All About the

Physical-Logical Access Interoperability Spec

The PSIA introduced its Physical Logical Access Interoperability (PLAI) specification in 2013. This protocol provides a means for organizations to transfer and dynamically update relevant employee data and privileges from the “logical” HR system to any Physical Access Control System (PACS), often being operated at different company facilities and sometimes disparate systems. PLAI is a standards-based specification which leverages the LDAP v3 interface to support a number of logical identity directories, including Active Directory.

Features/Benefits of PLAI

More efficient onboarding process for employees
Instantaneous invoking and revoking of security privileges across disparate physical access control systems
Ability to support logical privileges and physical access in multiple business locations and campuses
Supports temporary access credentials when employees travel to remote sites. Syncs security access with different physical locations.
Ability to minimize risk because all logical and physical access privileges are based on a single authoritative source (e.g. it is impossible for a PLAI-compliant PACS to contain two versions of an active employee’s name because it is drawing the employee identities from the authoritative IT/HR source.)

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