Organisations should look to RFID technology to manage physical access to resources to optimise security, without compromising on efficiency or convenience, says Graham Vorster, CTO at Westcon AME.
"While attention has tended to focus on RFID as a solution for the automated identification of items in supply chains, RFID also has an important role to play in security by enabling the automation of access control," says Vorster.
Most security breaches still occur as a result of user negligence or dereliction of duty, Vorster notes. Automation offers a method of closing this loophole.
"When users walk away from their workstations, they may forget to lock them. That might not be a problem in a low-sensitivity environment, but a stock trader on a busy floor could find himself in trouble," he explains.
Automated identification using RFID technology enables the concepts of proximity and presence to play a role in managing access. Presence technology makes it possible to locate and identify a user, while proximity determines the closeness of the user.
"Proximity and presence play an important role in automated ID. As users approach their workstations, these can automatically start up, log on and launch the necessary applications. Similarly, the workstation can automatically lock itself, log off or hibernate in the absence of a user," says Vorster.
For additional security, Vorster says a second level authentication may be necessary to prevent the RFID smart card from being used by unauthorised persons if it is lost or stolen.
"The applications for RFID technology are legion, and are only limited by the imagination."
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