Replace Metal Keys with Electronic Keycards
Context
A hotel that currently uses traditional metal keys plans to migrate to electronic keycards across guest rooms and staff-accessible areas.
Tasks
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Explain the strategic and customer-driven reasons for replacing metal keys with keycards. Address benefits for:
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Guests
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Hotel staff (front desk, housekeeping, maintenance)
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The business (operations, risk, revenue)
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Define the must-have features of the end-to-end solution, including (but not limited to):
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Check-in/check-out experience (front desk, kiosk, mobile)
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Lost-card flow and revocation
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Access controls and roles (guest, staff, shared facilities)
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Auditing and reporting
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Integrations (PMS, loyalty, mobile app)
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Describe a high-level system architecture connecting keycards, door locks, on-premise or cloud services, and hotel management software. Include how the card and lock validate each other.
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Propose security measures to mitigate physical and network-based attacks (e.g., brute-force entry, card cloning, packet interception).
Hints
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Consider operational efficiency: self-service kiosks, faster room turnover, automated role-based access.
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Consider cryptographic approaches: public/private keys, diversified symmetric keys, rolling codes, time-bound credentials.
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Address failure modes: power outage, server downtime, battery depletion, or a card being swiped multiple times.