With the proliferation of smartphones in today's digital age, mobile access solutions are witnessing rapid growth, becoming a significant trend in various sectors.
In Western Europe alone, there are 459 million active smartphones, yet only a small portion currently facilitate digital access. This number is expected to increase significantly, according to projections indicating a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 22% for mobile credentials in the next seven years.
Advantages of mobile in access management
The shift towards using smartphones as keys offers substantial benefits in access management. Not only does it provide enhanced security, but the convenience factor is also highly appealing for both building users and managers. Organisations that embrace digitalisation, particularly in access, boost asset productivity, augment building security, and enhance user convenience.
Enhancing user collaboration
The elimination of physical keys, fobs, or badges further simplifies access management
Mobile access enables faster, smarter collaboration among building users.
Sectors such as banking, travel, and food delivery have already benefited significantly from mobile-first approaches. The elimination of physical keys, fobs, or badges further simplifies access management. The switch to secure mobile keys addresses these challenges effectively.
Streamlining access control
In terms of security management, mobile credentials allow more secure access control.
Smartphones, seldom loaned or misplaced, provide a more reliable credential that can be easily modified or revoked by security managers remotely. When access permissions need adjustment, these changes can be made wirelessly, ensuring efficiency without requiring devices for credential updates.
Remote access benefits
Through mobile and secure cloud solutions, remote access management simplifies security processes
Through mobile and secure cloud solutions, remote access management simplifies security processes. There is no need for cumbersome handover meetings when access rights are revoked.
The agility offered by such systems enhances productivity and aids in flexible working environments. "At ASSA ABLOY, we were very quick to spot the benefits of mobile access for all kinds of stakeholders," highlights David Moser, SVP & Head of Digital Access Solutions at ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions EMEIA.
Impact on multi-residential housing
ASSA ABLOY provides a range of mobile access solutions, whether integrating with existing security systems or via complete systems. In the multi-residential housing sector, the adoption of mobile access is growing rapidly.
For instance, Becorp, a build-to-rent housing provider in Barcelona, opted for digital solutions to alleviate the burdens of physical key management, facilitating smoother property management.
Expanded mobile access solutions
Residents in developments managed by companies like Becorp utilise the SMARTair Openow® app for keyless entry, optimising operational costs.
"Physical key management for any large development puts severe pressure on operational costs," notes Becorp’s Xavier Casals. Moreover, ASSA ABLOY offers diverse solutions to meet varying customer needs, such as CLIQ® Connect, which streamlines key access management through the CLIQ Web Manager.
Integration and compatibility
For small and medium-sized enterprises, CLIQ Go delivers simple mobile access management
For small and medium-sized enterprises, CLIQ Go delivers simple mobile access management. Designed for ease of use, it empowers even non-specialists to handle digital access effortlessly.
The Aperio® battery-powered locks, compatible with both Bluetooth and NFC protocols, further enhance integration with existing systems, supported by secure Seos® technology.
Customisable solutions
Harnessing advanced capabilities, solutions like ABLOY CUMULUS offer keyless access with Bluetooth-enabled mobile unlocking. With this system, users receive personalised, encrypted credentials directly on their devices.
David Moser explains, "We engineered CUMULUS to help businesses increase their mobile capability to really get their access ready for what’s ahead," highlighting its customisable features designed to integrate mobile as a key business component.
In business and personal life, digitalisation increasingly means moving to mobile. Mobile-first is becoming the norm across regions and industries. In Western Europe alone, there are 459 million active smartphones and only a fraction of these are currently used for digital access. This is changing fast: one projection suggests mobile credentials’ CAGR of more than 22% over the next 7 years.
This rapid growth seems only natural: in terms of access management, it is more secure and more convenient, for both building users and managers, when the smartphone also becomes a key. From an organisational perspective, digitalisation helps to maximise the productivity of existing assets. By adopting a mobile ethos, in access and beyond, businesses increase convenience for their users and the security of their buildings.
Building users and managers
It is easy to understand why mobile is, according to one analyst, “the dominant trend in access control.”
Using mobile keys for access helps building users to act faster, work smarter and collaborate better within teams. Similar convenience benefits have already made banks, travel agents, food delivery services and more into mobile-first sectors. With mobile access, staff and visitors no longer need to carry or keep track of keys, fobs, badges or cards. The convenience of replacing plastic key-cards with secure mobile keys is obvious.
Access management perspective
From an access management perspective, mobile access enables the secure movement of people into and through premises – and simultaneously streamlines daily work for security managers. Mobile credentials are also more secure.
Phones are almost never loaned to anyone else, and are harder for a user to lose. Mobile credentials are easier for security managers to amend or de-authorise than a mechanical key. Changes to anyone’s access permissions can be made over the air, without any need for dedicated readers or asking a user to check-in their credential.
Remote access management
Furthermore, when a security administrator cancels a mobile key, it vanishes immediately. No more time-wasting handover meetings are scheduled when a tenancy, employment contract or authorised visit ends. Remote access management via smartphone and a secure cloud saves facilities staff time and hassle. They work smarter and more flexibly, benefitting both their well-being and their organisation’s productivity.
“At ASSA ABLOY, we were very quick to spot the benefits of mobile access for all kinds of stakeholders,” explains David Moser, SVP & Head of Digital Access Solutions at ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions EMEIA. “So many of our access innovations provide the option to make access not only digital, but also mobile.”
Multi-residential housing
ASSA ABLOY offers customers a choice of mobile access solutions, both within complete digital access systems and via devices which plug seamlessly into an existing security management solution. Multi-residential housing is just one sector, among many, where the advantages of mobile access have seen its rapid growth.
Fast-growing build-to-rent housing provider Becorp is just one that has benefited from its convenience. For a planned new development in Barcelona, they sought a digital alternative to mechanical keys. Becorp realised that a keyless solution would save property management time, which is often spent handling hundreds of physical keys. The burden on staff is especially great when properties are newly occupied or vacated, a regular occurrence in large build-to-rent complexes.
Mobile access solutions
Residents instead use secure mobile keys in their own SMARTair Openow® app. “Physical key management for any large development puts severe pressure on operational costs,” explains Becorp’s Xavier Casals. “Choosing SMARTair wireless locks and mobile management via Openow helps us to minimise them.”
“We have several more mobile access solutions, providing customers with a choice to meet their exact needs,” adds David Moser. “CLIQ® Connect is a mobile extension to ASSA ABLOY’s CLIQ programmable key access solution. A keyholder no longer needs to update access rights physically in person. Their system administrator simply opens the CLIQ Web Manager – from anywhere – and updates it. The key-holder makes an encrypted connection between their programmable BLE key and the app on the mobile to instantly update permissions from the cloud.”
NFC mobile wireless protocols
“Yet another mobile solution, CLIQ Go, is designed for small and medium-sized businesses. It offers easy access management from a mobile. CLIQ Go makes it simple even for non-specialists to manage their own access, digitally and from the palm of their hand.”
Mobile access is also built-in to ASSA ABLOY digital access devices designed for seamless integration with existing systems and hardware. Battery powered Aperio® locks are compatible with both Bluetooth and NFC mobile wireless protocols. Aperio mobile access offers Seos®-based, class-leading cryptography and authentication, plus unrivalled privacy protection.
Keyless access solution
Utilising HID Seos® technology, Aperio also supports employee badge in Apple Wallet, enabling quick, convenient entry to doors, cabinets, lockers, server racks and more equipped with Aperio wireless devices.
ABLOY CUMULUS is another keyless access solution, also part of the suite of connected Digital Access Solutions from ASSA ABLOY. With ABLOY CUMULUS, tailored access rights are issued directly on a user’s smartphone. Their personalised, encrypted mobile credential unlocks any authorised opening. In addition, the revolutionary CUMULUS Controller brings mobile unlocking via Bluetooth to any electric or electronic lock – from any brand.
Smartphone app development
“We engineered CUMULUS to help businesses increase their mobile capability to really get their access ready for what’s ahead,” explains David Moser. “It is completely customisable, with APIs and SDKs for smartphone app development. Mobile becomes part of their business.”
“Like all our mobile access solutions, we hope it helps our customers to realise new possibilities in whatever they do.”
