ScrambleFactor SF.3
The ScrambleFactor SF.3 was born to resolve several challenges:
- Update existing (and old) ScramblePad product line
- Bring biometrics to the Identiv (now Hirsch) reader product group
We defined this as a halo product for the existing TS Reader line. The new reader would be backwards compatible with the existing ScramblePads – fit the same mounting boxes and require a similar amount of power – while adding a touchscreen (vs the 7-segment displays on the ScramblePads), a biometric scanner (supporting PIV biometrics).
This was a complex project involving many moving parts. This post will cover some of the highlights: not just things that went well but some of the challenges we encountered along the way, how we lost our minds, but, ultimately, how we solved them.
Ideation
One of the biggest challenges for this product was evident right from the start: we had to make the new thing as easy to deploy as possible. Deployment is a challenge for all Physical Security products and we knew that if we made it too difficult to upgrade that would trigger customers to look out at competing products.
At the same time, there was as real opportunity here, while there were other biometric readers on the market, and other readers with touchscreens there was nothing quite like what we were planning to develop.
This product was developed at Identiv (before the sale the physical access business); we followed a newly defined Stage Gate process. The initial phase was therefore focussed on building out a business case.