New HIRSCH Mx Controller Delivers Future-Proof, High Assurance for Access Control Systems

Identive Group, Inc. announced the launch of the HIRSCH Mx Controller to deliver an unprecedented level of integrated intelligence for high assurance access control. Identive demonstrated the new controller at ISC West 2013 in Las Vegas, April 10-12, 2013.

“Our track record of thirty years in physical access and IT security enabled the creation of HIRSCH Mx, the most advanced, robust and future-proof access control solution in the market today,” said Ayman Ashour, CEO of Identive. “HIRSCH Mx offers our customers support for legacy, current as well as anticipated future standards, and can be upgraded in place to accommodate the introduction of converging identification credentials such as NFC mobile phones, and high assurance credentials including PIV, PIV-I, biometrics and PLAID. The HIRSCH Mx control system addresses the critical need for higher security assurance across the commercial and government sectors with strong authentication capabilities. As awareness of the need for cybersecurity increases, we felt it critical that the security system itself be built with a high level of protection against cyber threats.”

To deliver the highest level of security, the new HIRSCH Mx Controller is ready for cloud management, incorporating PKI architecture that allows all enabled devices to communicate securely and seamlessly using industry standard X.509 digital certificate technology. HIRSCH Mx features an onboard EAL 6+ high-capacity encryption dedicated processor, which positions the controller for use in high security environments by ensuring communication is protected between door readers, sensors, controllers and local and/or cloud-based services and thus overcoming common security vulnerabilities.

Interoperability with widely used technologies from multiple vendors was a key design goal for HIRSCH Mx, which aligns to important industry standards, including Wiegand, OSDP, Ethernet IP v4, X.509 (2048bit) and AES (128bit), and offers backward compatibility with virtually all existing product line protocols such as SNET. Additionally, the onboard Ethernet controller is upgradeable and is designed to support future implementations of IP v6 and edge devices. The HIRSCH Mx Controller also integrates seamlessly with Identive’s existing HIRSCH systems, including HIRSCH DIGI*TRAC controllers, HIRSCH ScramblePad and HIRSCH Velocity, so that existing customer credentials, readers, and user databases can be retained.

“The HIRSCH Mx Controller makes it possible even for small businesses to afford the levels of security previously only reserved for government users and the largest of corporations. Enterprise users will appreciate the high levels of security, scalability and the low overall cost of ownership of the solution,” said Mark Allen, vice president technology for Identive’s Identity Management & Cloud Solutions Division. “We have seen an increasing need for security between credentials and readers over the last few years, and are proud to bring our end-users and channel partners an innovative solution that builds on our traditional high levels of trust and reliability to offer end to end security that is easy to install, upgrade and operate.”

The HIRSCH Mx Controller ships in May and is available in two-, four- and eight-door models, with each door being fully supervised. The modular design and the scalable architecture of HIRSCH Mx enables an installation to start small and grow large, from a single-controller system to a larger, multi-site enterprise. A range of models and expansion options provides a variety of configurations for access control, high-security alarm monitoring, relay control outputs, and programmable logic to fit most applications.