Salto Space

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.

Environmental awareness among hotels, workspaces, residential living, and most smart buildings is driving significant change in the industry. Sustainability practices are now widely viewed as critical factors in the successful facility management of smart corporate and hospitality buildings.

Smart building strategies include energy efficient access control solutions. Electronic locking systems can help solve challenges in operational efficiency, security, maintenance costs, occupancy, and sustainability. 
 

What energy consumption solutions are in place to reduce the impact on the environment?

Energy usage is one of the highest operating expenses for work spaces, shared living spaces, residential and the hospitality industry. In recent weeks, the prices of gas, coal, and electricity have risen to their highest levels in decades. The energy crisis is due to an ongoing shortage of energy across the world, which is affecting many countries. 

• On average, 90% of wasted electricity usage comes from the guest room, which can be a property’s most unmanaged resource.
• A room heating, ventilation, and air conditioning  (HVAC) system can represent 70-90% of that wasted electricity!

Smart access control and in-room sensors can bring a completely new level of intelligence to a building, and, in the process, provide information that can improve efficiency and operations. Sensors are able to detect a wide range of events and can seamlessly integrate with incumbent access control and energy-saving devices.

The SALTO Universal ESD system, plus existing integrations with SALTO technology partners, allows any type of building to optimize energy consumption by turning off lighting and adjusting climate control systems when guests or users are not in the room for extended periods.

The hotel industry has historically had a significant impact on the environment through its consumption of both energy and water. As the industry is bouncing back from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting sustainable initiatives is of growing importance to the hospitality industry. An energy management system can reduce a property's energy costs by 15-40% with an estimated three-year return on investment. Without such a system in place, a hotel may be at risk of unnecessarily consuming exorbitant amounts of energy.

Using smart technologies and energy efficiency programs to save energy in buildings.

A key element in a comprehensive energy efficiency program involves specifying equipment, data-driven methodology to analyze building energy consumption, and energy efficiency savings estimates and products that meet certain energy efficiency standards and sustainability policies. SALTO solutions, technology, and products meet all of these requirements. 

In innovating to meet social and environmental challenges, SALTO’s Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), recently achievement of a silver rating in the EcoVadis evaluation ranking and 100% carbon neutrality for our factory headquarters and global office networks are some examples of sustainable innovation examples. These achievements are a major step forward in making keyless smart access technology sustainable.

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:

Jesper Jørgensen works as a locksmith at one of the Danish SALTO installers, Bagger Låse & Alarm. He has installed SALTO access control on more than 10.000 doors since he started his career as a locksmith in 2007. This probably makes him the most experienced SALTO installer in Denmark. 

“I don’t think that there are any other locksmiths in Denmark who have installed more SALTO units than me. And I never get tired of it, because even though it has turned out to be many hundreds of locking systems a year, I fortunately only meet satisfied customers,” Jesper Jørgensen laughs.

A great system for almost any building

”SALTO is a great access control system for companies, housing associations, schools, nursing homes and other places where you want to keep track of who has access to both inside and outside doors,” says Jesper Jørgensen.

Easy to use

SALTO is with good reason the most popular access control system for many installers and customers in Denmark. And there are several good reasons for this, according to Jesper Jørgensen. 

“First and foremost, SALTO is extremely user-friendly. It is incredibly easy to control who should have access and when the doors should be open or locked. It simply works very well,” Jesper adds.

Security at a reasonable price

SALTO is also very easy to install. The SALTO offline SVN escutcheons can be mounted on existing doors, and there is no need for hard wiring or connecting the doors through a complicated wiring system.

“With SALTO access control, I therefore find that it is possible to secure buildings at a reasonable price compared to other locking systems,” says Jesper Jørgensen.

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.

In SALTO’s pursuit of making the world more sustainable, we are proud to present the new ‘Eco Guest Key Cards’.

In SALTO’s pursuit of making the world more sustainable, we are proud to present the new ‘Eco Guest Key Cards’. Instead of using single-use plastic guest key cards, our customers now have the opportunity to contribute to the circular economy by changing to sustainable paper-based and wooden alternatives. Opening smarter doors keyless with a clean conscience.

There’s an increasing awareness of sustainability which we accommodate by introducing FSC-certified wooden key cards, made from wood fiber, to our credential portfolio. This way we enable our customers mainly in the hospitality business to offer their customers a more environmentally friendly stay.

The sustainable cards have proven to be equally durable compared to the traditional plastic guest key card, but, unlike plastic, bamboo and wood is a renewable and biodegradable resource that produces no pollution. The cards are entirely made from recycled FSC-certified paper or wood, and therefore contain 0 plastic while maintaining 100% of its structural integrity. Its quality, size, aestatic appeal and durability are so similar to its plastic carrier, the paper-based guest key cards are an excellent option for any business in hospitality that want to contribute to the circular economy.

“SALTO is committed to sustainability and we care about the environment. We have been an early adopter of emerging environmental initiatives that use more renewable resources and less paper, plastic, and fossil fuels in the access control industry” - Aznar Sethna, SALTO Systems Chief Sales, and Marketing Officer.

Just like traditional plastic key cards, the SALTO contactless guest key cards are embedded with a NXP MIFARE Ultralight® C RFID chip that is fully compatible with SALTO smart locks.

“Climate change is a threat that none of us can afford to ignore. SALTO sustainable cards is a clear and decisive statement that the SALTO Hospitality industry is ready to take on this challenge. And that's only the beginning! energy-efficient data management, the efficiency of cloud infrastructure, or IoT solutions to connect innovative SALTO products and services are all part of our Hospitality initiatives contributing to sustainability.” - Nora Urquiza, SALTO Hospitality Global Lead Manager

The bamboo and wooden guest key cards are available in 4 different manufacturing materials, from bamboo, cherry to black walnut, and the paper key cards can be branded with your own logo, so there is no excuse to use plastic anymore.

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.

Salto’s smart door locks allow users and system administrators to send and receive Digital Keys that can open any door or gate equipped with a Salto smart lock, cylinder, wall reader, padlock, or locker lock using their iOS or Android Bluetooth LE or NFC-enabled smartphone.  

Mobile access control solutions offer users a keyless experience, providing instant and mobile access without compromising security or convenience. By combining various technologies, Salto's smart locking solutions evolve from traditional access control to ACaaS (Access Control as a Service), enabling users to manage access rights quickly, wirelessly, and without keys. This offers greater security than mechanical keys by introducing digital keys and replacing traditional physical keys or smart credentials.  

Implementing mobile credentials and digital keys. 

Digital Keys are available across smart access technology platforms from Salto. 

Salto Space - Data-on-Card 

Designed to secure any door in a building and make access control more effortless and secure than ever, Salto Space offers a flexible access control platform with a unified software and hardware platform. 

Experience unified, scalable security, integration support, and limitless features to manage your buildings’ operations with a virtually networked, data-on-card based locking system. 

Salto KS - Keys as a Service 

Salto KS (KaaS: Keys as a Service) is a scalable cloud-based Access Control as a Service (ACaaS) solution that’s built to fit your business needs, today and tomorrow. 

Salto KS smart access offers multiple ways of opening doors, including digital keys. It supports a wide range of keyless access methods to improve user experience and the security of any type of building. It also delivers advanced security features on a fully remote and wireless cloud-based smart access management platform. 

Salto Homelok - All-in-one smart access solution for residential living 

Salto Homelok enables modern keyless living for residents, streamlines operations for managers and owners, and improves security across all types of residential properties.   

A cloud-based smart access platform with intelligent, wire-free and virtually networked electronic locking SVN technology optimises hybrid deployments and enables the smart building ecosystem without needing infrastructure.

 Q&A with Ron Shaffer, Technology Business Development for Education, SALTO Systems

There are a lot of choices when it comes to access control systems campuses could use. What should drive the decisions of higher education leaders in this area?

Many decision-makers don’t take the most important factor into account: the end-user experience and student journey. It is the experience of your campus users—students, faculty, and staff—that matters most when deciding what type of smart access control systems to implement. Other important factors to consider when deciding on access control systems include: 

• Whether a system is easy to use, has an intuitive design, and provides clear user feedback 
• The regulatory compliance, quality, and compatibility  of the hardware to fit any door and any access point with a complete, electronic locking platform
• The long-term reliability of the system, full support and any ongoing administration requirements

What are the most overlooked aspects of implementing access control systems on campuses?

Think about it in terms of “Day 1” versus “Day 2.” During the Day 1 phase, higher education leaders are focused on the features of the system, the initial installation costs and whether the new system meets their current needs.

During the Day 2 phase, new questions arise concerning the complexity of the interface, network dependency, monthly or yearly user or access point fees, credential compatibility and other ongoing costs. As time goes on, institution leaders may ask more questions, such as:

• How are my users, staff, visitors or students affected during a network outage? 
• Is access still permitted in a power outage?
• Is the system scalable to meet future growth within our current network environment?
• How do we maintain IP addresses, network switching and routing design?

These questions are often overlooked at an earlier stage, but it’s important to consider these Day 2 issues in the decision-making process. Look to the future and Day 2 with a school access control system that will support growth both in physical locations and staff/student services.

Program your Salto ProaAccess Space access control management software to send broadcast notifications in the event of a lockdown emergency.

No one wants to think of the unthinkable happening – an intruder in a school, inclement weather, and the like – but it’s best to be prepared, of course, in the event something does happen. Salto electronic smart access platform has the capability to enable AMOK lockdown mode, where authorized users can quickly and safely lock all locks in a building. Salto ProAccess Space software includes broadcast notifications, making it quick and easy to send immediate communication in the event of an emergency lockdown or pre-configured event.

Streamlined Communication for Safety and Efficiency

In an emergency situation that calls for a building lockdown, ProAccess Space can be pre-configured for security personnel to quickly send broadcast notifications to multiple recipients with just a click of the mouse. For non-emergency scenarios, broadcast notifications can be sent out on an as-needed basis to share updates on temporary issues that might affect only certain areas of a building or user groups.

The ability to send broadcast notifications is an excellent tool as it provides the power to quickly and easily contact as many recipients as needed. This is an important feature for any electronic smart access control deployment but is particularly helpful for universities, schools, healthcare, corporate smart offices and the like.