SJSU taps Natural Security for biometric access control

Natural Security announced a new partnership with dining services firm Spartan Shops to implement a biometric access control system at San Jose State University in California.

This implementation will see SJSU students carrying a unique personal device or mobile phone that uses biometric information stored on a secure element.

The solution combines biometric authentication with mid-range contactless technology. Students will be able to enter the residential dining hall by placing a finger on a biometric reader at the entrance to the hall.

The project will start in July 2013 and Natural Security says it will evaluate the effectiveness of the technoloy and collect feedback from participants to improve future projects.

“The decision to choose Natural Security technology is based on the security, speed and convenience benefits that the technology offers,” Brian Mitchler from Spartan Shops said.  “With almost 2,500 unlimited-entry meal plan members at the University, we needed a more efficient system for authenticating students to access to the residential dining hall. The Natural Security authentication method improves security and will allow us to monitor access more effectively, improving internal processes.”

Following the trial, the new system will be rolled out to all 3,000 students accessing the residential dining hall. SJSU may also extend the same method of authentication to other areas of the university including access to premises, access to online resources or transport. The idea is that students will have less ID cards to carry and fewer passwords to remember.

Natural Security says its solution meets security standards that guarantee privacy and confidentiality of all students’ personal data since the end-user biometric data is only stored in the personal device the user carries so it is always under their control.

“This authentication method is totally secure; as each device contains the students’ unique biometric information it cannot be used by anyone else. This removes many of the usual issues surrounding security, for example impersonation, because of loss or theft,” Cédric Hozanne, CEO at Natural Security said.

Reported previously, Natural Security also recently partnered with Discover Financial Services to experiment with touchless payments, fueled by Natural Security’s biometric system.

Article Topics

access control  |  authentication  |  security