by Ann Withanee — April 29, 2011—ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in door opening solutions, introduces the ASSA ABLOY Mobile Keys Platform, a scalable secure delivery infrastructure for distribution and management of mobile keys. The platform allows credentials to be distributed securely through mobile phones enabled with Near Field Communication (NFC), as an alternative to mechanical keys and physical access cards. NFC is a short-range wireless communication technology standard that enables the exchange of data between devices over about a 10-centimeter distance.
Using the platform, security managers can manage credentials from a central access control system and easily issue mobile keys to mobile phones with NFC technology. The credentials are stored in a tamper-resistant memory space in the phone, called a secure element. Credentials can be revoked if the phone is lost or stolen, and new keys can then be re-issued to a temporary phone.
Several contactless services, such as payments, ticketing and loyalty, have already been integrated into mobile phones. The same development is now happening with keys. “It will soon be possible to unlock and lock doors using mobile phones in hotels, commercial buildings and private homes,” says Daniel Berg, Vice President and General Manager ASSA ABLOY Mobile Keys.
Instead of using a printer to encode a card or assigning a pre-encoded card to a user, a virtual key is delivered to and stored on an NFC-enabled mobile phone. The mobile key allows the user to open a lock with his/her mobile phone. The ASSA ABLOY Mobile Keys Platform ensures end-to-end security and is applicable for residential, commercial and hotel applications.
For more information, visit the ASSA ABLOY Web site.
