For over 25 years, Swiss-based LEGIC Identsystems has enabled companies from around the world to deploy mobile and smartcard/RFID-based solutions with demanding security requirements. Based on key management, trusted services and secure, contactless semiconductors, the LEGIC Security Platform provides end-to-end security for smartphone, smartcard and RFID-based access, mobility, shared resource and industrial IoT applications.
Interview with Carl Fenger, Technical Communications Manager at LEGIC Identsystems Ltd.
Easy Engineering: Which are the most futuristic products / solutions from your portfolio?
Carl Fenger: Our end-to-end Security Platform working together with our end-customer’s applications running on mobile devices is driving the future of secure convenience. Based on our Security Platform, anything from opening doors, sharing vehicles, public transportation, accessing IoT devices, touchless printing, ePayment, etc. can be safely and reliably done with RFID or mobile Android or iOS-based devices. Combined with other technologies such as indoor positioning and biometric identification, we provide our customers with the security they need to successfully deploy their contactless and mobile services with confidence.
E.E: What are the characteristics of these products / solutions?
C.F: Our Security Platform implements state-of-the-art credential management, end-to-end encryption, plus hardware Security and Sensor Modules with Secure Element technology. The seamless interoperation of these software and hardware components results in bullet-proof security for mobile-based applications, even over air interfaces and at the network edge. This means users and access rights can be instantly and securely authorized, permissioned and updated in real-time and over the air.
E.E: Tell us about the company’s long-term goals / prospects?
C.F: Long established in the global access control sector which includes commercial and residential access control markets (offices, hotels, apartments, hospitals, campuses, etc), LEGIC is expanding its reach into Shared Mobility, Smart City and Industrial IoT sectors. All these applications have a common requirement: the secure authorization, permission and auditing of users who access and use shared infrastructure, machines and equipment. Coupled with the increased need for touchless solutions due to COVID, our contactless technology provides convenience and hygiene by enabling users to interact with infrastructure via smartcard or their personal smartphone or tablet.
E.E: Tell us about product innovation and how does it impact the future?
C.F: Our Security Platform is being increasingly used together with Ultra-Wideband RTLS technology which provides indoor position down to 10 cm accuracy. By combining the secure authentication of users via our platform with their precise indoor position and movement information, a whole new area of enhanced services can be created based on improved human/infrastructure/machine interaction.
E.E: How will product innovation help the customers?
C.F: Secure, mobile-based authentication combined with indoor positioning enables doors that automatically detect when an authorized person is approaching and opens automatically, to the tracking and auditing of goods as they move through supply chains, or the matching of retail goods with consumers as they move through stores and shopping areas. All of these services enable infrastructure to touchless interact with users via their smartphones or tablets to provide convenience, security, hygiene and location-based information.
E.E: How do employees shape your company’s future orientation?
C.F: At LEGIC, our technology is implemented throughout our offices to enable access control, time and attendance, and ePayment. Both smartcard and mobile technologies are provided. This means our employees use our products and services on a daily basis and are often the first to experience new features and provide feedback for further improvement.
E.E: How does the digital transformation affect your products / business?
C.F: Security and convenience are a core demand driving everything we create. That means we must constantly stay abreast of the latest innovations in embedded security, encryption, mobile credentialing and industry standards. As our offering is based on a platform approach which includes cloud, RF and embedded components, our strong partner network is a big benefit to help our end-customers, who are often not security experts, to develop and deploy their solutions.
E.E: Tell us about research and development in your company.
C.F: LEGIC is at the center of a large ecosystem of over 300 partners, expert consultants and industry associations such as Bluetooth SIG, Smartcard Forum, Electronic Security Association and fira. We also work closely with industry leaders such as dormakaba and Apple. This is essential to continue to innovate and grow our business. We are also close to several major Swiss engineering schools including ETH Zurich, University of Zurich and Rapperswil University of Applied Science where we recruit many of our engineers.
E.E: How do you overcome the new challenges and this more competitive environment?
C.F: Like most suppliers of semiconductor components, we are affected by current global supply chain issues and are carefully planning deliveries with our customers. As our hardware Security Modules are often installed once and subsequently upgraded via firmware, our existing customers are only affected during infrastructure expansion. Our Trusted Service and Mobile SDKs, on the other hand, are 100% software and are thus immune to supply chain interruptions.
E.E: Tell us about the company’s future strategies and how will you adapt to the future.
C.F: Virtually all businesses that rely on digital interactions rely on security. This is a huge market where LEGIC excels, and one that is constantly evolving and growing. We are continuously innovating to meet the needs of service providers to give their customers convenience and security, while maintaining and growing a large global partner network. In today’s mobile, high-tech world, know-how has become an even more important commodity than hardware or software. We often win customers based on what we know, and what they can learn from us. “Knowledge off-the-shelf” makes it easy for customers to do business with us, and we are proud to be knowledge leaders in end-to-end, contactless security and mobile credentialing.
Service: LEGIC Connect
https://www.legic.com/products/mobile-credentialing/legic-connect
Product: LEGIC 6000 series Security Modules
https://www.legic.com/products/security-modules/6000-series
Tel: +41 44 933 64 64
Email: carl.fenger@legic.com