City of the Future: Decentralized Identity and PIAM Converge in Urban Life
- Soloinsight Inc.
- Jun 27, 2022
- 5 min read
Welcome to the Identity Renaissance
A revolution is brewing—not in the clouds or on the streets, but at the intersection of identity and autonomy.
Cities are becoming smarter, denser, more complex. And yet, the systems that govern how people move through these cities remain relics of a fragmented past.
We still rely on:
Fragile plastic ID cards.
Outdated access rules.
Disconnected databases.
But what if identity could live with the individual, not the system?
What if every citizen, contractor, employee, and visitor carried a secure, portable, and verifiable version of their identity that didn’t need to be stored—and constantly synced—in every building and department?
That’s the promise of Decentralized Identity (DID).
And when paired with Physical Identity and Access Management (PIAM)—especially through platforms like CloudGate by Soloinsight—the result is nothing short of a City of the Future.
A city that’s not just smart, but sovereign—empowered by identity that travels with you.
The Problem with Centralized Identity
Before we look forward, let’s be honest about where we are:
Traditional identity models are broken.
Each government agency keeps its own access database.
Every building requires separate credential provisioning.
Temporary access takes days—or is manually handled.
Revoking access means scrambling across spreadsheets and physical keys.
The result?
Overprovisioning: People have access they no longer need.
Undervigilance: Revocation lags behind real-world changes.
Compliance chaos: Auditing who had access to what, when, is a logistical nightmare.
In the age of digital-first urban life, this just won’t scale.
What Is Decentralized Identity?
Decentralized Identity (DID) flips the model:
Instead of storing personal identity attributes in a central repository, credentials are issued to individuals—stored securely on mobile devices or encrypted wallets.
They’re:
Cryptographically signed
Tamper-proof
Selectively shareable
Verifiable instantly by any trusted verifier
The identity lives with you—not on a server.
You can present it to:
A building access system
A city parking garage
A public utility field office
A secure co-working space
Without needing to re-register or be re-approved every time.
And when paired with PIAM?
You get instant trust at the physical edge of the city.
CloudGate PIAM + Decentralized Identity = Trust Without Bottlenecks
Soloinsight’s CloudGate platform integrates natively with wallet-based decentralized credentials to offer cities a way to:
Automate access approvals
Eliminate onboarding delays
Create dynamic, risk-based access workflows
Empower citizens and workers to own their identity
Let’s break it down.
✅ Verification at the Gate
CloudGate uses a combination of:
NFC wallet credentials (Apple/Google Wallet)
TRA Face ID with liveness detection
Mobile cryptographic signatures
This lets any credential—stored locally on a user’s phone—act as a verifiable access passport.
No central lookup required. No lag. No operator needed.
✅ Role + Context = Instant Access Logic
CloudGate reads the verifiable credentials and dynamically applies:
Time-based access windows
Location zones
Emergency override rules
Visitor or contractor-specific workflows
Imagine:
A citizen with a “Library Member” credential tapping into the municipal library—no card.
A freelance urban planner with a “Verified Contractor” credential gaining secure elevator access to city archives—for 3 hours only.
A disaster response team granted emergency access by simply presenting digitally signed credentials on entry.
That’s not just automation. That’s urban resilience.
A Use Case: Contractor Management at City Scale
Let’s take one of the hardest PIAM challenges: managing thousands of third-party contractors across city facilities.
Currently:
Badges are handed out like candy.
Revocation is manual.
Compliance checks fall between the cracks.
With DID + PIAM, here’s what changes:
A certified HVAC firm receives a verifiable credential issued by the city’s facilities department.
Each technician stores that credential on their phone—encrypted and unforgeable.
When they arrive at the site:
They scan their wallet at the gate.
CloudGate verifies the signature.
Cross-references their clearance level.
Opens access points only for the approved zones and time slots.
When their job ends, the credential expires automatically. No badge to collect. No database to clean.
The system self-regulates access, while maintaining zero-trust governance.
TRA Face ID: Trust on Sight
Decentralized credentials are powerful. But combining them with biometric authentication unlocks true next-gen PIAM.
CloudGate’s TRA Face ID is:
Fast
Touchless
Anti-spoof
GDPR-compliant
For use cases where maximum assurance is needed—think:
Power grid control rooms
Surveillance centers
Transportation command hubs
—Face ID serves as the final layer of irrefutable identity.
And with support for offline verification, even during outages or natural disasters, Face ID ensures that decentralized cities remain accessible but secure.
Smart Urban Living, Powered by Verifiable Identity
Imagine a city where:
Visitors check into hotels with a tap of their wallet credential and a glance at a kiosk.
University students access labs and libraries across campuses without ever being issued a card.
Gig workers—delivery drivers, freelancers, repair techs—are granted verified, temporary access only when and where needed.
Senior citizens use biometric + wallet credentials to access health clinics, transportation discounts, and community events—all while controlling what personal data is shared.
This is decentralized urban access. This is PIAM reimagined for real people.
Why Cities Must Act Now
Decentralized identity is not theoretical:
Microsoft, Spruce, ID2020, and Hyperledger are building DID frameworks.
Apple and Google have enabled Wallet-based verifiable IDs in several U.S. states.
Smart city projects in places like Dubai, Singapore, and Seoul are experimenting with blockchain-based credentialing.
But without a physical access layer like CloudGate PIAM to validate and act on those credentials, the system is half-built.
Cities that act now:
Avoid lock-in to obsolete systems
Reduce access management costs
Improve compliance and auditability
Offer a frictionless, privacy-respecting citizen experience
Those that don’t?
Will be stuck issuing more badges, managing more spreadsheets, and reacting slower to crises.
The Zero Trust Foundation
Decentralized identity does not mean “trust everyone.”
It means:
Trust no one until proven.
Verify often.
Empower the user to prove themselves.
This is the core of Zero Trust Architecture—and CloudGate PIAM is built for it:
Dynamic identity proofing
Real-time credential checks
Conditional access approvals
Geo-fencing and time-fencing of entry zones
You can’t fake your way into a city’s secure zone—not with CloudGate watching.
Identity as a Human Right
At its core, the decentralized PIAM model is not just about technology.
It’s about:
Giving individuals control over their credentials.
Minimizing unnecessary surveillance.
Creating seamless urban experiences.
A city that trusts its people while protecting its infrastructure is a city that flourishes.
As Steve Jobs once said: “It’s not faith in technology. It’s faith in people.”
CloudGate doesn’t just secure spaces—it liberates movement.
Contact Soloinsight for a Demo
Are you building a city that thinks, moves, and adapts?
Do you want identity systems that are secure, decentralized, and citizen-first?
Let Soloinsight show you how CloudGate PIAM and decentralized credentials:
Replace outdated badges with mobile-first identity
Enable self-sovereign access workflows
Support Zero Trust without complexity
Make every building, transit hub, and office ready for the future
Schedule a demo today. See how the City of the Future begins—at the gate.
