Enterprises deploying mobile and physical access credentials will now able to enroll them at scale using open standards.
AUSTIN, Texas – (March 17, 2026) – Sentry Interactive today announced new mass enrollment capabilities for the Physical Security Interoperability Alliance (PSIA) Public Key Open Credential (PKOC) specification. Developed through collaboration with other PSIA Members, including Elatec, Johnson Controls, and EMSi, the capability leverages Sentry Interactive’s SDK to enable large-scale credential deployment that transforms how enterprises can efficiently rollout and manage secure open credentials.
PKOC credentials are designed to be non-proprietary, hardware-agnostic, and fully interoperable. Stored securely within an iOS or Android app, PKOC generates a unique public-private key pair, delivering strong asymmetric encryption security without vendor lock-in.
“PKOC was designed to give the security industry a true open standard for credentials,” said David Bunzel, Executive Director of PSIA. “With mass enrollment capabilities now available, organizations can deploy interoperable credentials at enterprise scale while preserving freedom of choice across readers, credential providers, and mobile applications.”
“The integration with Sentry Interactive transforms what was once a manual, time-consuming process into a seamless, remote rollout of PKOC at scale. This is about reducing cost, accelerating implementation, and giving organizations true freedom of choice.” Said Jason Ouellette, Chairman of PSIA and Vice President of Innovation & Technical Partnerships at Elatec, a brand of Allegion.
Sentry Interactive is a leading provider of NFC mobile credential software that delivers to PKOC specification. Their SDK supports PKOC’s open specification and public-key trust model, enabling interoperability and freedom of choice across multiple mobile credential apps, access control OEM systems, reader brands, and physical cards.
“Sentry Interactive’s solution facilitates incorporating interoperable PKOC mobile credentials into an access control infrastructure. Its use of an openly available interface would benefit any PACS integration project looking to support enhanced credentials”. Said Rodney Thayer, Convergence Engineer at Smithee Solutions LLC.
This innovation reduces enterprise operational costs and accelerates fast and secure credential issuance, making it practical for enterprises to adopt PKOC at scale.
“With Sentry Interactive’s SDK integration, we deliver open, secure, and truly interoperable public key open credentials (PKOC) that are available for mass enrollment. Said Denis Hébert, Chairman & CEO at Sentry Interactive. Denis continues “Enterprises can now remotely deploy thousands of PKOC credentials instantly, without being locked into proprietary ecosystems. This is a major step forward in the development of secure open standard credentials for the security industry.”
“Open standards are the future of secure access,” said Rick Focke, Director of Product and Market Development, at Johnson Controls, “we’re empowering organizations to take control of their credential strategy, securely, efficiently, and without being tied to a single ecosystem. This marks a major shift in how mobile access credentials are deployed through C.CURE IQ and other access control platforms”.
Now OEMs, reader manufacturers and integrators can use a unified provisioning process that works consistently across sites, simplifying deployment at scale, reducing configuration time and limiting errors.
Last mile integration PKOC partners, like EMSi are critical.
“PKOC creates something the access control industry has not had before – a truly open credential,” explains John Tepley, Founder & CEO, EMSi. “It gives end users the freedom to introduce PKOC alongside existing proprietary card systems without locking themselves into a single ecosystem. In environments that rely on installed access control systems – such as globally deployed elevators and turnstiles – PKOC creates a practical path to introduce mobile credentials and smartphone access alongside existing infrastructure, and deploy them at scale.”
PKOC latest developments mark a major milestone. PSIA and its membership alliance are committed to evolving the specification to support future capabilities and applications, including expanded mobile experiences, advanced secure key sharing, and deeper enterprise identity integration.
By anchoring physical and mobile credentials in open standards and public key cryptography, PKOC establishes a durable, interoperable foundation for the next generation of credentialing. As mass enrollment capabilities now offer practical roll out through the help of Sentry Interactive’s SDK, the ecosystem is positioned to deliver scalable, open, and secure PKOC credential deployments for enterprises worldwide.
There will be a live demo of PKOC and its new mass enrollment capability in action at ISC West 2026.
March 26, 2026.
Venetian Expo, Convention Center, Murano 3303.
5:30pm to 7pm.
About PSIA
The Physical Security Interoperability Alliance (PSIA) is a global consortium of leading security technology manufacturers and solution providers focused on advancing interoperability in the physical security industry. Through collaborative development of open standards and specifications, PSIA enables security systems to integrate more easily, reducing complexity and providing greater flexibility for integrators and end users.
About PKOC
The Public Key Open Credential (PKOC) specification represents a major evolution in physical access credentials, providing a secure, interoperable, and open-standard alternative to traditional proprietary credential formats.
Unlike legacy access credentials that rely on symmetric encryption and vendor-specific implementations, PKOC uses asymmetric cryptography. Each credential contains a unique public-private key pair, with the private key securely stored within the device’s secure hardware element and never shared. This architecture significantly improves security and helps prevent credential cloning or unauthorized duplication.
PKOC is license-free and vendor-agnostic, designed to be implemented across multiple platforms, readers, cards, and mobile devices. This interoperability simplifies integration, reduces vendor lock-in, and enables organizations to deploy credentials across diverse hardware and software environments.
Supporting NFC, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), and physical card implementations, PKOC enables flexible deployment models aligned with modern enterprise requirements. Integrators and end users benefit from greater choice, lower long-term costs, and a credential framework built on modern IT security best practices.
About Sentry Interactive
Sentry Interactive is a software development company that provides a cloud-based mobile credential integration for legacy access control systems and third party platforms. Enabling Public Key Open Credential (PKOC) specification for enterprises, organisations, and institutions across various industries to extend the life of their current access control systems with an NFC mobile access option, creating a fast and cost effective route to mobile credentials.
