SIA New Member Profile: STid

STid is an internationally recognized company and one of the leading developers of contactless identification solutions using RFID, NFC and Bluetooth® Smart technologies. For over 20 years, STid has been inventing smart solutions designed for secure access control and to provide tracking for assets in extreme environments such as the aerospace, energy and defense industries.

STid is constantly looking for new ways of using the latest technologies to safeguard digital identity, said CEO Vincent Dupart. “We give companies, industries and governments the means to identify, protect and supervise their assets to make their daily operations easier and safer,” he told SIA. Below, we ask him more about the company. Visit the STid website at www.stid.com and check them out at ISC West in Booth 134.

How did you get into the security industry?

STid was established in 1996 and is a pioneer in contactless identification technologies (RFID, Bluetooth®, NFC, etc.). From the outset, the company dedicated its skills and expertise to high-security solutions. STid stands out for its ability to think outside the box and its range of solutions that offer the highest levels of security on the market.

Whether it’s protecting data or individuals, managing multi-site security, supporting migration processes or training teams on security issues, anywhere in the world and at any time, we provide all the tools our clients need to manage their security autonomously. This has been the key to our success, as handing over confidential data to a third party increases vulnerability to security breaches.

Users need a reference they can trust: This is why our solutions have been reviewed by the French Network and Information Security Agency (ANSSI). We became the first manufacturer of access control readers to receive Top Level Security Certification (CSPN). This accreditation consolidated our position as a European leader in the design of secure access solutions.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

The security market is very dynamic and constantly evolving.

Innovation is the most exciting part of our job. It plays an essential part in a sector marked by international competition and fast-evolving technology. To really come into its own, technology must provide real benefits to users and be user friendly.

Our ambition is to make our solution so user-friendly that using it is totally intuitive. Thanks to our innovation center, we are able to anticipate and even create the uses of the future by developing dozens of new solutions every year. We constantly challenge ourselves to improve our solutions but also to package them into a global range of high added-value services. We are much more than just a manufacturer, and we support and train our clients to help them choose the right technology for them or manage their migrations. STid is certified as an accredited training center.

This investment is rewarded by the satisfaction and trust of our clients, many of whom have been with us from the creation of our company.

What’s your company’s biggest challenge right now?

One of the greatest challenges for chief security officers is to ensure that their staff really get to grips with security issues. A solution can be technically perfect, but if it is not understood or accepted it won’t be deployed on a large scale. We need to take this social dimension into account by providing access solutions that are ever-more intuitive and user-friendly, and that make things easy for the end user.

In addition, we need to provide information and raise awareness of businesses, industries and government on security issues. Today, 72 percent of chief security officers rely on a third party for the management of their security, and many of those perceive this as a limitation. We need to adapt by providing tools that enable our clients to remain independent in the management of their organization’s security. The challenge is to step away from proprietary thinking, and offer increasingly open technologies that enable our clients to safeguard their data’s confidentiality. We offer tools such as programming software SECard to empower our clients to keep control over their security.

Finally, a company with expertise in security needs to be able to anticipate the needs of the future. For instance, there has been a boom in mobile technologies, with access control increasingly being delivered through virtual cards on cell phones. We are currently exploring new functions and identification methods to make our user experience truly unique.

What trends does your company foresee for the security industry in the next year?

On average, an employee scans their card 11 times a day to identify themselves within their company. Nighty-eight percent of them see this action as restrictive. But things are changing. No need to dig through your handbag for your badge anymore, or to remember to scan your badge at each access point… STid has set up a new contactless identification system that uses your mobile phone as your access key. A technological revolution is underway, based on interconnected resources, shifting access control towards new uses and devices. Smartphones offer new ways of interacting with access control readers and resolve issues generated by increasing staff mobility.

These social changes and our experience have led us to develop the STid Mobile ID® solution. STid Mobile ID® has been developed with RFID, NFC and Bluetooth® Smart technologies, transferring your access card onto mobile devices like your smartphone, to work alongside or replace traditional card technologies. These days, everyone comes to work with their cell phone in their hand, pocket or handbag. These connected devices have taken such a place in our lives that living without them seems almost impossible. If you forget your badge at home, you might not go back to get it, but you wouldn’t think twice about going out of your way to pick up your smartphone. Cell phones have become an essential everyday item with all of the freedoms and functions they offer. Using smartphones can even help employees accept the company security policy by making usage user-friendly and instinctive.

What does your organization receive from membership in SIA? How do you plan to be active in the association in the near future?

We participate in the major events sponsored by SIA, and we look forward to collaborating with its members who are shaping the future of the security market. We have implemented the OSDP™ standard (V1 & V2 Secure Channel Protocol), which ensures secure data communication from the access reader to the controller.

Will your company participate in an upcoming event with SIA such as ISC West, New Product Showcase or Government Summit? If so, what aspect of the event appeals most to your company?

STid will be taking part in two trade fairs: ISC West and ISC East 2017—two world-class events for the security sector. We also presented STid Mobile ID®, our latest mobile access control solution where your smartphone becomes your access key, at the SIA New Product Showcase. This was the first time we took part in this competition, where we demonstrated that providing intuitive access control solutions can help employees accept their company’s security policy.

These events will be an opportunity to meet integrators and end users who are both security-aware and concerned with user-friendliness. Come and meet us on stand 134 at ISC West!

The views and opinions expressed in guest posts and/or profiles are those of the authors or sources and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Security Industry Association (SIA).