In today’s world, smartphone use is pervasive and has surpassed all other technologies, including those used in the physical access control sector. People are constantly looking for greater convenience and security, which inspires the security sector to investigate smartphone technology for access control in order to replace traditional smart cards.

It may be difficult for mobile credentials to surpass the conventional way of access control, necessitating a critical examination of both of these access control approaches in order to reach a workable conclusion. This blog aims to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of utilising mobile credentials instead of smart cards.

Why use Mobile Credentials?

1. Better Security –

– Certifications: Compared to smart cards, the ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certificate that authenticates an organization’s information security architecture places it in a secure environment.

– Restricted Access: By capturing particular mobile device attributes, mobile credential creation creates individual credentials for each mobile device. As a result, mobile credentials installed on one device are incompatible with others.

– Multi-factor Authentication (MFA): PINs, passwords, and biometrics are just a few of the security measures that keep smartphone credentials secure.

– Versatile: Any access control system can be updated to handle mobile credentials, whether they are new or old, and they are more affordable than RFID cards or fobs.

2. Ease of Use – You are less likely to forget to bring your smartphone to work than a smart card, which always faces the risk of damage or loss.

3. Easy Validation – Organizations prefer smart cards due to their physical validation capabilities, which include a variety of printing techniques like guilloche, UV or IR active colour printing (also known as optically variable inks), holographic overlays, holograms, embossing, laser engraving, ghost images, micro printing, and CLI/ MLI (changeable laser image/ multiple laser image). While mobile credentials require more advanced reader equipment, security guards can validate the user identification using simple machines or their own eyes.

4. Remote Credential Provisioning – Being cloud-based, mobile credentials enable an administrator to revoke, issue, or change them from any location at any time. The handling of smartcards is different because they are actual items.

5. Power Requirement: Activating your smart card to get access does not require a power supply. A depleted smartphone, on the other hand, is useless without a nearby charging station and may leave a person trapped outside the building.

6. Technical Difficulties – Because mobile certification is still in its early stages, it highlights performance issues caused by the wide variety of mobile operating systems and devices on the market. In contrast, it is simple to issue smart cards on a big scale to a diverse group of consumers.

7. Additional Services – In addition to access control, a mobile credentials app may include a number of extra services, such as attendance management and guest management, to enable sending and receiving attendance and visitor requests from a smartphone. Mobile credentials are integrated into many gated communities’, business parks’, and co-working spaces’ mobile apps for enterprise services.

Still unsure whether to select mobile credentials or smart cards? Contact our knowledgeable staff at IDZONE.