20 Apr Security News: Key Benefits of Mobile Access Control
Reprinted from American Alarm
With a mobile credential, an individual can use their smart phone to scan into locked areas where they would have used a keycard or fob in the past. Mobile credentials are becoming increasingly popular in access control systems because they are easier to manage and more secure than cards, fobs, or keys. Here are the top benefits of mobile access control.
Mobile credentials reduce the risk of fraudulent card reader usage
Mobile credentials bolster security because they cannot be shared from one individual to another as a physical keycard can. Since the credential is accessed via an individual’s smartphone, they must first scan their face or enter their pin to access their phone before scanning the credential. Thieves won’t have access to the security credential even if a phone is stolen.
While keycards and fobs are vulnerable to being cloned, and traditional keys can be copied, mobile credentials are fully encrypted and cannot be duplicated. Also, since credentials can’t be shared, only authorized individuals can access restricted areas.
Building managers can layer mobile credentials with video surveillance for additional security. This way, when someone accesses a secure area, they can use video to verify who entered.
Streamline access management
With mobile credentials, access management is streamlined. Instead of adding another key to a ring, access permissions can be granted, revoked, or adjusted with just a few clicks.
The ability to manage access control remotely reduces the workload of building security personnel while bolstering security. There’s no need to coordinate key exchanges, card replacements, or lock changes. Instead, changes can be made from a computer and implemented in seconds.
There’s no risk of ex-employees or former tenants accessing restricted areas while you work to coordinate a key exchange. Instead, access is revoked instantly.
Eliminate the logistical burden of key management
If a key is lost or damaged, a building manager or security team member must coordinate its replacement. This exchange represents an expense in both time and physical products. With mobile credentials, access can be adjusted instantly, and there is no need to spend money purchasing a physical key or fob.
Remotely managing access credentials saves security team members a lot of time. Plus, where key fobs and cards sometimes become faulty and stop working, mobile credentials don’t. There’s no need to worry that faulty equipment will disrupt someone’s access to a building.
What if individuals aren’t tech-savvy?
Some individuals are slow to adapt as technology evolves and may resist using smartphones. They can scan keycards or fobs at the same readers that scan mobile credentials. However, mobile access control is only becoming more prevalent, and fobs and keycards will be phased out in time.
The Bottom Line
Mobile access control can be managed remotely, and permissions can be adjusted instantly, making it more secure and less labor-intensive for security teams than keycards and fobs. This technology is becoming the new standard for access control, so we urge our existing and future clients to consider adapting it moving forward.