Ann Timme, Senior Brand & Solutions Marketing Manager for Access Solutions, Allegion explains how interoperability enables long-term flexibility.

The choice

We’ve all been there. The moment you realize that, in either a personal or professional situation, you have limited options when wanting to upgrade or add a new product to your technology ecosystem.

It can be frustrating. You feel locked in and that you don’t have the opportunity to choose the best solution for your situation.

Understanding interoperability and the importance of asking the right questions can help enable long-term system flexibility and peace of mind.

Defining interoperability

Let’s start by defining interoperability. It means different things depending on the application, but at its core, interoperability is when diverse systems, devices or products connect, communicate and interpret information in a coordinated way.

When referring to an access control solution, interoperability means that credentials, readers or electronic locks and software are able to work with each other in a seamless manner.

This is regardless of the brand or manufacturer being used.

Proprietary solutions are usually made up of different elements manufactured by only one company.

As they’re typically supported by a limited number of partner systems, this means an entire solution’s flexibility and capabilities may be reduced.

As technology and requirements evolve in the future, proprietary systems may not be capable of easily adapting along with the need.

Benefits of interoperability

The value of interoperability is substantial and unlocks new levels of options, control and confidence for those who embrace the concept.

Measuring that value may look different for everyone, but let’s address a few key benefits.

Freedom

Interoperable solutions put the end user or system owner at the center of the decision-making process.

They provide freedom to choose best-in-class solutions that meet the unique needs of different markets and applications, no matter the brand.

As technology advances, they are open to move quickly to new solutions even if the original manufacturer falls behind.

This freedom should apply to all elements of the total solution to provide the most value.

Financial confidence

Control over long-term financial costs is crucial. Choosing interoperability is a strategy that can enable that control.

A successful solution will generally rely on a range of products, many of which will require integrations to other systems.

With proprietary technology limiting choices to only a select few vendors controlled by that manufacturer, costs are potentially higher.

Interoperability allows for a wider selection of products and means the end customer can shop around to find the best solutions for their needs at a reasonable price point and won’t be locked in down the road.

Security

It is a misconception that open or interoperable systems mean the technology is not secure or less secure than a closed solution.

Using interoperability, the storage and communication of data and secure information remains protected using similar robust encryption methods as a closed solution.

When credentials and hardware use custom encryption keys, the levels of security go up even further.

User experience

For some market applications, the use of an interoperable credential built on open protocols is extra valuable.

Think of all the touch points that university students interact with daily using their campus identification card or mobile credential.

Beyond access control, this could include public transit access, meal plans, the library, fitness center access, event tickets and other types of financial transactions.

Interoperable technology allows universities to leverage various partners’ platforms and devices to address uses cases across the entire campus.

Hospital staff may want to use the same credential for parking, cafeteria, vending or other financial transactions.

The credential could also allow individualized access to pharmacy carts and other sensitive security areas.

Interoperability enables the use of a single credential across many applications through simpler integrations with a wide variety of readers and terminals.

The less users need to worry about the credentials they use, the smoother their day runs and the more satisfied they are with their experiences.

These types of seamless interactions are fairly targeted now, but new use cases are being built every day.

The possibilities are greater when systems are built using interoperable, open technology.

What does interoperability look like

While there are a number of different ways to look at it, interoperability within an access control system can mean that a credential from one manufacturer can be fully supported by another manufacturer’s access control reader or electronic lock, which can then be managed by another company’s software.

This allows system owners to leverage existing technology decisions and investments made in the past, while still being able to expand.

Another example focuses directly on credential interoperability; specifically, extending credential utility to a variety of device manufacturers or application providers through the use of an open custom encryption key.

This means that environments installed with a mix of manufacturers may now be able to use a single credential across all sites and openings.

Custom encryption keys are unique for each customer and add a greater level of control, security and flexibility to the overall solution by allowing them to take these interoperable keys to a variety of credential and device manufacturers for configuration into the products they’ve chosen to incorporate into their system.

Using a custom encryption key versus the standard key issued by the manufacturer also increases the security of the entire environment by making it more difficult for bad actors to gain access to sensitive information about a facility or system.

It’s important when talking about custom encryption keys to ask about the level of openness and interoperability they provide.

Consider choosing solutions that allow customers to own and control their custom keys and avoid solutions that may limit the use of the custom keys to a select number of partners.

Mobile credentials and interoperability

Interoperability is of greater importance as entities prepare for a move to mobile credentials, whether today or five years from now.

Part of the appeal of mobile credentials is the convenience of the credential holder’s experience.

This is why, for a mobile credential to be successful, the ability to use them everywhere a physical card would be used is imperative.

As businesses and institutions prepare to go mobile, they will need to audit the types of applications a physical card is used for today and build an ecosystem of interoperable devices and systems to support that seamless experience.

New industry standards

As interoperable or open solutions are becoming increasingly desired, the access control industry is stepping up.

Driven by industry leaders, standards such as Aliro are being developed to eliminate barriers and deliver best-of-class security, privacy and interoperability across entire solutions through common credential and communication protocols.

These new standards strive to deliver a simplified approach to system implementation and a consistent experience for mobile credential users no matter what device they use.

The power of interoperability

Interoperability empowers customers with the freedom of choice when it comes to credential and hardware brands and technologies.

It makes adding new openings to the access control enterprise seamless and protects existing investments as needs change in the future.

This article was originally published in the November edition of Security Journal Americas. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.