust online portal, Mobile IDs can be easily changed, issued or revoked by any of Star India’s own administrators at a moment’s notice. The company’s breakthrough Seos® credential technology ensures that end-user identity data stored on Mobile IDs is protected using secure data encryption.

To enroll an employee into the system, the administrators at Star India need only send an email invitation to the staff member, which prompts the recipient to download the HID Global Mobile Access App. Upon entering the activation code into the App, which is included in the initial email, the user is logged into the system and authorised to use his or her smart device for unlocking doors and gates equipped with the mobile-enabled iCLASS readers.

Simple mobile access control

“It took a short while for the staff to get accustomed to using their own devices for opening doors, but fortunately we did not come across any significant issue since deploying HID Mobile Access,” said Yadav.

The feedback on the HID Global Mobile Access solution from Star India employees has been generally positive. “Those who have tried it, love it. Now with my phone in hand, I can go wherever I am authorised to go with a simple gesture,” added Yadav. “The management team also receives better data on our staff’s time and attendance, as people tend not to lend their phones other colleagues just to check in at work – they would rather be on time.”

Migrating to HID Global Mobile Access has provided Star India with a host of benefits. According to Star India employees, the user experience that HID Global Mobile Access provides is far superior to the previous card-based system. In addition to making it possible for staff members to use their own smart device of choice, Star TV India no longer has to maintain an inventory of Physical access cards, or designate staff to manage them, which saves the company time and money while reducing the company’s environmental footprint.

Star India is currently exploring its options to expand the use of HID Global Mobile Access beyond opening doors and gates to include accessing its staff canteen and collaboration spaces, as well as to manage visitor access. In addition, Star India is considering HID Global Mobile Access to enable secure network printing in the future.