Four top trends for identity solutions

HID Global expects 2017 to bring a change in the use of secure identities in combination with smart cards, mobile devices, wearables, embedded chips or other smart objects, especially in industries and sectors subject to strict regulations (government, financial services, healthcare). Traditional identity systems will increasingly be replaced by solutions using NFC, Bluetooth Low Energy and advanced smart card technologies. The forecast is also based on the generally increased adoption of mobile identity solutions in the past year, it says.

HID sees four key trends impacting how organizations generate, manage and use trusted identities for existing and emerging use cases:

Trend 1

The increased use of mobile devices and smart cards almost automatically increases the need for trusted identities:

• Comparable to the uptake of consumer trends in IT in recent years, 2017 will see an increased consumerization of security: with increased user demand for solutions to open doors, log in to cloud-based applications, personalized on-demand document printing, or remote credential issuance - all using secure IDs on smartphones, wearables, or smartcards.

• Secure IDs, which combine high requirements for security, data protection and user convenience, offer a new level of security for applications and transactions while enabling secure but personalized access to buildings and the IT infrastructure.

• Developments in the industry will move toward complete identity relationship management solutions that leverage contextual information in authentication.

Trend 2

Thanks to "hybrid" solutions that combine on-premise infrastructures and the cloud, cloud usage will increase to create integrated management platforms for digital IDs. This will result in the following new opportunities or benefits:

• Organizations can leverage different technologies and platforms needed for business agility, cost management, security and a better user experience - in areas such as mobile working, e-commerce or relationship management.

• In banking and government, healthcare, and other regulated markets, the use of multifactor authentication for access to IT data as part of fully integrated systems will continue to grow in importance, providing greater user convenience and security.

• It will become much easier for administrators to deploy and also manage an integrated system throughout the complete identity lifecycle from assignment to deletion.

• Employee access rights can be easily managed and monitored, and flexibly adapted to their respective roles in the company as soon as they change.

• Card printing will also undergo a digital transformation as the use of cloud technologies will enable managed services models for ID card printing and encoding.

Trend 3

The increasing number of Internet of Things (IoT) applications for connecting people, places and things will require the creation of an Internet of Trusted Things (IoTT):

• Trusted identities are increasingly being used to realize a secure, requirement-specific, and thus enhanced user experience across a wide range of industry segments seeking to leverage the power of the IoT.

• Organizations will streamline processes using real-time location systems, presence and proximity-based location capabilities, condition monitoring solutions and cloud-based models used in securing IoT applications.

• Bluetooth low-energy-based solutions will add predictability and features based on location-based technologies to existing secure proof-of-presence capabilities.

Trend 4

Trusted identities will be an essential part of new use cases in daily activities in both business and personal environments:

• Trusted identities will be part of more and more applications - and not just as a simple add-on. The trend of "security by design" will lead to more convenient solutions for the use of digital identities - for a growing number of activities, services and industries.

• New applications will be developed to complement popular solutions for secure access - for example, in emergencies to determine exactly which people are currently in a building.

• New opportunities for the use of secure IDs are also arising from the increasing changes in the world of work: the keywords are home office and mobile working.

HID Global identified the top trends based on its extensive market knowledge, the company writes. They resulted from close collaboration with customers and partners who would implement innovative solutions in different markets around the world, according to Stefan Widing, president and CEO of HID Global.