Three Swiss market leaders have started to close a big gap in the NFC world. Thanks to the cooperation between Swisscom, LEGIC and Kaba, it will soon be possible in Switzerland to safely and easily integrate time and attendance recording and access control into the daily business processes using Near Field Communication.
As the biggest Swiss mobile service provider, Swisscom is working hard to develop a platform for NFC services of different card issuers under the name "Tapit". In addition to that, the company LEGIC Identsystems Ltd is introducing its new service "IDConnect" onto the market which makes it possible to realise applications such as access control, ticketing or office automation on a smartphone with an installed Tapit application. Kaba is the first partner to integrate its solution for access control and time and attendance recording into the system. This means that employees from companies using Kaba solutions no longer require their usual badge and can simply use their smartphone to gain access to the building. The system is open for other application developers that will gradually be connected.
Cooperation between Swisscom and LEGIC
Swisscom and LEGIC are currently working together in order to create a mobile ecosystem for the Swiss ID market. The result of this cooperation should be that classic ID functions such as access control, time and attendance recording or vending will be provided with a safe and easy access to the NFC world. Jürgen Galler, Head of Group Strategy & Innovation at Swisscom, is convinced of the partnership: "We are very happy that LEGIC will expand our Tapit application by adding the access control function." LEGIC wants to win over other mobile service providers for the solution on an international level. Klaus U. Klosa, Managing Director of LEGIC, explains: "What we are making possible here in Switzerland for the first time thanks to our cooperation with Swisscom, we want to gradually introduce in other countries as well."
Kaba as a pioneer
Kaba is the first company worldwide to connect its time & attendance recording and access control solutions to IDConnect by LEGIC. As a result, Kaba customers will have the choice to decide whether they would rather use their NFC smartphone or their previous contactless smartcard in order to open a door or to record their working time. Existing Kaba exos access control systems can simply be updated for this purpose. CEO of Kaba, Riet Cadonau: "We have managed to simplify a complex application in daily use by our customers by connecting our systems via LEGIC IDConnect with NFC-capable smartphones."
LEGIC IDConnect
The new trusted service IDConnect by LEGIC allows application servers to simply and easily install all applications of a contactless card onto a NFC-capable telephone. The authentication, data processing and communication between the back-end system and the network operator is ensured by IDConnect. The advant on mobile applet by LEGIC is installed on the secure element of the smartphone for this purpose – the SIM card. LEGIC therefore takes over the role of a so-called Service Provider Trusted Service Manager (SP TSM) that is connected to the Root TSM of Swisscom. Already today, LEGIC cooperates with more than 250 partners who are running countless applications in over 100,000 installations. With IDConnect, soon all LEGIC license partners will have the possibility to use NFC smartphones.
Tapit by Swisscom is coming in 2014
Swisscom is planning the introduction of a mobile application with the name "Tapit". Tapit represents an entire ecosystem for contactless applications and it is intended to be able to be used for making both payments using the mobile phone as well as for the access to buildings. This shall be made possible anywhere where the companies provide the appropriate support. Swisscom is already testing this kind of access control in its own buildings. Tapit is supposed to be launched in the coming year.
Kaba Mobile Access
Kaba Mobile Access Solution offers a state-of-the-art technology to securely issue, revoke and update digital credentials on mobile phones equipped with Near Field Communication (NFC). This kind of access medium works with all electronic Kaba products that are based on RFID, for example for the access to hotel rooms, apartments and houses, to secured areas such as laboratories and server rooms in universities and to other protected installations such as office buildings and remote infrastructure facilities.