Toronto meetings demonstrate PKOC credentials working across multiple apps, reader brands, and physical cards—over BLE and NFC.

Last month the PSIA held technical meetings in Toronto hosted by Bruno Desrochers of Tech Systems Inc. (TSi) and Keith Kelly of Deloitte. The purpose was to perform live interoperability product testing of PKOC with phone apps, readers and cards.

PKOC achieved some meaningful milestones for access control, demonstrating 3×3 interoperability. Specifically:

Interoperability was achieved across 3+ mobile and physical credential manufacturers and validated against 3+ reader manufacturers

All aligned with BLE and NFC using the Public Key Open Credential (PKOC) specification.

Why it matters: with PKOC’s public-key trust model (no shared secret), organizations can mix their preferred mobile apps, readers, and cards without proprietary gateways or lock-in—simplifying rollouts, preserving vendor choice, and aligning physical access with modern IT security practices and futureproofing technology. 

Because the PKOC specification is open and freely available, customers will find significant cost advantages and freedom in implementing this technology.

Participants and contributors included teams from ELATEC Group, JCI Security Products, EMS Integrators, Taglio, Last Lock, Sentry Enterprises, Universal Smart Cards, Security By Design, Smithee Solutions, Kastle Systems, INID Readers USA, and others alongside the broader PSIA community.

What’s next: additional multi-vendor plug-fests, webinars, implementation guidance, and expanded testing across apps, wallets, cards, and controllers.

Get involved: reply to this email to access the PKOC spec, schedule a virtual meeting to get more perspective, or join the PSIA to become an active participant in the PKOC working group.

Source: psialliance.org