AMAG integrates technology with BioConnect

LAS VEGAS—AMAG Technology, a security manufacturer specializing in access control, video management, identity management, intrusion detection and visitor management, announced at ISC West here last week that its Symmetry Blue Reader is integrating with BioConnect's Biometric Authentication app.

This integration allows the user to choose from multiple biometric options, including iris, facial, voice and fingerprint, as well as PIN, adding a higher level of single or dual verification and “validating that the person holding the mobile credential is indeed the person—a game changer for the industry,” Kurt Takahashi, president of AMAG Technology, told Security Systems News. He said that the new app will officially be released between now and the ASIS International tradeshow in September.

Takahashi pointed out that although people have been talking about going to mobile credentials, one of the main barriers has been cost.

“So one of the things that we have done to enable the technology is we said we are not in the business of selling credentials, so we are going to provide the mobile credential for free, which is somewhat disruptive in the market because with all of the other mobile credentials there is a cost associated to it,” he said. “What we did was look at the market and since we build our own readers already, we developed a Bluetooth reader that uses a multi-touch technology and proximity technology as well, so if you also have cards you can use cards or your mobile phone and you can transition to biometrics or use a mixture of both.”

Takahashi said that AMAG worked closely with BioConnect to provide a biometric app that sits in front of the AMAG credential on the phone. “What that means is, when I walk up to a door that is Bluetooth enabled, it will sense my phone and instead of utilizing the mobile credential to let me in, it is going to launch the biometric app first and allow me to choose eye, face, voice, fingerprint and/or pin, and I can use it in single factor or dual factor depending on how high of a security level that I require,” he explained.

He continued, “The cool thing is customers are very excited because it is very difficult to provide that level of security where you are truly verifying and validating that that is actually the person using the card or phone unless you put a biometric reader on that door, which is very expensive. So we are getting to a point where customers want touch-less access, and are looking for greater convenience and flexibility. We believe we are on the forefront of this mobility movement.”

The AMAG Bluetooth Reader and biometric app can be used with anyone's access control system, not just AMAG's Symmetry system, and uses a standard communication protocol. “It is completely access control system agnostic,” said Takahashi.

At ISC West, the company also previewed Symmetry CONNECT, its new policy-based identity management system that delivers an easy to use, automated software platform to manage employee, contractor and visitor identities, satisfy regulatory audit and compliance requirements and reduce the administrative costs of the security team.