An increasing focus on security has given rise to many different forms of access control for buildings and other physical locations. Means of entry can include a card, a token, or even a biometric scan. Access control plays a vital role in helping deter unwanted intrusions, protect property and enhance the safety of public facilities.
Yet despite how ubiquitous they have become, access control systems are only as secure as the technology on which they are based. Many such systems use encryption but the organisations that procure them rarely if ever think about updating them, says Alex Tan, sales director of physical access control solutions for Asean with HID Global.
"It is true that some companies see physical access control as merely a function to support the business," he said, adding that what businesses don't see is the technology behind the credential system used to authorise access.
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, HID Global develops secure identity and access control systems and related products for clients worldwide. Asia is a growing market for the subsidiary of the Swedish conglomerate Assa Abloy Group AB, with operations in Hong Kong, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia and Australia.
"HID Global has been doing a lot of advocating and talking to a lot of users of our products and partners about seeing access applications as the technology, not as the function," Mr Tan told Asia Focus.
Pointing out that there is a life cycle for every credential technology, Mr Tan explained that after a certain period, the safety of a physical access control system can be compromised, further stressing the importance of upgrading credential technology.
Many people, he said, are not aware that this should concern them. "They think that I get a card, I open the door, the door opens, and then it is fine. But they do not know that the credential technology of the card could be 25 years old."
In his view, companies and organisations need to place more emphasis on the investment in the encryption technology itself, instead of focusing merely on its function when making procurements.
"If they ever look at it from an encryption point of view, they will then have a different mindset and invest more to get the latest encryption technology," he said.
Recently, HID Global launched a new reader called Signo, with end-to-end credential technology that is also interoperable on different mediums. The product is intended for companies that want to make their investments in physical access control more future-proof.
However, Mr Tan acknowledges that users of physical access control technology generally look at the price.
"I am not saying that it is a bad thing to do, but my advice is that you should not use it as the single criterion to make the decision," he said.
He likens an access control system to a passport or a driver's licence. By renewing these documents after a certain period, we make it harder for others with specific intentions to forge them, and we ought to do the same for our physical access control systems.
Apart from the private sector, HID Global also works with governments to secure the safety of public facilities. To spur governments to make sure that they are doing their utmost to protect public infrastructure, Mr Tan believes it is important for the public to check if the security systems being used are operating with the latest technology.
"Because ultimately, the people are the users, and they are the ones who are paying for the services," he pointed out.
It is hard to predict when or how technology is going to be compromised, so HID always advises clients to get the latest technology available.
"At the end of the day, what you invest in is encryption," said Mr Tan. Using anti-virus applications as an example, he notes that if people want to protect their computers, they need to get the latest patch to ensure that the anti-virus software remains effective.
"This is just like the way our credential technology is issued, with all the cryptographic keys and the latest technology," he said.
Alex Tan, sales director for Asean of physical access control solutions, HID Global
MOBILE INTEGRATION
As mobile phone technology continues to progress, and nearly everyone has a handset with plenty of computing power, more and more companies and organisations have started integrating the use of mobile phones into their access control systems.
Such systems have the added benefit, in these Covid-stressed times, of providing the user with a touch-free experience.
Mr Tan said that a lot of HID customers in Singapore are using phones instead of cards to enter workspaces. Some customers in the city-state are integrating the credential technology provided by HID Global into the app they themselves have developed specifically for the building where they are located.
"When you download and use the app, you are downloading not just the HID app, but the app of the building," he said, adding that the combination is a good way of reinforcing the branding of the client.
The same building app can also do many other things, including regulating conditions in a smart-building environment to ensure the comfort and convenience of the people working there.
As well, the owner of the building can use data collected from users' activities to adjust services or determine whether more services should be added. Such innovation in apps, Mr Tan believes, helps to increase the effectiveness of communication among employees and allows owners to monitor the operations of different areas more quickly.
"Once our product is integrated into a particular building app, it opens many brand-new opportunities for how you see access control," he said.
Yet despite the convenience that mobile phone usage offers in such settings, concerns persist about digital privacy and security of users.
Mr Tan says HID Global can ensure the credentials the customers hold in their phones are issued in a safe manner. As soon as a credential is entered or issued, the user of the app is given an ID that can be recognised on the digital portal, and the process involves many security checks, he explained.
"For instance, when we use our cloud equipment to issue the credential over the cloud to the customer's phone, all those processes are encrypted with the highest security," he said.
Because HID uses the best cryptographic technology available, there is a very low risk that someone could pick up a credential and decipher it, he said.
"Only with the cryptographic key can the credential be passed on to the reader, to be further deciphered, and then read back to the controller to get the door open."
