Digitalisation is reshaping the way individuals live and work. Buildings should be at the centre of this change, streamlining daily interactions with homes, offices, and other workplaces, moving into and around them seamlessly.
Everyone who uses a site also needs confidence in its security and safety, not just its efficiency and usability.
Connected digital access
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.”
Future-oriented strategy
Switching mechanical for digital access can help organisations of every size and type to work smarter, collaborate better
Switching mechanical for digital access, then, 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,” says 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.”
5 strategic factors impacting the switch to digital access
But which major factors should be incorporated into the decision-making process for a switch to digital? The following five are critical to ensure an organisation lands on the best solution for them:
- Security
Security is sometimes considered 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 enables building management teams to define exactly who goes where, and when, across their site or sites.
- Reliability
The reliability of any 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 access provision compliance at sensitive locations where additional national and supra-national regulations may apply.
- Innovation
Systems should embrace digital openness and customisability which in turn provide the flexibility
Innovation in the choice of solution does not simply mean picking 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 provide the flexibility that genuinely future-proofs access management.
- Convenience
Convenience is about much more than 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 #1 factor driving the switch to mobile digital access was convenience.
- Sustainability
Sustainability as an ethos should be embedded within any future-proof 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.
The benefits of a digital access solution
“At a new corporate headquarters for Canal+ near Paris, midsized Clockwise co-working spaces in the UK and northern Europe, and medical facilities in Dubai and Turkey, digitalisation of access has brought tangible everyday benefits,” adds David Moser.
“There’s a proven digital solution suited to historic buildings, brand-new hotels, and education facilities of every size and type. Digital access comes with a real operations management ROI.”
Cloud infrastructure
Cloud infrastructure enables remote management of users and access from one convenient location
“At one Danish school, Vejle Friskole, digitalising access management reduced the time they were spending on it every week from 5 hours to just 5 minutes. The results can be instant… and quite dramatic!”
Digitalising access instantly puts powerful tools in the hands of a building manager: Cloud infrastructure enables remote management of users and access from one convenient location; integrating intelligent sensors can help manage energy more effectively; credentials stored on a smartphone simplify and accelerate the process of issuing, amending and revoking access.
Digital access for offices, universities, hospitals, and much more
A vast range of digital functionality can be tailored to all kinds of applications.
With real-time management, facility managers create audit trails or instantly change access rights for any door or user. In schools, real-time, online control enables rapid lockdown in an emergency. In hospitals, digital access shows who had access to drug stores or equipment.
Self-service kiosks
At the Flint Hotel in Austria, digital access software integrates with self-service kiosks: Guests check in from home, enter the reception with a PIN, and receive their keycard at the kiosk.
At Munich’s historic Hofbräuhaus, digital devices work out of sight, securing doors and managing access without damaging the heritage interior.
Wireless locks and mobile management
Multi-residential housing in Barcelona, access apartments and common areas with a key stored securely
Tenants at Becorp, multi-residential housing in Barcelona, access apartments and common areas with a key stored securely on their smartphone.
“Physical key management for any large development puts severe pressure on operational costs,” explains Becorp’s project engineer, Xavier Casals. “Choosing wireless locks and mobile management helps us to minimise them.”
Digital transition
“ASSA ABLOY can help you digitalise and truly future-proof access at almost any kind of site or building,” adds David Moser. “Our vast range of innovative, reliable, convenient solutions showcase the value of the digital transition and can be tailored to meet individual business needs and goals.”
“We urge anyone thinking of making the switch from mechanical to digital access to speak to us first. We are happy to share our expertise to help you continue to thrive in a changing, digitalising world.”
