Video: 10 Minute IT Jams - Another update from HID

Securing entrances and data is getting smarter. That is the message from Steve Katanas, Director of Sales, Physical Access Control for South Asia-Pacific at HID, who recently spoke about the company's latest innovations and its efforts throughout the region.

HID, now a familiar name across governments, schools, and businesses in over 100 countries, is pushing the boundaries in the field of secure identity products and services. The company, together with its partners, is "pioneering the hardware, software and services that allow people to navigate the physical and digital worlds with confidence," Katanas said.

At its core, HID's technology is already a vital part of daily life for millions. "People use our technology to open doors into countries, access digital networks, verify transactions and even track assets," Katanas explained. He listed a range of tools – smart cards, mobile IDs, passports, fingerprint readers and facial recognition – that are part of HID's suite. His own responsibilities focus on physical access control solutions in Australia and New Zealand, only one of the company's six business areas.

Katanas said HID's customers typically include government bodies, financial institutions, the real estate sector, education and healthcare: "We sell access control products, logical access control products and secure issuance products as well."

Turning to innovation, Katanas highlighted two advances currently shaping the company's APAC strategy: cloud-based and mobile access solutions, and a new sustainable access card.

"We're focusing on cloud-based physical access control, mobile access solutions and touchless access control," he said. "From the mobile access perspective, we are focusing on both wallet and non-wallet based digital credentials." Katanas confirmed that a partnership with Apple has enabled HID to offer employee badges in Apple Wallet, which supports a staged migration from physical to digital credentials. "So both can work at the same time – it's not required to do a step approach. Customers can migrate to a digital environment at their own pace."

A key feature of this integration, Katanas explained, is that organisations do not need to upgrade existing access systems to use the Apple Wallet solution, which uses the built-in security of the iPhone and Apple Watch.

For clients who still rely on physical credentials, there is also something new. "We're proud to introduce the SIGNO Bamboo card – a secure physical credential made from sustainably sourced bamboo," he said. This card is designed for organisations seeking to move away from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), to "embrace a more sustainable future." By offering bamboo, HID hopes to drive environmental improvements within the sector.

Economic headwinds have not left the region untouched. "The Australian economy is not immune to global market threats," Katanas admitted, pointing to ongoing interest rate uncertainty. "Ongoing interest rate uncertainty has slowed economic activity for sure. Some say it is set to improve slightly in 2024." Yet security, he said, remains a less-affected industry, as businesses must continue prioritising the protection of people and assets.

Supply chain woes have also lessened. "While we had our challenges over the last couple of years, those challenges have eased and we're now pretty close to pre-pandemic lead times for all the things that we sell," Katanas revealed. "So it's a really good story."

He gave a local example of HID's mobile access technology in action: "We recently posted a case study focusing on the HID mobile access deployment for a Charter Hall property in Melbourne," he said. In partnership with Charter Hall's "Charlie" tenant experience app, employees and tenants download the app and use HID's mobile credential to access amenities and manage their way through the facilities, including everything from secure doors and elevators to "end of trip" facilities and even "follow me" printing.

The result, Katanas said, is a smoother onboarding experience, freeing both the business and its workforce from card handling hassles. "It doesn't work with the stress of handling physical cards, issuing the cards, retrieving the cards when somebody leaves as well, so it's been a really improved workflow experience for the customer at that site."

When asked about the future of access control, Katanas said he is "laser focused" on two areas: user experience and digital transformation. "As technology becomes more complex we need to prioritise user-friendly interfaces, intuitive solutions, and customers really look for systems that are easy to use and manage, minimising the requirement for ongoing training," he said.

HID is also supporting major workplace changes in the wake of the pandemic. "We're assisting organisations with their return to work initiatives. HID can play a pivotal role as an organisation embraces their digital transformation journey and their return to work initiatives hand in hand. We can support them through that, including mobile digital credentials, employee provisioning, and our technology partners play a vital role here in assisting these customers with their return to work journeys," Katanas said.

The company's business model relies strongly on partnerships. "We serve a variety of partners in the marketplace here – from OEMs to system integrators, application developers and the traditional channel partners in the ANZ market," Katanas explained. "We're constantly on the lookout for more technology partners and app developers, and those guys will consume our APIs and SDKs as they provide valuable offerings to the vertical markets that we serve."

For others hoping to get involved or find out more, Katanas encouraged organisations to make contact via the usual channels, assuring that "someone will always be there to reply to your inquiry and give you more information on the products, services and solutions that we offer here at HID."

Reflecting on both change and continuity in security, Katanas concluded, "It has been a pleasure having this conversation and hearing more about what we do – we look forward to hearing more from HID very soon."