HID Customers Share ID Management Success Stories

in Anaheim, Calif., I attended HID Global’s 90-minute press conference in which company President and CEO Denis Hebert delivered a status report and overview of the access control solutions provider’s business and operations. The session was well attended and included case study history presentations from three satisfied HID Global customers.

Hebert stressed how a leading driver for the business today is going beyond hardware to deliver security via secure access tokens and software-driven applications. He identified HID’s development strategies as spanning physical access, logical access, secure issuance and contactless transactions. Supporting those are the implementation of hardware platforms, interoperability for converged applications, and services related to key management, deliver and virtualization. “We are bringing all of this together with an eye on the future,” he said.

He further stated the company’s corporate directives as encompassing: 1) creating customer value; 2) being a trusted source; 3) supplying innovative products; 4) providing solutions tailored to vertical markets; and 5) delivering secure identity. And the three elements of the campaign are: 1) channel partners; 2) development partners; and 3) HID products. “We obviously have to be selective about what we do in today’s climate, but our concentration remains the same in terms of creating compelling and innovative value propositions for our customers, channels and partners,” said Hebert.

HID Global President and CEO Denis Hebert.

The podium was then turned over to Scott Goodson, security systems integration manager for Thomson Reuters; William Phillips, vice president and CSO of CNA Insurance; and Bhavesh Patel, senior director of global risk operations for Genzyme. Each discussed in detail the particular ID management issues faced by their organizations and how HID Global partnered with them on solutions.

Goodson laid out the seemingly impossible task his department faced after Thomson took over Reuters in 2008. A corporate mandate was issued that required new ID badges to be created and implemented for all of the combined entity’s personnel. Together with systems integrator VTI of Burnsville, Minn., Goodson placed his faith in HID Global’s Identity on Demand service. “Thomson Reuters had a short window of time to create thousands of badges and distribute them worldwide,” said Goodson. “It was a huge time-saver to utilize HID Global’s Identity on Demand services.” The process involved 50,000 employees in 93 countries. “There was no other way this could have been accomplished,” added Goodson. “I can’t say enough about the partnership with HID. Without them, neither our integrator or I could have been so successful.”

Scott Goodson, security systems integration manager for Thomson Reuters.

Next up was Patel, who focused on justifying the return on investment (ROI) for multisite migration from HID’s proximity to iCLASS technology. Genzyme is a global manufacturer and marketer of innovative heath-care products and services with more than 11,000 employees. His segment highlighted his company’s widespread deployment of security solutions as enterprise solutions, with security devices being used for a multitude of internal functions from video surveillance to cashless transactions.

Bhavesh Patel, senior director of global risk operations for Genzyme.

Phillips rounded out the end-user testimonials by explaining how CNA’s advanced security system incorporates a visitor management system and integrated HID components. He said he approached his organization’s security mission by targeting a single operating system for the enterprise, centralized control, compatibility and standardized technology. “We established a true enterprise system that maximized the value of our software and card technology investments. We were able to reduce overall security operating costs,” said Phillips. Having met those objectives, CNA’s system also features dedicated redundant (DR) servers that help the insurance provider keep tabs on its 65,000 daily transactions in 36 states. “In addition to establishing an effective visitor management system, we were able to provide universal access that significantly improved the security and safety for our employees and businesses,” added Phillips. Future desires for CNA include: secure print, logon authentication, asset management and traveler support.

William Phillips, vice president and CSO of CNA Insurance.

HID Global’s Holly Sacks, one of my favorite people in this industry, then moderated a few audience questions before thanking everyone for attending and dismissing them to a complimentary buffet lunch … for those fortunate enough to have the time to stick around for it (yours truly not included). I would like to especially thank some of my other friends at HID, such as Patti Juric and Doug Wheaton, for including me in this event within the event.

HID, an ASSA ABLOY company, certainly is a ubiquitous presence in the still largely fragmented access control marketplace. I would enjoy hearing your thoughts on the company, its offerings, support, technology, etc.

As always, thanks for reading …

Scott Goldfine,

Editor-in-Chief

SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION