Issue link: https://securitytechnologyexecutive.epubxp.com/i/282968
27 SECURITY TECHNOLOGY EXECUTIVE • February/March 2014 www.SecurityInfoWatch.com involve card issuance, personalization, access rights, management and post- issuance. Using Smart Phones like Smart Cards A s Near Field Communications (NFC) technology is now being added to a growing number of mobile hand- sets to enable access control as well as many other applications, more and more organizations, including health- care centers, are considering joining the "bring your own device" (BYOD) trend and having their users deploy their own smart phones and their access control credentials. It is project- ed that over 285 million NFC-enabled smart phones were expected to be sold in 2013 and over half the phones sold in 2015 will be NFC-capable. NFC provides simplified transac- tions, data exchange and wireless con- nections between two devices that are in close proximity to each other, usu- ally by no more than a few inches. A web-based credential management sys- tem allows NFC-enabled smart phones to grant access to buildings and various rooms as well as partake of other badge ID applications just like smart cards. To turn NFC-enabled smart phones into an access control credential, allow- ing people to use their smart phones to enter buildings in the same way they present a badge ID, users simply down- load the app to their smart phone. Then, their access control administra- tor uses the cloud service to send a secure mobile credential directly to the user's phone. Once the mobile creden- tial is downloaded, users open the app and tap their smart phone to the read- er in the same way they use an ID card. Those not able to make an upgrade today to a smart credential solution may want to consider incorporating multi-technology readers. Increasing Security by Updating Lockdown Capabilities Violence in healthcare environments is on the rise. Whether it's an active shooter situation, a domestic inci- dent spilling over into the emergency department, or patient/family violence against staff members, lockdown pro- cedures can help contain and control the situation and keep other patients and staff from being put in harm's way. Some recent advances in facility secu- rity have been shown to go a long way in helping to maintain perimeter access and control intra-facility movement dur- ing an emergency. First of all, an access control system with strategically placed readers and electronic locking solutions has become an increasingly popular way to enable the instantaneous lockdown of a facility in the case of an emergency. Secondly, what makes an access con- trol system so helpful in emergency situ- ations is the ease by which administra- tors can deny access to the perimeter or any intra-facility area, thereby giving the administrator autonomy in regards to traffic flow during an emergency situa- tion. When implemented correctly, the Request information: www.securityinfowatch.com/ 10215933 STE_24-29_0314 Timme AccessCntrl.indd 27 3/14/14 11:13 AM