Digitalise your access with confidence with ASSA ABLOY

ISJ hears from David Moser, SVP and Head of Digital Access Solutions, ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions EMEIA and the users that are seamlessly switching to digital access.

Digitalisation is reshaping the way we live and work.

Buildings should be at the centre of this change, streamlining daily interactions with homes, offices and other workplaces making movement into and around them seamless. Everyone who uses a site also needs confidence in its security and safety – not just its efficiency and usability.

In addition, connected digital access is a fundamental block in constructing more intelligent buildings.

As analysts Omdia note: “Access control equipment continues to play a crucial role in leading end users to consider a transition to interconnected smart building system architectures”

Switching mechanical for digital access can be essential to a future-oriented strategy. It can help organisations of every size and type to work smarter, collaborate better and maximise the productivity of their existing assets.

“The building has an increasingly digital future,” explains David Moser, SVP and Head of Digital Access Solutions at ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions EMEIA. ”So it’s crucial for all kinds of organisations to make their access ready for what’s ahead.”

But, which major factors should play a role in the decision making process for a switch to digital? The following five are critical to ensuring that an organisation lands on the best solution for them:

Security

This is sometimes considered as a given. But, in a world of emerging and evolving physical security threats, it should never be taken for granted. Building users and managers need the reassurance of a secure access system to go about their working day productively and with peace of mind.

As security converges, moving beyond traditional physical access and cyber ‘siloes’, the right digital access solution should enable building management teams to define exactly who goes where, and when, across their site or sites.

Stockholm’s Vasamuseet – Scandinavia’s most visited museum – sought a replacement for a mechanical master-key system, primarily to solve its lost key problem. ASSA ABLOY provided a digital solution based on programmable keys and wireless cylinders which met its insurance company’s stringent security requirements, for Class 3 locking.

Now, any lost key’s access rights are quickly deleted and contractors get access which expires when a job is complete. “It’s clear where our keys are,” comments Michael Andrésen, Operations and Security Officer, State Maritime Museums.

Reliability

The durability of a digital solution has both financial and security implications. Robust hardware and secure software ensure that access solutions require minimal maintenance, for example.

At the specification stage, purchasers should also inquire about third party certifications, including for green building schemes, whether for digital locks, electronic door closing solutions or for access provision compliance at sensitive locations where additional national and supranational regulations may apply.

France’s Hydreaulys water treatment facility required a time efficient way to restrict and monitor access to potentially hazardous materials. A digital key-based system now allows them to program access individually – and change it when needed.

Certified digital cylinders are robust enough for the demanding environment: Alongside extreme weather, they resist chemicals and humidity. This reliability saves the time and cost of replacing locks regularly.

“Access control needs flexibility as our organisation and management of the site is evolving and this reliable system is evolving with us,” says Jean-Pascal Chuzel, Deputy Agency Director, Water France – Paris Seine Ouest.

Innovation

An “innovative” solution is not simply the access system with the widest range of features and functions. Choosing a digital solution manufacturer with a track record of innovation, however, gives organisations the confidence that their solution will always prepare them for what’s ahead – not just “the now”.

Systems should embrace digital openness and customisability, which in turn, provides the flexibility which genuinely future proofs access management.

Barcelona-based build to rent provider Becorp has used mechanical security in the past – and are aware of its advantages and its drawbacks. For a new development, it targeted a convenient keyless digital solution: Residents unlock doors using secure mobile keys in a smartphone app. This also saves managers’ time, especially during property handovers.

Its ASSA ABLOY digital solution provides locking with deadbolt projection and real time management, so staff can check live status for any access point, open doors remotely or lock-down in an emergency.

“Physical key management for any large development puts severe pressure on operational costs. Choosing wireless locks and mobile management helps us to minimise them,” explains Xavier Casals, Becorp’s Engineering Director.

Convenience

Much more is possible beyond just small scale savings in time and effort. When employees, contractors and temporary visitors can come and go with ease, operations for building and security managers are streamlined.

Digitalising access provides a concrete ROI that a business can turn into a competitive advantage. For this reason, the most recent Wireless Access Control Report found the biggest factor driving the switch to mobile digital access was convenience.

At Vejle Friskole mechanical key management used to eat up “a very long time; approximately five hours a week,” explains Henrik Kækel, the school’s Technical Service Officer. Now, doors and sensitive openings such as cabinets are equipped with digital locking devices. Around 250 students, teachers and parents carry one personalised fob programmed with their access permissions.

Today, school staff spend around five minutes a week managing their access digitally. “It’s incredibly easy to figure out… it takes one minute to code a student,” he adds.

Sustainability

The ethos should be embedded within any futureproof digital solution. Motives go beyond just altruism and corporate responsibility – though, of course, these are important.

Incorporating sustainability into an access strategy can also directly benefit the bottom line. Both the business and the environment benefit from reducing power consumption by using innovations such as energy-harvesting technology, for example.

A Place To, a multi-residential housing complex in Esbjerg, aims to maintain a green profile throughout its buildings’ life-cycle. It chose ASSA ABLOY energy-harvesting digital door security which runs without any external power source.

Over 400 apartments and co-living areas have efficient digital control in keeping with their contemporary style and sustainability ethos. An energy efficient, cloud-managed system operates without batteries or wires and integrates with the online readers and door phones.

“We went for a futureproof solution which was maintenance-free and where we did not have to change batteries,” says Peter Høpfner, the organisation’s COO and Founder.

Getting access ready for what’s ahead

“ASSA ABLOY can help you digitise and truly futureproof access at almost any kind of site or building,” adds Moser. “Our vast range of innovative, reliable, convenient solutions bring digital access to wherever it’s needed.

“To different building sizes and types, historic properties or new builds. And, in different industries and settings, from corporate offices and manufacturing plants to universities, homes, hospitals and many other places.

“These access solutions showcase the value of the digital transition and can be tailored to meet almost any individual business need or goal. We hope anyone thinking of making their access ready for what’s ahead, and of switching from mechanical to digital access, has a chance to speak to us first.

“We are happy to share our expertise to help you continue to thrive in our changing, digitalising world,” Moser concludes.

ASSA ABLOY

Every day, the ASSA ABLOY Group helps billions of people experience a more open world.

ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions leads the development within door openings and products for access solutions and homes, businesses and institutions.

Its offering includes doors, door and window hardware, locks, access control and services.