Security

The Role of Access Control in Making Work More Flexible

05.05.2023 - A recent Future Forum survey found that 58 % of knowledge workers already follow a hybrid work pattern: “Flexibility is the expectation – and increasingly the norm,” the report concludes. Further growth in flexible working is a certainty. These changing work patterns make flexibility in security even more critical. Choosing the right access control solution makes a big difference.

Office-based working, telecommuting, work-from-home (WFH), co-working spaces and hot-desking: all these habits and schedules are now part of the mix, almost everywhere. As the fixed ‘working day’ declines, people come and go at different times, with changing schedules, irregular patterns, and a mix of different places where they work. This presents a challenge which many existing access control systems and workflows were not built to meet.

Many of the old certainties are replaced by questions. How can I now ensure the right people – and only the right people – get seamless access when they need to? How do I foster a sense of comfort and safety among workplace users, and peace of mind for the facility managers, even as people come and go in less predictable day-to-day patterns?

Same Demands, New Challenges

Access control has always been critical for building security. Changing work patterns, however, mean monitoring and filtering who can go where and at what times is becoming even more essential. This control ensures staff and visitors move safely and conveniently into and around the workplace.

Mechanical lock-and-key security has established centuries of trust. It works, but it is neither flexible nor intelligent enough to meet these new challenges. Electronic access control, on the other hand, has this flexibility. And the quickest way to implement it – to make a fast, efficient move to secure hybrid working – is wirelessly.

The Wireless Advantage

The control enabled by wireless, battery-powered door locks managed by intuitive software gives facility managers the power to issue more fine-grained access permissions. Employees, contractors, cleaners, event attendees and visitors can all get the access they need – no more and no less. Credentials may be programmed to unlock doors during specific time frames, so staff enters only when scheduled, for example. Facility managers can regulate daily access to keep building occupancy within capacity.

Last-minute or emergency changes to access rights are no problem, because credentials have flexibility that mechanical keys do not. With remote management functionality, office managers can perform any operation even if they are away from the premises. In case of an emergency, they could lock or open doors remotely, for example.

Mobile credentials offer even more: they can update over the air in an instant, via software which can provide control in real-time, from anywhere and around the clock. “An access system which offers this degree of control is much easier to adopt than many business owners and managers imagine,” says Mikel Gaztañaga at Assa Abloy Opening Solutions. “It can provide the backbone for more efficient management of people and their security as work becomes more flexible. The right solution should also integrate with important flexible office services like support ticketing, room bookings and more.”

Wireless, battery-powered devices are fast to install and run without any mains connection. They are easy to retrofit without damaging walls and consume little energy during use, unlike equivalent wired doors. Their cost-effectiveness enables them to be fitted at many more doors than would be feasible with any alternative solution.

Flexibility for a Flexible Co-Working Space

Flexible access to offices is a priority in the co-working sector. As ‘fixed’ space rented by corporations begins to fall, co-working spaces are expected to keep growing. In one recent survey, 69 % of large companies “identified flexible office space as the most in-demand amenity of the future.”

To stand out from the competition, the founders of ULab in Alicante wanted the latest in security, accessibility and design to create their 21st-century business center. Flexible and wire-free, a Smartair system gives ULab real-time access control via credentials that are easy to program and reprogram. ULab managers chose Openow, the mobile key solution for Smartair. It gives workspace residents an option to carry virtual keys on their smartphones. It is slick, efficient and gives users and managers even more flexibility. The software manages access for 100 daily users. They also have the flexibility to welcome many more visitors when the event space is full. “In addition to regular daily traffic, weekly traffic can almost multiply by ten if an event is held,” says Enrique Burgos Pérez, Director at ULab. “We needed an access control system as flexible and convenient as Smartair.”

Contact

ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions EMEIA

Dukes Street
Woking
Surrey GU21 5BH, United Kingdom

+49 30 8106 2970
+ 49 8106 1970