Mobile access is impacting how we interact with buildings and view their security. For users, a device they already carry unlocks doors or other openings, across one or many sites. For facility managers, the device achieves this more securely. Businesses benefit from time-saving access management at a lower cost.
In this article Thomas Schulz, EMEA Product Marketing Director at Assa Abloy, Opening Solutions, gives his views on mobile access control and its benefits.
Almost two-thirds of organisations have already adopted mobile access control – or plan to do so within two years*. According to analysts Omdia, mobile credential downloads grew by 220% between 2018 and 2019**. This growth will continue. One recent market survey uncovers the main benefits reported by users: convenience, cost and security*.
The security of mobile credentials improves on traditional smart-cards and fobs. Biometrics are built into almost every modern smartphone, via fingerprint or face ID unlocking. Human behaviour is also on the smartphone’s side. How quickly would a student or employee notice a missing plastic access card? Everyone is more careful with their handset.
Mobile access done right
For users, convenience benefits are obvious – and have already powered a mobile revolution in banking, travel booking, food delivery and many more sectors. Yet not all solutions are created equal: The user’s experience and privacy are critical considerations.
Mobile access via battery powered Aperio locks, for example, is built on Seos, a platform with class-leading cryptography and privacy protection. Unlocking an opening secured with an Aperio device is easy and intuitive: Users simply present their phone at the RFID reader, just as they would a smart-card. They don’t even need to open an app. Aperio locks are already compatible with all major RFID credentials and NFC. The E100 Electronic Escutcheon is also compatible with Bluetooth Low Energy – which will be offered with more Aperio devices in the near future. User experience at the door is always identical.
Businesses can run RFID and mobile in parallel, if they choose. Every technology is always inside the Aperio package: There is no need to decide at purchase. And because Aperio is built on an open platform for maximum compatibility, locks integrate seamlessly with over 100 different security and access systems.
Streamlining access management with a smartphone
For facility management, security, cost and convenience are all enhanced by mobile. Lost physical credentials pose a major threat to workplaces. Over 17% of respondents to one survey admitted losing an RFID card or fob in the previous 12 months***. Mobile credentials can be cancelled or amended over the air, without any need for updaters or a credential handover meeting. Nobody is left waiting for their access permissions to update.
At Arkansas State University’s new campus in Mexico, for example, a Smartair Openow mobile access control solution offers management of virtual “keys” inside a secure app. Keys can be created and sent from anywhere. With app-based control, security managers check and amend a virtual key’s access rights whenever they want. When a virtual key is cancelled, it vanishes instantly from a user’s Openow app.
Where intelligent key credentials are deployed, mobile management saves time and money. Cliq Go is an extension of the Cliq programmable key-based access solution, specifically tailored to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). SMBs often lack the budget for a dedicated security department or even a specialist manager. The Cliq Go app makes access management easy. Business owners can manage their locking system from almost any smartphone.
Another Cliq extension for mobile management, Cliq Connect is a previous Detektor International Award winner which streamlines security workflows for off-site staff and contractors. To change a keyholder’s access rights, a system administrator simply accesses the Cliq Web Manager software – from anywhere – and updates it. The keyholder makes a secure Bluetooth connection between their Cliq Connect key and the mobile app to instantly update permissions. It saves time and money by reducing wasted journeys for any business where workers are always on the move.
Thomas Schulz,
EMEA Product Marketing Director,
Assa Abloy, Opening Solutions
Source: SecurityWorldMarket