The adoption of mobile access control systems among enterprises continues to grow as organizations seek secure and user-friendly solutions to manage logical access to data and systems.
A digital wallet refers to the technology built into a mobile device that can store payment methods, tickets for sporting events and concerts, boarding passes and more recently, personal credentials like employee badges and student IDs. In the context of access control systems, digital wallets leverage mobile credentials — the digital version of a physical credential such as an ID badge — to offer high levels of security and usability.
Organizations across various sectors can reap the benefits of logical access control systems with digital wallets to enable more secure operations.
How do digital wallets for access control systems work?
Logical access control systems that leverage digital wallet technology work by allowing users to verify their identity using encrypted digital credentials stored on their smartphones. Near Field Communication (NFC) technology facilitates these interactions by establishing a secure, wireless connection between the device and a mobile credential reader, offering fast, touch-free authentication.
Digital wallet access control is ideal for close-proximity authentication use cases such as remote network access. The WAVE ID® Plus Mini, WAVE ID® SP Plus and the WAVE ID® Mobile Mini support NFC 13.56 MHz frequency for mobile credentials, offering user-friendly and secure logical access for a number of use cases.
Digital wallet access control: Benefits explained
Digital wallet access control offers a wide range of benefits, including enhanced security due to two-factor authentication and encryption. Mobile credentials stored in digital wallets are also inherently more secure than physical credentials that can easily be lost or stolen.
Beyond security, digital wallet access control benefits employees by providing a convenient user experience. Given the widespread familiarity people already have with using mobile wallets (e.g., Apple Wallet, Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet), the use of digital wallet technology in the workplace is highly intuitive. rf IDEAS’ WAVE ID® readers are certified to work with HID employee badge and student ID in the Apple Wallet, further enhancing authentication with accessibility.
Additionally, the ability to remotely and instantly, enroll, distribute and manage credentials makes digital wallet access control an ideal choice for credential managers. Migrating from physical to mobile credentials is also a relatively straightforward process, allowing for easy implementation.
Use cases for digital wallet access control systems
Digital wallets for logical access control provide versatility by allowing a single credential and the same tap-and-go process for various use cases. Here are several examples of how organizations across the healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, commercial enterprise and higher education sectors can leverage digital wallet technology for logical access control.
Secure printing
The use of digital wallets for logical access control can help you maintain high levels of security for confidential print jobs. For example, if providers need to print sensitive patient charts in a healthcare setting, they can securely print documents by tapping their phone onto a printer equipped with an authentication reader.
Single sign-on (SSO)
If you work in the financial services industry or other sectors that handle sensitive data, digital wallet technology is an effective avenue for two-factor SSO authentication. Storing mobile credentials in a digital wallet and securing the device with biometric authentication methods like Face ID fulfills two of the three core tenets of multi-factor authentication (MFA) — something you have and something you are.
Remote network access
Remote work raises a number of cybersecurity and compliance concerns when the right security measures are not in place. But digital wallet access control enables employees to use credential readers at home to tap into your organization’s secure enterprise network.
Adopt an access control system compatible with digital wallets for secure authentication
The use of digital wallets in access control systems remains the optimal choice for enterprises seeking to improve security while providing employees with a user-friendly experience. rf IDEAS offers mobile credential readers that support various use cases for digital wallet technology, making us the go-to partner for logical access control.
Get in touch to learn more about how digital wallet access control benefits your organization.
