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What you need to know about mobile access control

Nearly 90% of secure doors in the places we work and live use RFID cards. These small bits of plastic are popular because of their simplicity. Just tap and go. These cards have been nearly ubiquitous at offices for 20 years, but they are starting to show their age. This is especially true now that we’re seeing new models for hybrid, distributed and remote work, which require more flexibility.

Mobile access control moves the access credential from a standalone card onto your mobile phone, replacing RFID cards and employee badges. To use them, you simply tap your phone over a reader, just like you would do with a card. Sometimes this is called smartphone door access, but the technology can do much more than just open doors.

Suprema has prepared several resources to help the industry understand what mobile access control is, how it works, why it is important and how it will transform our lives at work and in other places too.

Mobile access control cheat sheet

If you’ve been considering upgrading to mobile access control, you are probably curious about the benefits over your existing RFID cards. The mobile access control cheat sheet explains the essential benefits of this transformative new technology in simple terms.

Enhanced security: RF cards can be lost, stolen, or even cloned by hackers, without the owner noticing. This presents a major security risk. Mobile credentials can be deactivated remotely, in the cloud, if the owner’s phone is lost or stolen. Companies can also require phones be unlocked to use mobile credentials, adding an additional layer of security.

Easy to manage: Managing physical entry cards takes hours for HR, IT and administrative staff. Mobile credentials eliminate tasks like issuing physical cards, replacing lost cards and reactivating or reprogramming cards. Now credentials can be fully managed in the cloud. Visitors can pre-register and receive temporary credentials before arriving for a meeting. This not only saves time, it also means that their personal information is not stored on vulnerable paper records.

Cost effective: Maintaining thousands of cards is a big investment for any company. Digital credentials can be much more affordable, especially when it comes to managing visitors, vendors and non-office applications.

Future proof: Mobile access credentials can integrate with digital ID, Workplace Experience (WX) solutions and visitor management solutions. Employers, co-working spaces and apartment complexes can integrate mobile access into their own apps.

Customer choice: Suprema’s mobile access solutions integrate with existing RFID, face and fingerprint readers, giving customers a choice of how to authenticate entry for specific areas of buildings, or for employees, residents, vendors and visitors.

Fast and contact free: Mobile credentials are just as fast and convenient to use as RF entry cards. They are also contact free; users do not have to touch any shared surfaces. If a phone stores multiple credentials it will automatically use the right one, saving time versus flipping through multiple cards.

Cool factor: Guests, employees, visitors and residents are impressed when they see mobile access control systems. Presenting this cutting-edge image can give businesses an edge when hiring or winning clients, give apartments an edge when finding tenants and businesses an edge in retaining customers.

Six features every mobile access control system must have

Suprema’s security experts and engineers have come up with a list of six must-haves in any mobile access solution. These are based on its own data and conversations with customers. Here is a summary of our top six list:

1. Top grade security, no exceptions.

2. A workplace experience employees will love.

3. Easy, cloud-based management that HR and IT will love.

4. Works reliably with your employees’ phones.

5. Compatibility with your existing access control infrastructure.

6. Ability to affordably scale with your needs.

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