Mobile PACS from Gallagher secures e-keys via FIDO
01 December, 2016
category: Biometrics, Corporate, Government
A leading access control manufacturer opted for mobile credentials based on the FIDO Alliance standards for their new rollout. The Gallager Mobile Connect solution uses Bluetooth to wirelessly communicate the access credential from the employee’s handset to the Gallagher door access reader.
The company intends this to be, at least in some installations, more than just a complement to traditional prox or contactless badges, stating that the technology empowers, “businesses to use mobile technology in place of traditional access cards.”
The mobile PACS offering eliminates the cost of supplying and replacing cards and, via a subscription model rather than a traditional purchase model, “allows for credentials to be transferred between users and reissued to devices.”
How the mobile PACS offering works
In practice, an employee would receive an email invitation and an SMS one-time password style code at the point of enrollment. This combination ensures that both the user and the handset are verified, as both must be in possession or control of the individual. The user then downloads the Mobile Connect App to either an iOS or Android device and initiates the remote provisioning process. The mobile credential is created on the device and the setup of the user’s account in the access control system is completed.
Without visiting a security office or receiving a physical card or token, the user is now ready to present the access credential from phone to eligible door readers using the Bluetooth communication channel.
FIDO protocols enable the addition of a handset-stored PIN or biometric check as well, thus creating a secure, multi-factor authentication environment at the door.
The mobile app has two operating modes. The first requires the app to be active on the phone for Bluetooth transfer of the credential to the reader. By turning Background Access on, however, the app need not be open for the access control function to work.
Gallagher Mobile Connect supports multiple credentials within the app, enabling a user to maintain virtual keys for multiple sites across multiple Gallagher PACS installations.
Late in 2016, Gallagher and FIDO specialist Nok Nok Labs announced that they would work together on IoT systems, but specifically mentioned bringing FIDO protocols to the building access market. “IoT systems that can be accessed not just by devices but, also by individuals, need strong authentication,” said Phillip Dunkelberger, President & CEO of Nok Nok Labs.
The stated goal of the partnership was to integrate the Nok Nok S3 Authentication Suite into the Gallagher Command Centre access control platform. This launch of this Mobile PACS offering is the first publicly announced delivery from that partnership.
