Smart Access Technology Delivers Security & Safety for Students in Dorms
- SALTO delivers seamless and smart electronic access solutions for Y Suites of Australia.
Access control plays one of the most critical roles in protecting people in educational environments. It can be used to secure and control every kind of door found throughout a campus and student accommodation, delivering peace of mind for students, staff, visitors, and parents.
From student dorms to university campuses across the world, they have all begun to take advantage of advances in mobile and smartcard technology. With this comes the ability to integrate the physical security needs of students and staff into a student card or digital key on a smartphone. By integrating electronic access control into students’ smartphones, SALTO Systems provides the most convenient and secure access for students and staff, and better control for system managers.
Let's simplify your operations, connect to your existing management tools, and make access control simple and secure, helping you grant specified access to your staff, suppliers, customers, or even delivery services.
Y Suites delivers PBSA across Australia
Y Suites offers purpose-built student accommodations (PBSA) across multiple cities in Australia. The company’s focus is on well-being and creating a lifestyle for studying, friendships, and fun. They go out of their way to deliver a comfortable and safe experience. Y Suites is developed and owned by Wee Hur Capital of Singapore. Their primary mission is to “provide a home away from home for our students.”
The facilities at Y Suites are impressive and include shared kitchens and lounges, meeting rooms, a sky lounge, music and dance studios, gym and yoga facilities, and more. Y Suites works to ensure they deliver all of the amenities that a student could imagine.
With student experience and welfare top of mind, it was key that the Y Suites multi-site developments have a robust, operationally efficient, and integrated electronic access control system to meet student, staff, and visitor security needs across campuses with one single student card, smartphone app, or keyfob. The primary purpose of the solution was to increase student, staff, and guest security and peace of mind.
Y Suites management focused on ensuring student safety in a way that enhanced the student experience with a seamless solution that adds convenience, and one that avoided having to replace, maintain, label, and securely store multiple keys. An electronic solution provides the opportunity to reduce operational costs and increase efficiency, oversight, and security, and is much more efficient and safer than having to replace lost or stolen mechanical keys.
The challenge Y Suites faced as they sought an electronic access provider was to find a technology that could meet the variety of the operational, integration, and safety requirements they had. They wanted the ability to program access times, zones, and access points for students, staff, and visitors. They also needed to edit access privileges, including durations in real-time, for visitors and short-term guests, contract and temporary workers, as well as staff and students.
The SALTO smart access technology: Sustainable and smart keyless access student experience
Y Suites chose SALTO’s smart access technology to achieve the right balance between free-flowing access and safety
“In order to fulfill our duty of care, we have to be able to monitor and control the way that the buildings, individual rooms, and shared facilities are being accessed. We need a system that gives our students easy access, whilst at the same time enables us to ensure their safety and security,” said Y Suites Development Manager Wing Fai.
“The system has to allow us to automate processes and manage facilities” remotely in order to control costs without compromising on quality of service. Fai said. “We’re very environmentally conscious and so also need to manage energy consumption and reduce the environmental footprint of our buildings.
“All of which means that we need an EAC partner with innovative technology, the ability to integrate with our PMS (property management system) and a national and international presence. That’s what led us to choose SALTO.”
"SALTO’s Technology Partner program empowers best-in-class technology companies to link into their access control technology That’s what led us to choose SALTO".
Wing Fai
Y Suites Development Manager
SALTO’s Living Spaces Manager for Oceania Cedric Duigou described the solution that SALTO designed for Y Suites as perfect for the student and staff-focused properties.
“We used a range of SALTO technology elements incorporated into a single, easy-to-manage system that controls access to the base building and all the shared and individual spaces via a combination of wire-free, wireless, and wired online access points by balancing security with accessibility and advanced technology,” said Duigou. “The system is fully integrated with RMS, which is the PMS. This integration streamlines the student registration with student details captured once and shared between RMS and SALTO.”
What goes on behind closed doors? Smarter security and student safety with innovative smart student room comfort and control technology.
SALTO’s all-in-one platform gives student accommodation managers operational efficiency.
- Easily manage access of student residences on-the-go
- Open doors remotely
- Restrict access
- Live event access to audit trail data in real-time is easy and more intuitive with web-based software to view entry and exit activity - this also enables better duty of care as there is the possibility to be alerted when a student has not been active
- Manage access across multiple sites and locations in real-time and from one location
- Deliver access via the technology staff and students use daily: smartphones and student ID card
- Modern sustainable student living reducing energy consumption
To help achieve the right balance between free-flowing access and safety, operators can take advantage of SALTO’s wire-free, seamless, and smart keyless security to improve the safety of student living.
Contact SALTO with any questions on the SALTO product range or visit the SALTO education website for information on all things SALTO. Follow SALTO on Instagram and LinkedIn for the latest product features, updates, and news from the industry.
How we handle SLOs for SALTO KS
Part of our continuous effort to support growth while maintaining performance, reliability, and predictability is defining SLO’s (Service Level Objectives).
Part of our continuous effort to support growth while maintaining performance, reliability, and predictability is defining SLO’s (Service Level Objectives). Those are meant to define the expected service between the provider and the customer. They are specific measurable characteristics such as uptime, operations, and speed. For the cloud-based access control solution SALTO KS we will explain which SLO’s we measure and why.
Uptime
Up to now, our major focal point for measuring our overall Service Level Objective has been to look at the uptime of each individual service in our ecosystem and make sure those are at least adhering to our percentage of 99.9700%. The fact that we are meeting and exceeding that percentage for quite some time now is a great achievement of which we are very proud!
So?
Well, the high uptime percentage doesn't say that much about the customer experience. With a high percentage of platform availability, SALTO KS customers will be able to reach the platform and services, and the platform will do what it is supposed to do, but it does not say anything about the performance of individual functions a typical customer uses. We decided it was time we started looking at other things to measure.
What is important to the customers?
The operations of access control are of utmost importance for our customers. Fluctuations in individual response times of endpoints (i.e. the communication points that external software programs must send a request to in order to communicate with our API) that are used to control access rules like assigning a tag (physical credential), adding or removing a user from an access group, blocking a user, and configuring offline access for a lock have a big impact on the day-to-day experience of a client may have while performing their daily tasks.
Another important factor is the overall performance of operations that require a direct response from an IQ (Edge device), like activating an IQ in a mobile app, performing a remote opening, or generating a Digital Key. If it takes too long, users might consider it not working or at least bothersome. When changes have been made to access rules, we want to make sure that they are applied to the IQs involved as fast as possible, because only then they will have an actual effect.
Reporting
Last but not least, we want customers to be able to retrieve event information in a performant way. We have two different types of events: entries (basically openings and rejections from locks, so large volume) and incidents (alerts like doors being left open and lock tampering, so low volume).
We know that other things happen that could make or break customer satisfaction, like installing or restoring IQs, attaching locks, and receiving notifications and we do measure them, but the four categories mentioned above are what we consider most important for the largest number of users.
What do we want to achieve and measure?
For these four types of interactions with our platform, we needed to come up with response times or maximum duration times that would be considered “good” and “natural” from a user perspective, and we should then compare those to what we are actually delivering.
As a general point, we decided that we should be able to achieve our “good” performance goals at least 75% of the time. This would obviously mean we could score less during some peak hours, but overall the customer experience would be good. We decided to measure against that over a period of 7 days to be able to clearly see fluctuations during the week.
We set the following SLO’s for each of the four types:
- Access Control operations: response time should be less than or equal to 0,5 seconds.
- Synchronous IQ operations: response time should be less than or equal to 2,5 seconds.
- Sync performance: the duration should be less than or equal to 30 seconds for Local Access Management sync, PIN sync, and Accessor/Key sync combined, and less than or equal to 5 seconds for Offline Access Key sync.
Reporting: response time should be less than or equal to 3 seconds for entry reporting and less than or equal to 1 second for incident reporting.
These SLO’s aren’t just there to give a nice overview, they’re used in day-to-day monitoring of system performance. The team is on-call 24/7 to ensure the right user experience. The SLO’s, metrics and goals are reviewed by the teams recurrently to guarantee we live up to all expectations. The dashboards are shown in the Clay office where SALTO KS is built and can be viewed “live” from any location, to guarantee each of the team members are well aware of the performance of the platform and show the direct impact of their work.
So where do we go from here?
In the past, we have been working on defining ways to improve mainly our LAM (Local Access Management) sync process so we are able to set achievable goals per sync type and also per tenant in the future, whilst still being able to cope with our projected growth. We see that sync performance is heavily affected between tenants and although our performance is good most of the time, sometimes it can be a challenge. At least now we feel we can immediately see any effect on performance that has an impact on our user experience and shift our focus accordingly if needed. During the design of any new component, we now keep in mind the ability to measure its performance from the start so we won’t need to struggle afterwards.
We have also defined some SLO notifications in Datadog, all based on the numbers above (and some more detailed ones). Whenever we see an increase in failure to achieve our intended performance, our ‘Core team’ is notified so we can investigate. From what we see now these are temporary states that recover within 5 to 10 minutes and are caused by the incidental increased load. We will be turning these in the coming weeks so they are not generating false alerts before we will increase the audience for them. For the operations mentioned above, all our SLOs are performing around or above 90%, exceeding our 75% target by quite a lot.
Find us on Instagram and LinkedIn to start the conversation. Want to stay informed about everything access control? Click here to discover more about SALTO’s solutions.
Latest access control innovations attracted IFSEC visitors to SALTO
A busy exhibition stand at IFSEC 2022, which returned in-person to London Excel on 17-18 May after a three-year gap due to the global pandemic.
A busy exhibition stand at IFSEC 2022, which returned in-person to London Excel on 17-18 May after a three-year gap due to the global pandemic, provided an excellent forum for SALTO Systems to showcase its latest innovations to an enthusiastic gathering of security and facilities professionals.
“Fully attended exhibitions are making a welcome return with the entire security buying chain once again coming together in a face-to-face environment including manufacturers, installers, integrators, distributors, consultants and end-users,” said Ramesh Gurdev, Managing Director SALTO UK.
IFSEC provided the ideal venue for visitors to the SALTO stand to explore the latest keyless access control hardware, revolutionary software and smart locker solutions including the latest Gantner product offerings, as well as the opportunity to foster more business opportunities.
Great interest was shown in all of SALTO’s smart access control solutions including SALTO Space and SVN-Flex, XS4 Original+, Neoxx Padlock and JustIN Mobile, with the new SALTO Homelok all-in-one cloud-based smart access solution for residential living proving particularly popular.
Q: How did SALTO get started in the electronic access control business?
Javier Roquero - SALTO Systems CEO:
“We started with a small group of 6 or 7 people and having created the company we started in a small apartment in San Sebastian in Northern Spain, the European version of the American garage! Then we moved to small industrial premises and in September 2001 we assembled and manufactured our first electronic lock and now we have a state of the art factory that this year will manufacture one million locks.”
Q: Tell us a little bit about how SALTO go to market in the UK and what industries you work in?
Ramesh Gurdev, Managing Director SALTO UK:
“We provide our specialist product through partners in the UK and offer on-premise systems, cloud-based systems and systems with mobile applications as well as normal credentials, and work in the areas of hospitality, residential, student accommodation, commercial, airports and the Ministry of Defence so we have a wide range of clients. We also showcased our joint partnership with Gantner from Austria which is proving to be a very popular solution as well as parcel locker solutions.”
Q: Two of the fastest growing sectors people are talking about are multi-family and build-to-rent, what can SALTO offer to these industries?
Iñigo Unanue, SALTO Global Residential Lead:
“At IFSEC we presented our latest innovation in the residential area which is SALTO Homelok. This is designed to improve the digital experience for property managers and residents in the multi-family and build-to-rent arena. Another innovation for us is the partnership we have developed with Apple so we can send digital keys to the Apple wallet for users of the Homelok platform.”
Q: SALTO has one of the broadest product portfolios in access control worldwide, and has now acquired Gantner Electronic Austria Holding GmbH; tell us what it brings to the company?
Steve Warner, Gantner Business Development Manager:
“Gantner is an Austrian company that specialises in access systems, electronic locking and locker systems, cashless payment, cash register, and billing systems, staff time recording systems as well as ticketing and management software for leisure facilities. For example, if you have members of staff that need access to a group of lockers, say the first-aid locker, everyone in the office would be able to get to that locker, open it and take out the first aid kit. In addition, we can allocate lockers to individual members of staff and put them in personal locker mode so individuals have their own locker. Added to that we have the option of our battery range which is really good for retrofit if you have an existing locker bank and want to modernize it with the latest technology.”
Q: Can you summarize what returning to IFSEC after a three-year gap was like?
Javier Roquero - SALTO Systems CEO:
“One of the main success factors of SALTO, and I know that everyone says the same, is the human touch and the people working in the company and for us, that’s what delivered a successful IFSEC exhibition.”
Look for SALTO Systems at these upcoming 2022 show events: Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition & Conference (HITEC) in Orlando-USA, June 27-30; and ESSEN Security in Germany, Sept. 20-23.
Follow SALTO on LinkedIn or Instagram to keep up with the latest news in the world of access control.
Kristin Pater, SALTO KS: “Industries can benefit from a great access control solution in more ways than they initially assume”
Managing who has access, when and to what is difficult, especially for big companies. And we’re not talking only about digital access to passwords or sensitive information - hardware infrastructures are also on the list of items to which access needs to be overseen.
Managing who has access, when and to what is difficult, especially for big companies. And we’re not talking only about digital access to passwords or sensitive information - hardware infrastructures are also on the list of items to which access needs to be overseen.
While password managers, both on the individual and enterprise level, are great for keeping track of who can access which sites and documents, they won’t work in the physical sense with, let’s say, doors. And a physical door into the building can also be a door to highly sensitive digital assets.
To talk about the importance of access control systems to the security of a business or individuals, Cybernews reached out to Kristin Pater, Marketing Manager responsible for the SALTO Systems product: SALTO KS.
What did the development of SALTO Systems look like?
SALTO Systems is a technology advance access control hardware and software provider and was ignited by the passion of a small group of enthusiastic and highly experienced professionals who were eager to provide a world-class access control system that would be simple to use and extremely efficient, giving users the ability to control all their access needs. Since their ground-breaking start, SALTO Systems have made a great impact on the way people around the world operate their businesses offering best-in-class access control solutions.
Can you introduce us to your access control solutions? What are their key features?
SALTO Systems not only offers hardware but also KaaS (Keys as a Service), such as the cloud-based access control solution SALTO KS. The main features are the ability to securely grant access or to send a Digital Key to anyone with a smartphone, making giving and receiving access much more user-friendly. The solution makes it easy to grant access to individuals or groups for selected locks and timeframes, to see who goes where and when, and if necessary, block users on the go.
The ability to integrate your existing app with the SALTO KS API is a game-changer for many industries. Their own app will be enhanced with all the benefits of SALTO KS by integrating our API or, depending on the business applications needs, building their own access control solution or by connecting with other building services.
In your opinion, which industries should be especially concerned about implementing access management solutions?
I don't want to say ‘concerned’ but I do feel a lot of industries can benefit from a great access control solution in more ways than they initially assume. Think of scaling your business, monetizing your space, and offering an overall smoother and more impressive customer experience. For instance, we have a lot of customers in the coworking and coliving industry who have been able to offer a greater tenant experience and build a community by installing SALTO KS.
How did the pandemic affect the physical security landscape? Have you noticed any new security issues arise as a result?
We have seen that during the pandemic, the demand for smart access control solutions skyrocketed. Because our solutions offer the functionality of opening doors with your phone, there is no need for physical contact. In combination with SALTO’s ‘BioCote locks’ equipped with antimicrobial coated technology, businesses can ensure a germ-free customer experience offering the greatest feature of all - peace of mind.
Additionally, there is an audit trail available that can show who went into which room in real-time, so it becomes easier to trace where someone got infected and when. This allows a space operator or manager, for instance, to contact everyone that might have been exposed to the virus.
What are the most common ways threat actors use in an attempt to bypass various access control measures?
We are keeping strict measures regarding our servers and firewalls and avoid being attractive to threat actors. The most common ways are trying to steal credentials from one of our end-users or use automatic scanners where they don't target SALTO KS specifically, they use a ‘crawler’ and see whatever they find.
What physical security measures would you consider essential for organizations nowadays?
Have a great open-source password management service in place.
What other aspects of our daily lives do you hope to see enhanced by technology in the near future?
It seems far-fetched but access control solutions like SALTO KS have the ability to help with important societal problems, for instance fighting off loneliness. Especially in elderly care, it can help families to get more insight on how many visits an older member of the family gets, for instance, to make sure there will be someone visiting every day. This can be an extra service that healthcare organizations could provide, tracking their employees and offering families some comfort. If a caregiver loses a smartphone or security credential, its access permission can be revoked instantly, maintaining peace of mind and saving costly lock replacements.
Our daily lives will change for the better a lot in the upcoming years, and these changes will be all related to technology.
What are some of the security tools you believe everyone should use nowadays?
SALTO KS offers a Digital Key which enables users to ‘tap’ doors open with their phone. It’s a feature that is equally as cool as it is secure, and in my opinion, it's also something that no business can live without.
Share with us, what’s next for SALTO?
Besides being one of the largest lock manufacturers out there, SALTO aspires to be one of the largest ACaaS companies too. By offering cloud-based access control solutions such as SALTO KS they are well on their way. Keep an eye out for more cool features and products by following us on LinkedIn and Instagram.
What is coliving?
As a coliving expert and consultant in the industry, I'm often asked, "What exactly is coliving?
We've partnered up with one of the best guest experience coliving consultant, Leah Ziliak to launch a 6 part monthly blog post series . We're kicking off the series with our first blog post 'What is coliving?'. Happy Reading!
As a coliving expert and consultant in the industry, I'm often asked, "What exactly is coliving?
What is coliving?
The term ‘coliving’ can mean a lot of different things, so it’s easy to be confused. When I talk about coliving to friends, family and colleagues outside of the industry, I get some puzzled looks. Some imagine I'm part of a hippie commune, while others picture me living out an extended version of college dorm life.
Why would a professional woman in her 30s choose to live with housemates, instead of alone or with a partner? If you’ve found yourself wondering the same, let me start by telling you that modern-day coliving is a much more elevated experience than you might think.
So, what does exactly coliving mean?
In its simplest form, coliving is when a group of three or more unrelated people live together in one place. But the term has come to encompass a wide variety of living arrangements and situations over the years. From housing co-ops to hacker houses to student housing to high-rise community living, coliving has evolved to meet the needs of a new wave of people looking for communal living arrangements.
Interested in getting a glimpse of what coliving can look like? Imagine this...
You're living in a high-rise coliving in the city. You have a 9th-floor room all to yourself but pop downstairs to grab a coffee in the community kitchen. You hop on the community app and see that there's a Movie Night scheduled later that day and click 'Attend.' You use your smartphone for keyless entry into your kitchen storage unit to grab a muesli bar, and settle into your favourite spot in the coworking area to start your workday.
Examples of coliving spaces
You work remotely and book a room for a month at a coliving space in Spain. You’re staying in a quaint village by the sea in a historic apartment with a group of 10 other colivers. During the day, everyone works or studies quietly in the dedicated coworking area. At 5 pm, someone's pouring glasses of Tempranillo on the terrace and starting a skillshare event on SEO Strategies, before you all head out for tapas. Maybe you’ll stay another month or two? It sure beats working from your home office.
This is also coliving.
Modern-day coliving can present itself in a lot of different ways, with these being just two examples of many. There are coliving villages, coliving retreats, rural coliving, long-term residential coliving spaces and short-term destination-based coliving spaces. There are also coliving spaces intended for niche communities.
With so many different types of shared living spaces all over the world, there's a coliving space for anyone and everyone. And while they certainly all have their differences and are intended for different demographics, each of them prioritises the same things:
Community. Flexibility. Freedom. Experiences.
Benefits of coliving
So, why exactly is coliving such a huge trend right now? The growth in modern-day coliving comes about due to a shift in priorities amongst consumers, along with a strong push forward from the pandemic. Here are a few reasons why people are gravitating toward coliving now more than ever before:
- Ease of Living: When it comes to coliving, life is easier in every way. Although amenities differ from space to space, you will typically find perks like housekeeping, all-inclusive bills, fully furnished spaces, coworking areas, a dedicated community manager and events. Many spaces are prioritising tech, enabling enhanced security and keyless access for a seamless user experience and even more freedom. Some operators integrate platforms that enable members to connect based on similar interests and further encourage community interaction.
- Flexibility & Accessibility: With the rise of remote work due to the pandemic, consumers have more freedom and more choices than ever before. When you can work from anywhere in the world, you can live anywhere in the world. Coliving spaces typically offer flexible leases and furnished spaces. With coliving for example, you can move to London tomorrow with nothing more than a suitcase if you’d like.
- Experiences Over Things: In recent years, especially among millennials, we’ve seen a strong shift toward valuing experiences more than physical things. Consumers are willing to share spaces if it means having higher-quality interactions and experiences than they’d get living solo.
- Shared Economy: We no longer need to own a car, we have Uber. We don't need to buy a dress for that black-tie event, we have Rent the Runway. We don't need to own a villa in France, we have Airbnb. With the rise of the shared economy, consumers have access to all sorts of amenities, without the need to acquire a bunch of possessions. Sharing homes gives us access to spaces and experiences that we might not ever be able to afford on our own.
- Community: Throughout the pandemic, we’ve seen the negative effects that social isolation can have on our well-being. People are craving a real sense of connection and coliving delivers on this in every way. Far from being a millennial trend, coliving offers a solution to combat loneliness for those of all ages. With the rise of senior and multigenerational coliving, it's clear that the desire to be part of a connected community sticks with us throughout our lives.
So to recap, what is coliving in 2022? Coliving is a lifestyle. It’s a modern-day solution to an age-old need for a more connected, seamless living experience.
There's a meme I’ve seen going around that says, "Normalise splitting a mansion with your 5 best friends and 10 dogs." And, while ten dogs might be a bit much, I appreciate the overall sentiment.
The coliving movement is normalising living with an inspiring group of like-minded people. Through tech, through superior resident experiences, and through community, coliving is shifting the entire housing market and pushing it forward to provide more enriching at-home experiences.
So, when people ask me why someone would choose coliving, my question to them is, “Why not?” Coliving is the key.
Stay tuned for the second of our coliving blog posts series which will be live in June with a focus on hybrid hospitality.
Contact our team of experts to offer a seamless customer experience to your residents with SALTO.
Live with andcards: Smart Solutions to Transform Coworking
Lunch-time sessions, we focused on a topic that concerns the integration of technology, its impact, and its significance.
Last year, we launched a brand new series of Instagram Live sessions with our Technology Partners around the world. In these lunch-time sessions, we focused on a topic that concerns the integration of technology, its impact, and its significance.
To kick off this series, our Community and Partnership Manager Caterina Maiolini met with Igor Dzhebyan, CEO of andcards and our very own Christian Schmitz, Global Lead of Shared Living and Workspaces at SALTO Systems. During the afternoon chat titled Smart Solutions to Transform Your Coworking Experience, the trio discussed the most significant changes in the coworking industry in the last decade, the role of technology in the evolution of flexible workspaces, the technology integration between andcards and SALTO Keys as a Service, and the importance of access control as a solution for coworking space members.
Read ahead for the highlights of their live lunchtime chat, or click here to re-watch the IGTV video.
A Transformation Within Coworking
Following an introduction of Igor and Christian, Cate dives straight in, asking about the changes to the coworking industry over the past decade.
In Christian’s view, coworking has evolved from the 1.0 version to 2.0. He attributes the acceleration of the coworking trend to the pandemic and notes how we will soon see the 3.0 version of coworking evolve. As the pandemic has vastly increased remote working, the purpose of workspaces has also changed. Christian emphasizes this change by highlighting a view held by the majority.
“When I go to a workspace, I go there not only to work but also for the communal life and social aspect, which makes it different from working spaces,” he said.
Igor, who agrees that coworking has transformed in the last decade, believes that a coworking space is more than just a workspace. It’s also a type of service platform. Yet, many people don’t understand this aspect of coworking spaces. As a result, Igor thinks it’s essential to help everyone understand the many advantages of flex working, ensuring that this trend reaches the mass market.
Remote working has seen enormous growth over the past two years, increasing the number of coworking spaces. According to Christian, technology has enabled this growth. Likewise, Igor explains how technology allows consumers of coworking spaces to take advantage of their membership benefits 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The benefits of technology in the coworking industry is seen through the integration between andcards and SALTO KS, which enables a seamless customer journey.
Productivity and Coworking
On working outside of a traditional office environment, Christian raises an important point: What is the level of productivity like in coworking spaces?
According to Igor, coworking spaces help build a sense of belonging and allow people to feel like they are part of a community. He explains that research shows a sense of belonging that positively impacts productivity. Consequently, coworking spaces boost productivity levels. Cate adds to this point by mentioning how being in a coworking space allows for increased levels of collaboration, which has a positive effect on mental health.
Access Control for Coworking Spaces
Shifting the focus to the integration between andcards and SALTO KS, Cate asks, “How important is access control as a solution for coworking members?”
“Ensuring a smooth and positive customer journey is very important in building a successful business,” Igor notes. “In general, our company’s mission is to put coworking space services into a smartphone, and that’s what we really want to do with andcards. SALTO’s Digital Key solution is similar in that it allows a person to access spaces using their smartphone. I think that’s what customers want to have: 24/7 access to their membership benefits. I believe that we can give them just that with our integrated solution,” Igor explains.
“The new generation thinks with a smartphone in their hand,” insists Cate. Indeed, a generational shift has meant that the younger generation is now growing up with smartphones. As a result, there is an increasing move towards mobility, which is also driving the coworking trend.
Andcards x SALTO KS Integration
On a final note, Cate, Igor, and Christian discuss what’s in store for the andcards and SALTO KS partnership.
“We will continue to build upon what customers need, what the market needs, and where we’re headed. We’re driven by our mission and vision to build a coworking space in a smartphone: We have a bank in our smartphone, we have other services in our smartphone, and now we have a coworking space in our smartphone,” Igor says.
The customer will remain at the centre of the andcards and SALTO KS integration. Christian stresses this point as he explains that “a tech company can always build nice tech integrations. However, without having the customer at the centre, and letting them decide what they really need, a company risks driving the boat in the wrong direction.”
In summary, the future of our integration, which is undoubtedly promising, will be based upon the needs and wants of the real and current market.
Stay tuned for updates on our partnership with Coworkies by following us on LinkedIn and Instagram!
Looking for more? Click here to discover more on SALTO’s access control solutions for Coworking and follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn for the latest updates.
SALTO KS provides a flexible access control management system that requires no software installation or the added expense of a fully-wired electronic product. Modern cloud-based, wireless access control systems are easy and simple to use for businesses including Coworking Spaces, Shared Living Spaces, Retail, and many more. Our best in class wireless access control solution and smart locks help make your business more secure and efficient. Integrate smart locks into your access solution and start easily managing wireless access control now!
SALTO is revolutionizing door access control in the Home, Workspace, Hospitality, and Retail stores.
Whether you are looking for an access control solution for your residential building, workspace, home, hotel, apartment, retail environment, educational facility, critical infrastructure, or fitness clubs, SALTO is sure to have the custom solution for you.
Mechanical keys are definitely something we can leave behind in 2022. They get lost easily, are used by unauthorized personnel, can be copied, or have to be handed to others when they need it which isn't that efficient. SALTO is a revolutionary solution that enables their user to use technology instead of traditional mechanical keys with keyless technology, to open doors and facilitate greater and smarter access control.
Whether you are looking for an access control solution for your residential building, workspace, home, hotel, apartment, retail environment, educational facility, critical infrastructure, or fitness clubs, SALTO is sure to have the custom solution for you. We can tailor access based on any employee, user, or guest at any level required. We offer extra access to management and security services and can instantly revoke access. Our systems provide around-the-clock safety and traceable security for ultimate peace of mind.
SALTO offers a smart access solution for every industry application and was the early leader in cloud-based access control technology. They have become a major player in ACaaS (Access Control as a Service) providers over traditional access control solutions, accelerating digital access transformation projects. The SALTO portfolio now includes world-class software management, cloud solutions, and mobile applications for businesses of all types and sizes.
Some of our areas of expertise:
- Workspace: Give your employees, workspace users or coworking members the convenience of keyless smart office door locks. They can even open doors using their smartphone, a smart credential, or a code. SALTO enables their system operators and users to improve their workspace experience and simplify access control by leveraging the latest in access control technology.
We are proud to have optimized a solution for Erste Group, an Austrian bank listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange. With 4500 employees and 16 million clients, Erste Group is one of the largest financial service providers in Europe. They required an innovative solution to complement their flexible working environment. Because their 4500 employees don’t work within an assigned workplace, they required the ability to lock away documents every day with their employee IDs serving as their key and credentials. GANTNER, a SALTO Group Company, provided a one-system solution to all their access needs. We offered 7000 multi-functional lockers. Staff could access any available locker but were restricted from accessing occupied lockers. This entire system uses GAT Relaxx software. HR uses this to assign credentials and access to employees at various levels. Personalized mailboxes, storage facilities, dining and cleaning areas were also secured using this state-of-the-art technology.
- Hospitality: With SALTO Hospitality solutions, you can extend smart access across your property. Our digital systems provide seamless access to the guest rooms,
entrances, perimeter access doors, elevators, gyms, conference rooms, parking lots, and more. Provide the modern, easy access option guests increasingly expect with digital keys or sustainable guest key cards giving convenient instant, and safe access improving guest journey.
SALTO has developed advanced and aesthetically designed hospitality-specific electronic access control solutions that set a new standard in the industry– from back-of-house organization to guest room management – with one easy to use system for hotels that can be Integrated with in-room, check-in, PMS, guest apps and complete building management systems.
SALTO optimized South Africa’s tallest building, The Leonardo, with smart access control. This mixed-use commercial building features 232 luxury apartments, eight penthouse suites, nine conference areas, restaurants, shops, and a spa. To future-proof this building, developers chose SALTO to optimize all 55 floors. This technology also meets the aesthetic of the luxury property. More than 400 electronic locks were installed, and this access control solution was integrated with the Bosch Video Management System for added video surveillance. Our revolutionary JustIN Mobile access control allows guests and staff access with an iOS or Android device. This makes entry touchless and convenient. Everything is managed from the security control center and access is easy to grant and is as simple to revoke.
- Residential: SALTO enhances luxury living experiences with integrated, super-smart electronic locking systems. Our technology is ideal for apartments, residential housing, multi-family communities, vacation rentals, home care, and more.
Dockside Apartments is a hotel and apartment block in London. They rely on our advanced technology to keep guests and homeowners safe. With many apartments being used as vacation rentals properties, there was a need for reliable locking solutions with access granted as needed. With SALTO’s XS4 handle sets and wall readers, guests could check in and out seamlessly, offering a hotel-like experience.
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Retail: In a retail working environment, it’s crucial to be able to define who can enter or exit through which access points. It’s a necessity to track your staff, suppliers, or delivery services with keyless and mobile access. SALTO offers this as a solution along with the ability to remotely open doors and empowers employees with convenient, smart key access to the locations they need, add or revoke authorizations in real-time or offer quick and easy onboarding.
Sleepworld in Ghent, Belgium, utilizes our systems to eradicate mechanical key management between store staff and managers. Now an employee or manager calling in sick no longer impacts anyone’s access to the store. Our SALTO KS system provides access on the go to all required employees. Employees could be divided into groups with some granted special access as needed for limited timeframes. Plus, management could track the opening times of stores to check efficiencies.
After reading this article you still need convincing that you can offer the ultimate customer experience by combining security and convenience? Why not contact us today to discuss a custom solution for your facility and let one of our representatives explain what we can do for you in more detail.
We look forward to securing your building with our advanced technology and making your life easier in the process (and that of your staff, guests, and family while we're at it!)
Coworkies' one-of-a-kind book launch and partnership with SALTO
The book offers a comprehensive understanding of coworking in all its capacity on a global scale, with carefully curated stories of people, spaces and products that are actively transforming the workspaces of today.
We first crossed paths with our community partners Coworkies in 2018, the start of an exciting journey into coworking and its many possibilities within the world of access control.
Pauline Roussel and Dimitar Inchev, Coworkies Co-founders, are the power team behind the unique book about coworking, community & design: Around the World in 250 Coworking Spaces, the first of its kind in the global coworking community. The pair invited us to join their coffee-table book project, co-led by our very own Christian Schmitz, Global Lead of Shared Living and Workspaces and Caterina Maiolini, Community and Partnership Manager.
The book offers a comprehensive understanding of coworking in all its capacity on a global scale, with carefully curated stories of people, spaces and products that are actively transforming the workspaces of today. It also acts as an engaging and interactive guide of how people build new work environments through collaboration, interior design and community activities.
In October 2021, we were proud to attend Coworkies’ successful book launch event in Berlin which brought the coworking community together for the first time since the pandemic. Following the event, we interviewed Pauline, Coworkies Co-Founder. Amongst other topics, we discussed the global impact of the book, the relationship between cloud-based access control and coworking spaces and the partnership between Coworkies and SALTO systems.
Read ahead for our conversation and some highlights of the event!
1. Congratulations on the launch of your book! Can you briefly introduce “Around the World in 250 Coworking Spaces” to our new readers?
Thanks for your kind words! “Around the World in 250 Coworking Spaces” is a coffee table book we’ve launched after travelling the world of collaborative workspaces for the last 6 years, visiting over 430 of them across 48 cities around the globe.
It features 250 unique spaces, communities and interiors and gives the teams behind those new work environments an opportunity to share their incredible stories with the world.
2. What does it mean to you to see the book being embraced by the global coworking community and beyond?
It’s such a special feeling to see people from all walks of life embracing the book.
When we started to work on the concept, we knew we wanted it to be as inclusive as possible. What does inclusive mean in this context? It means that whatever prior knowledge readers have on coworking and new ways of working, the book has been designed as a journey they can build for themselves, choosing where they want to start and what they want to learn.
For instance, if someone has no prior understanding of what coworking is, the first part of the book will be very helpful and will bring him/her up to speed for the rest of his/her journey.
On the other hand, people who already operate coworking spaces might want to dive right into concrete knowledge and examples, choosing the type of learning they seek among the ones we’ve highlighted through the tags reading system we’ve developed.
3. What was the biggest challenge faced and best highlight experienced in creating the book?
Without a doubt, the biggest challenge for the book was the pandemic.
This is not something we’ve shared a lot so far but we actually started working on the book at the end of 2018 and our initial intention was to release it in early 2020. But then, COVID-19 entered the world and it had a huge impact on coworking spaces. Although we were almost ready to roll, we thought that releasing a book in the midst of the pandemic without even talking about it would diminish its entire purpose.
So, we started all over again.
We reached out to the spaces featured in the book to ask them how they were adapting and what was their outlook for the future so we could update their stories and be the closest possible to the reality they were living when the book came out.
The idea was not to create a book all about COVID-19, which means we had to find the right balance between stories that would talk about it and stories that would cover other topics.
But in the end, the pandemic was also an opportunity for us to reconnect with spaces, to be close to them in hard times and support them, remotely, with knowledge, connections and moral support too.
4. What do you want people to take away from “Around the World in 250 Coworking Spaces” and how do you see the future impact of the book?
Very often, people believe that if they are not freelancers or startupers they don’t belong in coworking spaces. That belief has driven our mission to “make coworking better” by educating more people and companies on its principles, but more importantly, to the different shapes coworking takes.
So, to answer your question: we hope that by flipping through the book, readers will feel that coworking is, as we often say, “the same dish everyone cooks differently”, and that it serves so many more communities than just freelancers and startups.
5. How have access control solutions impacted the coworking industry? Why did you choose to join forces with the team at SALTO Systems?
On the operators’ side, access control solutions have allowed them to (1) design better experiences for their users but also, (2) relieve some of the operational work that is often very heavy on coworking teams. Being able to provide easy-to-manage solutions allows them to focus more on creating value for their members and less on managing lost keys :)
On the users’ side, access control solutions allow them to live better experiences within spaces. No need to carry yet another key or fear losing it. Right now and more often than not, users can access their workplace from the comfort of their smartphones and that’s convenient.
As said previously, having the aim to “make coworking better” also meant that the book needed to be full of resources operators can use to evaluate where they stand in terms of community, operational management and experience offered. Joining forces with SALTO Systems means that the book can offer unique insights, coming from experts (you guys!), who have a far deeper understanding of the topic than any of us, and who can help our readers to learn from your experience and expertise.
We feel grateful to Christian Schmitz, your Head of Coworking, Coliving and PBSA, for having shared so much in the book about using access control systems to enhance the overall members’ experience.
6. How did SALTO Systems cross paths with you in the making of the book?
It all happened at the Coworking Spain Conference back in 2018.
(If Manu Zea, the founder of coworking, is reading this, thanks again for inviting us back then!)
We were invited to speak and share our story with participants and SALTO was one of the sponsors. We had never crossed paths with you guys before but meeting at the conference felt like fate. When we started telling the team on-site about our ambition for the book and showing them the concept behind it, they got so excited that they immediately connected us with the right people within your team.
The rest is history :)
7. Can you describe the relationship between the coworking community and SALTO Systems?
We always feel so happy when we tour around a space and see them using SALTO Systems. You guys have such a vast array of options. You can really support spaces at any given part of their [a user’s] journey, which is amazing.
Whether they [a user] are starting with one space or growing tremendously, SALTO Systems is there to make their life easier when it comes to designing their “access control systems strategies”.
Beyond the technology, SALTO Systems has an incredible team of passionate people, dedicated and committed to integrating access control systems into community strategies, using it as yet another way to bring people together because as you guys say so well, “Community is the key”.
8. What were the highlights of the book launch in Berlin and the online community launch?
The Berlin book launch felt so magical for so many reasons! First, Berlin is our home, so being able to host an in-person event after everything we’ve all been through was quite something.
Then the venue: The Student Hotel, which is featured in the book, was just the perfect place for us all to reconnect. Spacious, beautiful, flexible, centrally located. Working with them in preparing the event was a stress-free experience and they really helped us focus on what matters: bringing people together.
Due to the context and COVID-19, we had no idea how many people would actually show up to the event. It’s one thing to get a ticket on Eventbrite or say “attending” on Facebook and it’s another to come and attend. So seeing close to 100 people throughout the night come and celebrate this life achievement was just incredible. Above all, their eagerness to (re)connect with one another was super nice to witness. Many people shared that the book launch was their first in-person event since the pandemic started. We feel very grateful that they chose our event as their first!
Last but not least, the cake you guys surprised us with was (quite literally!) the icing on the cake.
I (Pauline) really didn’t expect it. When I saw it coming, I almost felt like crying. Such a nice gesture and it was very yummy too. Thanks again to you and the team for contributing to the night in the way you did.
9. Can you give us a glimpse of the next steps for you and Coworkies? What would you like to accomplish next with SALTO Systems?
Right now most of our efforts are focused on the book and its promotion - so expect to read and hear about it across many outlets worldwide!
As per what we would like to accomplish next with SALTO Systems, there are many things we are currently discussing together, from events to an eventual volume 2 of the book — many doors are open :)
Stay tuned for updates on our partnership with Coworkies by following us on LinkedIn and Instagram!
Looking for more? Click here to discover more on SALTO’s access control solutions for Coworking and follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn for the latest updates.
SALTO KS provides a flexible access control management system that requires no software installation or the added expense of a fully-wired electronic product. Modern cloud-based, wireless access control systems are easy and simple to use for businesses including Coworking Spaces, Shared Living Spaces, Retail, and many more. Our best in class wireless access control solution and smart locks help make your business more secure and efficient. Integrate smart locks into your access solution and start easily managing wireless access control now!
The New Normal for Hospitality in the 2022 Post-Pandemic World
COVID-19 has forced the Hospitality industry into reconfiguring hotel operations—but has also provided an opportunity to transform them.
COVID-19 has forced the Hospitality industry into reconfiguring hotel operations—but has also provided an opportunity to transform them.
Even before the emergence of Omicron, the hospitality industry was continuing to evolve in response to COVID-19. Almost two years into a pandemic that has claimed more than five million lives—and affected billions more—pandemic-induced changes in guest behaviour have forever altered hotel business.
People who travel for pleasure want to get back to doing so. But this will imply a new normal. Even though domestic travel has surged, international travel and business travel are still impacted given pandemic-related border restrictions and concerns about health and safety.
With hope towards the future as we emerge from the pandemic, 2022 will be a year hospitality can look forward to in shaping its future rather than just grinding through the present and merely surviving. The new normal will be different. However, that does not mean going back to the conditions that prevailed in 2019.
During the COVID-19 global health crisis, one area that has seen tremendous growth in digitization, meaning everything from online customer service to remote working to supply-chain reinvention to the use of digital key technology. These practices have resulted in minimizing if not eliminating altogether the practice of handing over access control credentials and oftentimes the need for human interaction. This has drastically improved hospitality operations and guest safety as it not only eliminates the risk associated with potential exposure to COVID-19 but it also gives hospitality operators and managers an easier way to manage access. Giving guests the ability to manage their full stay (check-in, check-out, extending a stay, accessing the gym, self-service locker) from their smartphone, for example, gives guests full control and improves their experience.
There’s no going back.
The great acceleration in the use of technology, digitization, and new safety guidelines for hospitality businesses will continue beyond the pandemic. If hotels and the like have not yet incorporated electronic access, with the capability of offering smartphone access or digital keys, they should do so now. The benefits are endless, including:
- Combine easy-access with a secure digital key technology to access guest rooms, meeting rooms, and floors via elevators using a smartphone.
- Offer a contactless guest experience that includes mobile check-in and check-out.
- Smart guest rooms offer personalized modern comfort (lights, heating, and air conditioning) through in-room technology integrations.
- Integrations with unified property management systems deliver greater automation and process optimization from the guest room, guest services doors to the back-of-house.
Protecting individuals and assets is a unique challenge for every hospitality business today:—luxury to midscale hotels, independent and large chain hotels, cruise ships, and convention and conference hotels.
With SALTO smart access technology, hotels can guarantee safety for guests, visitors, and staff, and be best prepared to face today’s unique security challenges. SALTO has achieved reliable security thanks to flexible and robust integration capabilities with third-party hardware and software providers. Together we have created a security ecosystem that provides safe, convenient, and seamless guest access throughout the property.
SALTO provides data on real-world guest and staff movement patterns, providing valuable intelligence to drive smarter security protocols and improve overall access flow.
With SALTO Hospitality solutions, you can enable guest safety and service innovations creating value-added opportunities to drive business for your hotel, enhance the guest journey, and reconfigure hotel operations.
Personalized branding for Coliving with help of technology
The dedicated coliving professionals from Coliving Insights have done it again! Headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, the team from Coliving Insights works across the globe on a mission to push innovative ideas, thought, and people from the coliving industry into the spotlight.
The dedicated coliving professionals from Coliving Insights have done it again! Headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, the team from Coliving Insights works across the globe on a mission to push innovative ideas, thought, and people from the coliving industry into the spotlight.
We can’t believe it’s already the 8th edition of the always anticipated on Coliving Insights online magazine. This edition focuses on ‘Branding & Marketing for Authentic Shared Living Communities’. In this publication, Coliving Insights touches upon how consistent branding, marketing, and communication strategies can open endless opportunities to make your coliving brand more recognizable and authentic throughout various touchpoints of the customer journey and reflect wider brand values, mission, and vision and how coliving operators use various touchpoints to increase brand recognition and reach.
Access control goes beyond the product; it’s a facilitator for a future-proof way of living that supports well-being, a strong sense of community, and thriving businesses. This is why SALTO’s very own Caterina Maiolini and Christian Schmitz elaborate on the topic of how technology can attract those customers that can elevate your coliving brand on page 53.
Other topics that are discussed in this article:
- Learn who your target audience is
- How to discover and meet your guest’s needs
- How a personalised customer experience can help you leverage your brand
This eighth edition features marketers and creative professionals from creative agencies, digital and marketing agencies, and in-house marketing teams that share valuable insights, their own experience, and best practises on how to create strong, recognizable, and sustainable brands through effective and well-executed marketing strategies and brands. Diving into the intricacies of various branding solutions and exploring how they can facilitate the creation of a strong brand personality that can differentiate itself in a competitive coliving industry.
Through 120+ pages of insightful articles, you will get valuable advice from over 15 industry experts including SALTO Systems on how to create an innovative, sustainable, and timeless approach to branding and communication practises.
Get your free copy of Coliving Insights No.8 ‘Branding & Marketing for Authentic Shared Living Communities’ today! Download the full publication here.
Can’t get enough? Follow SALTO on LinkedIn or Instagram to keep up with the latest news in the world of access control.
