Enhance security and unlock savings: S-Key biometric access control

At the simplest level, physical access control can be provided by supplying authorised personnel with a door key. This key can take many forms: a traditional key, a fob or token or a smart card or ‘badge’. It’s risky, though, because anyone finding, stealing or duplicating the key now has access to the premises.

This is why an extra layer of authentication is increasingly demanded for security across a wide range of physical and logical systems. Requiring an individual to provide something they have (ie a card or token) plus an extra layer of authentication, such as something they know (ie a password or PIN), makes it harder for unauthorised users to gain access.

We know that passwords and PINs can be copied or shared, instantly negating the second layer of authentication. A new generation of biometric tools is rapidly gaining popularity in access control thanks to the distinctive nature of biometric markers such as an individual’s face and fingerprints.

Access control through biometric authentication is simple, quick and effective, as has been witnessed with the growing use of e-Passports and face recognition for mobile devices.

Fingerprint access control

Freevolt Technologies has realised the availability of biometrically authenticated access control for every organisation. Fingerprint technology is complex, while fingerprint authentication on a card requires additional power. On that basis, you might well expect this solution to be expensive and come with a limited life. However, with Freevolt’s innovative S-Key card, you pay for nothing but the card you use, and it lasts forever.

Whether you are looking for physical access control to premises, logical access control to computers and systems or even a way in which to ensure that only qualified and competent staff have access to dangerous machinery, S-Key’s secure two-factor authentication cards are quick and easy-to-introduce and realise a highly cost-effective solution.

Freevolt Technologies has ensured that changing to a biometric access control demands no major investment. Biometric readers are expensive to buy and install, but the S-Key fingerprint access control cards can be read by your existing 13.56 MHz card readers, so there’s no need to rip out and replace access hardware. For new installations, wide compatibility means that the end user is free to adopt card readers that meet their budget.

S-Key also future-proofs access control since its secure authentication system will be readable through generations of card readers. With open integration, there’s no danger of vendor lock-in. If you decide to introduce convergent systems (giving access to special equipment or data, for example), it’s then a simple and quick process to update the card.

Low-cost solution

We know that organisations may have fluctuating security needs: temporary staff, visitors or experts will require varied physical access, staff training may change their clearance to operate vehicles or outside advisors may require restricted access to your software systems. Freevolt Technology makes this easy.

With no need to upgrade your infrastructure, all that you pay for is the individual S-Key access control cards. Each of these can be quickly set up with bespoke access, useable only by the named individual and revocable at any time. It’s a smart and cost-effective solution.

Providing fingerprint authentication on a card requires extra energy, but Freevolt Technologies has cleverly found a way in which to capture this from the fields emitted by contactless card readers. Thanks to innovative energy-harnessing technology, S-Key cards require no battery. As such, they last much longer than traditional battery-powered cards, which need regular replacement.

In fact, Freevolt Technologies is so confident in the longevity of its fingerprint access control cards that it offers a Lifetime Warranty (Terms and Conditions apply) on S-Key cards: there is no charge for replacements if they develop a fault outside of normal wear and tear. Given the card will last for many years, why not provide that peace of mind to its user, knowing that the card will continue to work time and time again?

Access control trial

With no installation costs, you can trial our biometric security cards alongside your existing systems. Introduce secure fingerprint authentication only for high-security personnel or to control access to specified data. Find out for yourself just how user-friendly this simple and secure system is in practice at virtually no cost.

S-Key biometric access control cards are simple to set up and require little technical maintenance or support. Users set up their fingerprint independently, so there’s low input for the IT team and the cards work ‘right out of the box’.

Your support team members will also be delighted that they no longer waste time re-setting passwords and PINs that have been lost or forgotten. Some organisations report wasting hundreds of hours per year on this task.

Freevolt Technologies’ access control cards never transmit fingerprint information: all personal data remains securely stored on the card under the user’s control. This greatly simplifies data protection systems and reporting for your organisation, again reducing overheads and saving costs.

Probably your biggest cost saving lies in the best protection against breaches in access control. Physical security breaches can have devastating cost implications for any organisation. From the immediate operational impacts through to lost revenue and reputational damage, the financial impact of failures in access control is severe.

By adding the extra security layer of biometric authentication, S-Key cards help to protect you against fraud. They ensure that only verified individuals have access to your premises and systems, in turn providing simple and cost-effective security.

Fingerprint authenticated access control cards linked to key machinery and vehicles, for example, will also reduce the risk of staff sharing cards to use equipment for which they are not qualified. Non-compliance with Health and Safety systems carries the risk of uninsured damage and personal injury. It’s a risk that can be effectively mitigated using S-Key access control.

Cost-effective access control

By allowing access only when the authorised individual is present, fingerprint-authenticated cards can help protect against breaches of both physical and logical security systems. With low investment cost, low running costs and strong security, the S-Key biometric access control card is a cost-effective and enduring solution.

*Further information is available by accessing the Freevolt Technologies website

**Contact Freevolt Technologies now for an evaluation card and trial the innovative, secure and sustainable S-Key access control system. Call +44 (0)203 176 2350 or e-mail info@freevolt.tech