HID Trusted Tag Services for IoT

HID Global Helps Streamline Fire and Safety System for Manhattan Skyscraper

HID Global® announced that 85-year-old fire protection provider RAEL Automatic Sprinkler Company and integrator Automated Decision have deployed HID Trusted Tag®Services at one of Manhattan’s most iconic skyscrapers. The combined solutions help secure, digitize, automate, and streamline inspection and maintenance of the building’s massive fire and safety sprinkler system.tag services

“HID Trusted Tag Services are a real competitive differentiator for us when we bid for projects now,” said David Israel, President, RAEL Automatic Sprinkler Company. “We plan to deploy it in other noteworthy buildings and we’re exploring using it for other mission-critical equipment we inspect and repair as well.”

HID Trusted Tag Services empower robust Internet of Things (IoT) applications. It combines HID Global’s patented Near Field Communication tag technology (NFC Tags) and cloud-based authentication platform to add identities to everyday objects that can be read by NFC-enabled mobile devices. Smartphones and other devices can then be used for innovative use cases, without compromising the privacy of end users. HID trusted NFC Tags provide a secure authentication environment not possible with today’s standard NFC labels, static tags, or QR codes, and HID Trusted Tag Services are ideal for establishing “proof of presence” to:

  • Prevent or detect sharing of URLs in digital marketing campaigns.
  • Verify a caregiver’s presence in the patient’s home (Electronic Visit Verification).
  • Confirm presence for student time and attendance and onsite services (guard shifts, maintenance work, and additional use cases where a trustworthy audit trail of presence is needed).
  • Verify the authenticity of a tagged product and provide enhanced consumer experience.

The RAEL solution incorporates HID Trusted Tag Services into Automated Decisions’ work order management system and mobile inspection app. The deployment includes HID’s trusted and tamper-evident NFC tag using dual NFC and QR code technology; unique cryptographic authentication and a unique QR code are placed on every component of the RAEL sprinklers. After authenticating to HID’s cloud authentication service, RAEL technicians move through the building, tapping each applied tag with their mobile devices to authenticate upon completion of their component inspection or repair.

Each individual tap generates a unique encrypted code appended to a URL to provide proof of presence. This process confirms the technician was physically at the site and conducted the required sprinkler inspections and repairs. “Proof of presence was critical for us,” said Israel, “as property managers are now expected to deliver a much higher level of compliance reporting.”

The solution also logs the user, tap time, and date into the Automated Decisions work order management platform. Mobile online access provides inspectors with service request maintenance records, sprinkler part specifications, diagrams, and photographs.

“That RAEL and Automated Decisions are leveraging our offering for fire and safety at an immense, iconic skyscraper reinforces the breadth of IoT use cases that our identification and sensing portfolio addresses,” said Mark Robinton, Director of Business Development & Strategic Innovation, Identification Technologies with HID Global. “Facility managers are also increasingly seeking to combine the use of HID Trusted Tag Services and mobile devices to automate other safety and security functions, including guard tour and key management, as buildings become more intelligent and connected.”

In addition to providing peace of mind to RAEL and their property management clients, RAEL also reported the combined HID and Automated Decisions solution has enabled faster, more efficient inspections and repairs, improved first-time fix rates and fewer repeat visits.

Click here to read the RAEL Automatic Sprinkler Company case study.