World Trade Center replaces its access cards with a virtual employee badge in Apple Wallet

Following the integration of ID cards and driver's licenses into Apple Wallet, it looks that the next thing to find its way into Apple Wallet will be workplace authorization cards.

Customers and employees who visit the 7 World Trade Center will now be able to use an employee badge stored in their Apple Wallet app to access the building and all of its amenities (via 9to5Mac). This was announced by Silverstein Properties, the company that owns the trade center.

With their virtual badges, employees and customers will be able to use office buildings, tenant floors, fitness centers, and amenity spaces only by using their iPhone or Apple Watch.

According to Silverstein Properties, integrating employee badges in Apple Wallet will bring:

• Seamless Setup: Employees and tenants won't wait to receive physical authorization cards. Instead, they can add their employee badge directly to their Apple Wallet after an initial setup through Silverstein's Inspire app. After that, they will have clearance to the areas inside the building.
• Unlocking doors more easily: After adding the badge to Apple Wallet, users only need to hold their iPhone or Apple Watch near the door's lock to unlock the door. If Express Mode is enabled, users won't even need to unlock their devices to use their badge. Also, the feature can be used in Power Reserve mode, so the tenants may access areas even when their iPhones are low on battery.
• More security and privacy: Because the employee badge is saved on the tenant's personal devices rather than a cloud server, the authorization to the building is also safeguarded by the privacy and security features built into Apple's devices. Also, if a tenant loses their iPhone or Apple Watch, they can use the Find My app to locate and block their device.
• Easier management of the office space: With the use of virtual badges, Silverstein can control who and at what time has clearance to various parts of the building. In its statement, Silverstein gave an example of how one company could lease an office suite on Monday and Tuesday, and then another company could use the same office suite on Wednesday through Friday.

The new virtual employee badge will be first implemented at the 7 World Trade Center, and after that, the new technology will be expanded to other Silverstein offices in New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles.