HID Global, a worldwide leader in secure identity solutions, with its novel Omnikey 5321 reader is tapping the Indian healthcare sector which is now turning technology savvy. The company’s novel Omnikey 5321 reader helps to enhance facility security by controlling access to areas like pharmacies, medical supplies and patient records in hospitals.

Recently, HID teamed up with Dell where the two companies have combined their technologies: Omnikey reader and Mobile Clinical Computing (MCC) to provide a single authentication which is fast, efficient and fully data secure to increase hospital's operational productivity up to 25 per cent.

Unlike traditional security solutions, in this case, healthcare providers have protected access to all authorized data and applications without the need to memorize different login IDs and passwords to hospital systems or external solutions.

Omnikey reader is for external use via USB and supports 13.56 MHz contactless iCLASS and Mifare cards that follow ISO 14443 A/ B and ISO 15693 standards. It allows users to experience the convenience, speed and security of contactless technology for different applications including login to Windows, networks, web sites and applications for the secure storage of user names, passwords and personal information.

Over the past few years, the healthcare sector has become increasingly dependent on information technology. Within the course of any given day, a hospital faces the task of not only protecting multiple points of access, but doing so in a way that enables movement convenient for staff and patients.  Healthcare facilities exist in a wide variety of medical focus, administrative complexity and size, yet all demand appropriate access control coverage. This is where Omnikey readers have been deployed in many industries including the healthcare sector to safeguard patients and staff and protect confidential patient information, Ranjit Nambiar, director, IAM (identity & access management), SAARC, HID Global, told Pharmabiz over email.

“In Australia, some hospitals use smart cards to control physical access to  buildings and for logical access to IT systems that house confidential patient data. By leveraging HID smart cards and Omnikey readers, medical professionals can access sensitive patient data on a network. If a doctor can access crucial IT systems with just a smart card, this saves on time and demonstrate that they store and manage patient details in a safe and secure way to comply with the Data Protection Act,” he added.

Further, the company also provides health or staff ID cards. Omnikey 5321 can safeguard IT networks as well as support multiple identity-driven applications. These include PC logon, time and attendance, cashless payment, local public transportation and so on. Cost savings are realized when all these application are enabled on a single card. The PC-linked reader that reads/writes to 13.56 MHz contactless smart cards, economically supports end-user environments where a variety of contactless cards and tags are used. In addition, the reader  is ideal for contactless technology applications where high demands for hygiene, such as manufacturing sites, hospitals, clean room environments or anywhere that a sleek and modern reader is desired.

The cost or investment of the Omnikey readers for healthcare providers would depend on the hospital size and the scale of the projects. Its adoption could also be limited to certain high security areas to fit depending on the budget. We would work with the healthcare organisation to ensure that they are able to provide a secure environment with a reasonable investment, said Nambiar.