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HID Now Supports Seos-Enabled Student IDs in Apple Wallet

HID has officially announced its support of Seos-enabled IDs in Apple Wallet. HID provides the software support for IDs in Apple Wallet, Seos-enabled credentials, physical readers and reader modules, and electronic locks.

Clemson University will implement the new capability for this fall. Any student or employee with an ID at the school and an iPhone will be able to leverage this new capability. For those using the capability, the mobile device effectively replaces the physical ID card. For the remainder, the physical ID card remains. The iPhone contactless badge will provide all the same services as the physical ID card, such as enabling entrance into certain buildings, the ability to access various school resources, and the ability to access school account funds when making purchases.

Our Take

Using a mobile device as a method of authentication is more convenient for the user, as it removes the need to bring along an additional physical token. This capability is also more secure, for a physical ID card cannot be locked in any way; the holder of that card is assumed to be the authorized user. With contactless badge technology, you remove this dangerous assumption. Mobile devices can be locked, thus creating a multi-factor authentication experience for the user, without requiring them to do anything more than unlock their phone.

An obvious limitation to this new support is that it currently only applies to students or employees who use an iPhone and are comfortable using Apple Wallet. This leaves approximately half of mobile device users (according to Statista) unable to leverage this contactless badge technology. However, it is likely Android users will soon see a similar capability emerge, along with the necessary support for identity access management (IAM) vendors like HID.

It’s likely mobile device theft will likely rise as bad actors realize they could potentially be used to gain physical access or steal funds. Organizations can combat this by incorporating device security best practices into their security awareness and training program. Ideally, these best practices are included in the same communications for announcing the launch of the new contactless badge technology.

Source: HID at SoftwareReviews, Accessed September 17, 2019


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