No longer seen as a futuristic concept, Mobile Access has matured into a battle-tested, fully deployed solution. The technology promises a slew of benefits for companies or campuses seeking new levels of convenience, while maintaining the security and privacy of users.

Mobile access solutions have matured tremendously both in terms of flexibility and security, and to shed further light on the subject, Julian Lovelock, VP of Strategic Initiatives at HID Global, and Peter Boriskin VP of Commercial Product Management at ASSA ABLOY Americas hosted a free, on-demand webinar to discuss the technology.

In the FREE, on-demand webinar, "To Mobile and Beyond," attendees can learn how smartphones can be used as a credential, hear how HID and ASSA ABLOY are driving the change toward smartphone-based credentials, learn about Seos technology and how it's being used to power mobile credentials, and discover real-world mobile access deployments -- not just pilots and proof of concepts.

The technology that supports the mobile credential experience, Seos introduces a new set of abilities when it comes to mobile devices and wearables. Seos opens up more applications beyond physical access, including  logging into a computer systems or making a payments at campus locations. First introduced in 2011, Seos is not a bleeding-edge technology, but rather a fully-featured deployable solution.

This can be seen in practice at Netflix headquarters, where a mobile credential pilot broke ground in 2011. As of 2015, HID reports a full-scale mobile credential deployment at the media giant's headquarters having issued more than 300 mobile IDs to date. Supported by HID's iCLASS SE multi-technology readers, Netflix is also using Seos to issue mobile credentials to contractors and vendors requiring access its facilities, citing a much simpler process than issuing temporary visitor badges or plastic credentials.

Also highlighted in the webinar is Vanderbilt University, where a successful mobile credential pilot with HID and card system provider, CBORD, has moved into a full-scale deployment. With some 400 iCLASS SE readers with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Vanderbilt has provisioned more than 1,000 mobile identities to students and faculty to date.

"The deployment of mobile credentials is part of a broader trend of greater user convenience, and not restricting organizations to a single form factor," says HID's Lovelock. "Instead, it's about being able to provision user identities to different form factors, microprocessor cards, wearables and phones. HID has moved into the secure identity business not the plastic card business."

From a campus perspective, mobile credentials are proving to be an ideal fit for multi-tenant environments -- like university residence halls -- where both access to common areas and individual rooms are vital.

ASSA ABLOY's Peter Boriskin details the lock and access management protocols and the technology underpinning the use of mobile credentials in multi-tenant environments. Boriskin also explains how data being passed through these systems can be encrypted and protected to ensure the highest level of user privacy.

This is just a peek into the content covered in the FREE, on-demand webinar. For the full story, watch "To Mobile and Beyond."