Stories

It has been a big year for SALTO Systems, and we’re proud to share our biggest achievements with you.

From launching a variety of innovative products to spearheading new platforms and solutions, as well as serving a greater range of industries, 2022 has been a testament to what we can achieve through our continued inspiration, dedication, and passion.

This year, we also witnessed tremendous growth within the SALTO group of companies and reaffirmed our commitment to sustainability, recognizing our social responsibility to build a better world. We are grateful for our 2022 successes and are hopeful for what lies ahead in the coming year. 

New Product Launches

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XS4 Original+

We started the year with the newest addition to the SALTO lock family: the XS4 Original+. This universally compatible electronic lock is the latest evolution of our flagship product, the XS4 Original. It features:

• a newer, more advanced chipset 
• improved functionality
• the most cutting-edge technologies
• a sleek, beautiful design with a flat reader now available in two colors

Read more about the XS4 Original+ product launch here.

The next-generation XS4 Original+ takes all you love about the world’s most trusted, flexible smart locking solution and future-proofs it with the latest technology to elevate door security and access control for our customers and partners around the world.

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First Online Electronic Cylinder Configurator

Up next, we added the powerful and versatile Neo Cylinder to our online MyLock configuration tool. With this move, we effectively launched the first online configurator for electronic cylinders on the market. 

Now, architects, project managers, and our partners can access the largest range of matching door hardware finishes, with vast options for finishes and accessories to turn any door into a secure, electronically-operated smart access point. It is also quite flexible, incorporating an array of door standards, product configurations, and architectural styles to meet any design or aesthetic demand.

You can learn more about our launch here.

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FSC-Certified Wooden Guest Key Cards

Furthermore, we took yet another step into the world of sustainability with the release of our eco-friendly, FSC-certified Eco Guest Key Cards. Made from wood fiber, they allow us to play an active role in reducing plastic waste. 

Read more about our Eco Guest Key Cards here.

Our innovative wooden key cards give our partners in the hospitality industry a viable alternative to traditional plastic key cards and allow them to provide their guests with a stress-free, socially-conscious experience.

Access Control Platform and Solutions

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SALTO Homelok

After transforming smart access control in the corporate, academic, healthcare, workspaces and hospitality industries, SALTO turned its eye to residential applications with the launch of our new SALTO Homelok platform. 2022 was the perfect time for this release as more and more people start to embrace safe, convenient smart home living.

SALTO Homelok is a compact smart access solution that sets a new standard for residential living. 

It also generates an abundance of benefits for our residential, multi-family and smart-living business partners, including:

• Easy installation, use and maintenance
• Simple, convenient and safe access via keycard, smartphone and even Apple Wallet
• Suitability for any property type, from single-family or multi-family residences to vacation rentals and more
• Boosted operational efficiency by making property management simpler and more convenient
• Guaranteed security, safety and privacy, even for your data
• Enhanced digital access experience for residents
• Ability to enable the smart living ecosystem in any home or multi-family residential building. 

Discover more about our SALTO Homelok launch in this post.

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SALTO KS 200,000 online locks & ISO 27001 certified

SALTO KS successfully surpassed 200,000 locks online. his is a result of hard work and dedication on behalf of the entire team, SALTO Business Units, our Technology Partners, and everyone involved in selling and installing SALTO KS at impressive sites around the world.

In other news, SALTO KS renewed its ISO 27001 certification. This confirms our cloud-based, smart access solution’s commitment to high data protection standards, conforming to the industry’s best practices.

Read more about SALTO KS ISO 27001 certification here.

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SALTO Space and Gantner NET.Lock Integration

SALTO revolutionised smart access yet again by teaming up with leading RFID/NFC solutions developer, Gantner. Recognising that smart storage lockers are pivotal to the modern workplace, we went to work developing smart lockers that are convenient and easy to use. 

The result? We fully integrated SALTO Space with the Gantner NET.Lock system to provide smart keyless storage space for mid to large-size locker installations requiring a comprehensive locker management solution with maximum convenience and real-time management. By using pre-existing staff ID cards as locker keys, the resulting electronic lock system has proven to be the most powerful in the market. We’re glad to report that this solution can securely manage many different storage systems, among them:

• Staff lockers
• Office furniture
• Storage rooms
• Parcel locker system

Explore our smart access solution with Gantner here.

Industries

SALTO continues to raise the bar with our industry-specific solutions, which continue to create positive results for our customers and partners. 

In hospitality, we worked with St. Falls Ski Resort based in Australia to set up over 90 access points for the 40-boutique-apartment hideaway. We overcame the challenge of an old legacy access control system by replacing it with our premier SALTO Space Hospitality Solution.

Read more about our solution for St. Falls Ski Resort here.

Moreover, we successfully implemented integrated smart access solutions for Salon Lane, a coworking space for beauty professionals in Sydney. We also launched our Technology Partner Program for companies looking for a complete smart building experience.

Company Group News

In 2022, the SALTO group of companies grew by leaps and bounds in a variety of ways. Our expansion was sparked mainly by the acquisition of Cognitec Systems, a leading innovator in automated facial recognition, and Bluefield Smart Access, where we now have a major stake.

SALTO also had a major showing at ESSEN 2022, the German biennial trade show. It was a wonderful opportunity for all our companies to meet face-to-face again after a long time apart. 

Read about ESSEN 2022 here.  

We further expanded our operations in the Asia-Pacific region and opened up new XSperience Centres in Germany, Portugal, Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, and Australia - our new innovation hub in Melbourne.  

Now, SALTO Systems has a diverse mix of 1,500 people from 80 countries working in over 40 offices around the world - we are proud to be creating the smart building of the future.

ESG and Sustainability

SALTO is proud to announce that we have effectively achieved carbon neutrality across our group of companies. In 2022, we successfully offset CO2 emissions in all our offices and factories - a big step towards a carbon-free future.

Discover SALTO’s ESG commitment here.

We received a Silver classification in the EcoVadis global evaluation program, ranking among the top 25% of companies for our sustainability policies and initiatives. 

Read more about our Silver EcoVadis classification here.

SALTO also continued its focus on sustainability with various initiatives, including our sponsorship of Free2Move.org. This is in line with our mission to adopt sustainable models that generate meaningful environmental and social impacts.

Thank you 2022…welcome 2023

All in all, 2022 has been a year of growth, progress, and greater social responsibility. Apart from all the milestones we have achieved, we are proud to have provided effective solutions that meet our customers’ and partners’ specific needs. We may not know what lies ahead, but we are already looking forward to all 2023 will bring!

Season's greetings and Happy Holidays to you!

 

Csuites is the first premium flexible workplace in Asia that is designed to facilitate the need of enterprises with a large team of 50 to 200 members. The workspace solution caters to small and medium enterprises, enabling shorter leases, immediate move-ins, as well as security and sustainability credentials. Csuites aims to provide the benefits of a coworking space but with the quality and comfort of a next-generation enterprise space that would otherwise be forced to take a traditional lease. 

Csuites aims to create an environment that promotes corporate innovation, collaboration, well-being, and growth amongst its members. They are also mindful of the impact on people and the future and are consciously committed to lowering their carbon footprint through a mix of sustainable design and strategies.

Read on to find out how the integration between SALTO’s cloud-based access control solution SALTO KS, and Office RnD, the provider of software solutions that power flexible working, has helped Csuites reach their goal of offering high-end technical solutions that enhance their coworking member experience.

Csuites was looking for a cloud-based solution that could integrate with their space management tools and allow the operations team to manage access easily. The access control solution Csuites was looking for had to be secure, user-friendly, and seamless. Also, the solution SALTO offers (SALTO KS) includes the Digital Key feature, which aligns with Csuites’ vision of providing a seamless experience for their members, where they can have all their workplace needs within their mobile app, including opening doors.

The integration setup with OfficeRnD is really easy and seamless. The integration allows their Member Experience team to easily set up the door access and manage everything member-related in one single platform. They rarely have to go into the SALTO KS admin portal once the access group is set up. This makes the operation procedure easy and such a time saver so that the Csuites team has time to focus on what matters.

As Csuites is catered for corporates, they have to ensure that the fit-out quality and technology are progressive and the best in class. The design, layout, and amenities of the space also have to be catered to the need of their target market, which is spacious, with ample natural sunlight, and different types of workstations to enhance focus and collaborative work.

Csuites has been built with a people-centric design in mind. One area championing is wellness in the workspace. The office suites feature sound-dampening walls, and noise-canceling duct works to reduce the sound emanating from utility pipes. Another wellness aspect is the variety of work desks in each office suite, which include sit-stand desks, team tables, and desks along the windows.

The technology guiding principles are based on our customers’ needs. Taking into consideration that large corporates generally have preferred technologies. As such, the technology they have in place needs to be agnostic and seamless. Shared meeting rooms and event spaces will need to be equipped with high-quality audio and visual technology. Security is a big concern for most corporates. Therefore, Csuites need a reliable, safe, and secure physical space powered by technology. 

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Some of the key design features of Csuites:

• Ultra-low power lighting of 4.3 W/m2, more than 50% reduction vs SS530:2014
• All water fittings in the project are rated 3 ticks under PUB Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme
• Acoustical Treatment: All office suites and meeting rooms are sound-proofed, and feature noise-canceling duct works to ensure maximum privacy and minimal distraction
• The base building is awarded Green Mark Platinum. 
• Active Workspace Elements: height-adjustable desks, high-quality ergonomic furniture and fixtures, and a diverse workplace typology to meet the needs of today’s dynamic workforce
• Biophilic Design: Full glass ceiling-to-floor facades provide an abundance of natural lighting, while natural elements such as wood and ample plants create a healthy, green, and well-ventilated space
• Extensive use of materials certified by the Singapore Green Building Council and Singapore Green Labelling Scheme 

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Companies looking for new workspaces today want places with services that can better support their employees, and there is a major focus on well-being, talent attraction, and enhanced productivity.

About 35% of the total floor area at Csuites has been set aside for communal spaces that encourage people to interact. On the fifth floor is a fully serviced reception, and the common area for tenants will feature a café managed by ‘Huggs’, an event space for up to 150 people, as well as a variety of informal collaboration spaces. These are places where members can work at their leisure and where they can additionally hold informal meetings.

Each office suite has at least one meeting room, depending on its size, but other meeting rooms and a boardroom can be booked through a dedicated mobile application for members of Csuites. The app is designed by London-based space management platform OfficeRnD and allows Csuites tenants to unlock workspaces they have booked with their mobile phones.

Csuites also maps out heavily booked areas and collect data on space utilization rates throughout the workspace. By having data about how many people are in the space and what time they are there, they can get a sense of which areas are popular and which aren’t. Csuites will use the data to better furnish the spaces that are used more frequently, with more seats or work desks to better meet demand usage there.

Csuites is the first in Asia to provide premium, flexible workplace options for larger enterprises. They have 10 suites available, and each will be supported by additional hot-desking and flexible workspaces when required. Walls between the office suites can be removed to create a larger office space for larger-sized groups. 

The 10 private suites range from 50, 75, 95, and 170 people. Each office is equipped with 1.5-meter sit/stand desks, ergonomic chairs, lockers, indoor plants (to provide good air quality), and a utility area for storage and printer. The office also comes with ensuite meeting rooms with excellent acoustic treatment. One-third of our space is allocated for common shared amenities like a board room, event spaces, nursing mothers room, multi-faith room, first aid room, phone booths, shared meeting room, cafe, and pantries (including fridge and cabinet allocated for each office, instead of a shared fridge as you normally see in coworking spaces).

Traditionally coworking spaces provide a pedestal under the table, which restricts the movement and space one can have. Csuites provides lockers in the office, freeing up the workstation, and there are no table legs between a cluster of work desks to draw the distance between two members closer to promote collaboration. 

The design and the amenities allow larger corporations to network with other companies of similar scale. This might be quite new to the corporates that usually have their own traditional office, with no option of networking with other people aside from their colleagues.

As Csuites is also the only flexible workplace in Singapore that clinched Singapore Green Mark for Healthier Workplaces Platinum certification in 2020, which recognizes sustainable and resource-efficient solutions, SALTO is even more proud to have established this unique integration.

Want to learn more about how your coworking space could benefit from an access control integration that will offer your members a seamless experience? Feel free to contact our teams; they will be happy to demonstrate how SALTO can help.

We've partnered up with one of the leading coliving consultants to launch a six-part monthly blog post series. In the fifth instalment of our 6-part Coliving Blog Series, we dive into senior coliving and how shared living is a concept for all ages. Different from assisted living, senior coliving offers a solution for those who want to live an independent yet community-driven life as they age.

SALTO has been in the business of smart locks for 20 years, and we’re continually evolving to meet the needs of our clients. We believe that by understanding our users, along with the changing demographics, we can provide the best solution. 

Today, our expert coliving consultant and Community Experience Specialist  Leah Ziliak shares how the coliving demographic is shifting below: 

When you think about the term ‘shared housing’ what image comes to mind? If you’re picturing a space full of budget-conscious millennials, you’re not the only one. Search 'coliving' and you'll likely see a thousand images of 20-somethings working from laptops amongst trendy decor.

And that’s all well and good. Millennials are a great demographic for this new type of housing sector. But they’re definitely not the only demographic.

As a consultant in the coliving industry, I find there are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to coliving. People assume that shared living is only for the young…and only for those looking to save some cash. Today, we’re going to look at coliving from a different perspective. 

Remember the TV sitcom, ‘Friends’? Rachel, Ross, and the crew showed the world that living across the hall from your closest friends could be a pretty ideal scenario. But, let’s not forget, long before ‘Friends,’ we had ‘The Golden Girls’ demonstrating that aging with your friends could be pretty sweet too.

The need for a community doesn't end when you hit 30. Who's to say you can't live with an engaging group of friends well into your senior years? Coliving for seniors is of growing interest, and I believe it’s the perfect housing option for many who are looking for a sense of community as they age. And, apparently, I’m not the only one.

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What is Coliving for seniors?

Let’s recap for a moment. What exactly is coliving, anyway? Coliving is one of the biggest trends in real estate at the moment. Offering a sense of community, flexibility, quality design, engaging communal spaces, and a host of extra perks and amenities, coliving enables people to live a more connected lifestyle. 

Not only is coliving great for millennials, but it’s also an obvious solution to the growing need for community-based senior living. Coliving is the future of senior housing. And here’s why:

Cost of Senior Living:

The cost of senior housing has skyrocketed over the years. According to Genworth Financial, the average cost of assisted living in the United States alone is $4,500. However, average pricing varies greatly from state to state. For example, in parts of the Northeast, the average monthly cost is over $7,000 per month.

$7,000 per month! A person could live at a resort for those prices. And, in fact, some do.

For several years I worked onboard cruise ships, and I was amazed to discover that there were quite a few ‘regular’ guests in their 60s and 70s who had given up their homes to live full-time onboard cruise ships.

Why? 

Apart from the obvious perks of travel and relaxation, it was actually cheaper for them to live onboard a floating resort than it was to move into an independent living community in the U.S.  And, with food and entertainment provided, along with a sense of camaraderie with fellow guests and crew, why wouldn't you?

While living on the high seas isn’t the best fit for many, the point is boomers are looking for alternative living solutions. And many seniors do not have the kind of funds to afford many of the assisted/independent living communities that currently exist.

Loneliness in seniors

When it comes to living scenarios, apart from affordability, one of the biggest struggles we face as we age is loneliness. According to the CDC, nearly one-fourth of adults 65+ are considered to be socially isolated. 

The impact that loneliness has on our well-being is tremendous. Social isolation increases a person's risk of premature death in staggering ways, rivaling the statistics of smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity. A person who is socially isolated also has a 50% increased risk of dementia.

Having social connections and a sense of community not only helps us to lead happier lives, but it also helps us have healthier, longer lives as well.

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Benefits of shared housing for seniors

There are many different types of coliving that exist for all ages and all demographics; there are options for student coliving, digital nomad coliving, luxury coliving, health and wellness-based coliving, and many more.

And while the entire shared living industry is already talking about senior coliving, there honestly aren’t as many senior projects as you’d expect to see…yet. But, I predict that coliving for the 60+ demographic will be one of the biggest segments of an already rapidly growing industry. In part because it’s greatly needed, but also because there are just too many benefits to ignore.

Community/Events

Another one of the many perks of living with a group of like-minded people is the sense of community that comes along with it. Coliving spaces are designed to engage residents and create an environment where members feel at home.

Unfortunately, senior living facilities often get stuck with a bad reputation. That’s because many people still have an outdated view of what community living for retirees can look like. (Secret: there’s much more to the senior living experience than afternoon bingo and shuffleboard.) 

With coliving, events are about more than simply entertaining residents, it’s about building a sense of belonging and shared purpose. Activities are often community-led and enable a much more modern, expansive experience. Think skill shares, volunteer opportunities, language courses, happy hours, dinner parties, tech classes, and afternoon sports. (Pickleball, anyone?)

Coliving is the modern solution to senior living that many are looking for. At SALTO, we strongly believe in the power of bringing people together. Community is the key. 

Affordability

Not only does senior coliving give residents an affordable option, but it also enables them to have access to higher quality spaces that their budget might not have allowed for otherwise. 

For example, a person might not have been able to afford a pool or daily yoga classes on their own, but as a community, they can benefit from sharing these resources. From electric bicycles and a communal garden to weekly housekeeping and cinema rooms, residents have access to higher quality and more choices when it comes to spaces and amenities, leading to a higher quality of life overall. 

Another area where affordability comes into play is in terms of shared care costs. For example, the cost of a caregiver could be split amongst the residents. A particular resident might not need a full-time helper on their own, but they might benefit from assistance with chores every once in a while or help with basic medical care. 

Opportunities like this make it easier for a person to live independently as they grow older instead of moving into a more costly assisted living facility. Sometimes, an occasional helping hand makes all the difference.

Ease of Use

Ease of use is a massive benefit for seniors within coliving spaces. From an operator's point of view, management of shared spaces can be made even easier by utilizing access control systems. Offering safe, instant access with keyless entry not only enables a seamless experience, but also gives residents peace of mind.

Implementing tech also opens up a variety of options to enable more personalized perks for users. For example, some spaces offer on-demand concierge services via an app, so users can choose which amenities they’d like to add to the living experience. From food delivery and housekeeping to transportation and prescription delivery services, residents can easily select the solution that works best for them. 

For operators, this opens up opportunities to offer premium services for its members. Residents have more choices, along with a more personalized ala carte experience, while providers have the potential for additional revenue streams.

Learning Opportunities

Coliving spaces often offer a variety of learning opportunities, from skill shares to actual courses. Many spaces have an emphasis on continued personal and professional growth. The desire to learn and experience new things doesn’t leave as we grow older.

I recently read about a project at Arizona State University called Mirabella. The university created a senior living community on campus, calling it ‘the world’s coolest dorm.’ Residents have access to college courses, amenities, and activities and are invited to participate in student mentor programs. Some senior residents even conduct guest lectures and act as adjunct professors, while others volunteer with their favorite sports teams.

While a lot of these programs come with a high price tag, these university-inspired retirement communities demonstrate the value that many seniors place on continued learning and being part of a larger community. Mirabella sold out of every single unit more than a year before the project was even completed. The demand is there. 

Senior coliving spaces can provide learning opportunities both on-site as well as through partnerships with local businesses and organizations. As demonstrated at Mirabella, the opportunities that exist through multi-generational learning experiences are vast. 

Staying Healthy

An emphasis on health and wellness is a key component of most coliving spaces, and it becomes an even bigger aspect of senior living. By focusing on actively maintaining and improving the health of its residents, seniors are able to live independently for longer.

Many coliving spaces have fitness centers or classes, as well as mental well-being programs. For example, Gravity Coliving in London offers physical training sessions and nutrition masterclasses, as well as access to mental health services through their community app.

The same concepts and opportunities that we’re seeing in millennial-focused coliving can be easily adapted for senior coliving as well.

Safety/Tech

Coliving offers a sense of safety and security for its residents. In many spaces, you’ll find 24/7 CCTV, a security team, along with smart lock systems for safe, easy access. Senior coliving projects also often have convenient access to hospitals, on-call doctors, and specific safety protocols in place.

Many spaces place emphasis on technology, making sure residents are able to stay up-to-date and informed. Whether that’s teaching members basics like how to video chat or utilize voice assistance or offering more advanced classes to further their education. The modern senior is tech-savvy and connected, and coliving spaces are helping them stay that way. 

SALTO understands the importance of providing safe and convenient tech solutions to users.  By implementing tech solutions that make life easier for its residents, operators can increase retention rates and help members live independently longer. Tech solutions enable coliving operators to modernize and rethink spaces to create a more user-friendly living experience all around.  

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The Future of home sharing for seniors

In the United States, where 10,000 people turn 65 every single day, the need for senior living solutions is becoming even more critical. But Americans aren’t alone in this issue. At 19%, Europe has the highest proportion of the elderly population in the world. Community-focused shared living for seniors is a strong trend that is taking place all over the world. 

With senior coliving being such a solid solution for aging adults, why aren’t there more options available in this sector? In my opinion, it’s only a matter of time before we see an influx of these kinds of projects. Coliving is still a developing real estate asset class, and as the industry expands, so will the key demographic. I believe that senior coliving is set to make waves sooner rather than later in the real estate industry.

Wishful thinking? Perhaps a little. All I know is that when I’m of retirement age, I want to live in a supportive community that prioritizes connection, and experiences and encourages growth in all areas. And, there are millions of others around the world who are of the same thought. 

For the young and the young at heart, coliving is the answer.

 

Don’t want to miss out on the latest from the world of access control? Follow us on LinkedIn and/or Instagram to stay up to date.

Keep an eye out for the final of our Coliving Series which will focus on coliving 2023 and where the industry is heading to. For more information on how you can offer your residents a seamless customer experience, contact our team of experts here.

 

Founded in 2016 SaaS (Software as a Service) Holistic Building Experience technology platform Spaceti is used by both landlords and occupiers to enhance the building experience for the users and gather and manage all of their data in one place. Spaceti was the first-place winner in the prestigious Worldwide Proptech startup competition by MIPIM in 2019. Spaceti offers its client adaptability and scalability with a range of flexible, interoperable modules allowing clients to customize their solutions based on their key-organizational priorities. And is today running in over 200 workplaces and has global coverage with localized partner support.

We are very excited to announce Spaceti as a technology partner. By integrating with our cloud-based access control solution SALTO Keys as a Service, Spaceti users are enabled to reserve meeting rooms for specific timeframes through the Spaceti Booking System and automatically get access to the rooms for the reserved times and days.

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SALTO took this opportunity to ask Spaceti’s CTO & Co-founder Ondrej Plevka about the integrations’ possibilities and what he foresees for the future:

Spaceti offers a Holistic Building Experience platform and works with clients to realize their smart building development vision. Can you give us an example of how this works?

The example has 3 levels of human interaction with the smart building. 

• Passive. We collect data from sensors on occupancy, air quality, or energy consumption and show it in real-time to people or process them in our historical analytics proprietary tool. 
• Active. We enable people to book spaces (workspaces, meeting rooms, parking spaces, etc.), get context on what services the building can offer, and be a part of social features like Newsfeed or Events. 
• Interactive. People can open doors with their phones based both on static access or dynamically based on the booking of a given space. Also, they can interact with smart lockers and share their access with colleagues. Last but not least, people can call elevators from their phones.

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How do you help companies to enhance their performance of spaces over time?

We provide a Workplace analytics solution that enables companies to enhance their workplace performance by using that space more effectively. Our solutions help companies to become more flexible, agile, and responsive to future changes in the workplace environment by providing a better understanding of office layouts, and patterns in utilization per department and gathering insights into employee preferences for better comfort and improve their workday performance.

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What would be the ideal digital infrastructure for a company, according to Spaceti?

We believe that the ideal digital infrastructure for a company must be capable of supporting modern and secure APIs, allowing each system to be used as a building block. The ideal digital infrastructure should also be prepared to connect to a cloud and enable the business to adapt to change.

It is a well-planned digital ecosystem that maximizes the value of data, integrates internal and external systems, and offers a platform for business innovation.

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You help companies with data to transform vacant areas into flexible coworking spaces. How do you feel the workplace is changed positively because of your platform?

Spaceti's data-driven approach is helping companies transform vacant areas into flexible workspaces that meet the needs of both tenants and employees. Based on a data-driven approach, we help companies identify which spaces need to be transformed and create a space that can be used for any work: from traditional offices to co-working spaces, coffee shops or restaurants, or even recording studios.

An excellent example of this transformation is The Music Station. Together with our partners, we helped Warner Music Spain create a new creative co-working environment for Warner Music employees, artists, composers, producers, and managers, providing them with a powerful tool to enhance the building and workplace experience while enabling hybrid and flexible work via the mobile app.

Read the case study here

We believe that our platform positively changes the workplace because it provides a holistic solution for companies to establish a space-efficient and cost-effective workplace environment while satisfying the needs of tenants and employees.

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Do you think becoming data-driven is the only way to elevate operational efficiency for a company?

As data-driven operations have evolved, they've become a must-have in today's rapidly changing business environment because they also provide support to other parts of operations within a company.

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How does the integration between Spaceti and SALTO KS help companies scale?

Spaceti integrates with SALTO KS to create a strong competitive solution for both static and dynamic keyless access based on Spaceti Booking System. The easy installation of SALTO KS, combined with its fast connection to the Spaceti mobile app, helps companies scale through simple implementation.

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Can companies also integrate with your product when they would like to learn more about their use of gas, air quality management (temperature, humidity, CO2, etc.), and smart parking, for example?

Yes, we offer integration with third-party systems. Our cloud infrastructure is prepared for quick integration and provides a modern and secure API. 

 

Please contact one of SALTO’s sales teams for more information. They are more than happy to give you all the information you need!

Would you like to become a SALTO technology partner? Fill in this form, and we will contact you as soon as possible.

 

 

Every two years the trade fair for security in Essen, Germany, is a big part of our joint efforts to put SALTO Systems on the (security) map. With every edition, the ESSEN security fair is getting more popular. With over 1000 exhibiting companies and more than 40000 visitors for the 2022 edition, this is almost an understatement. This year’s edition in September was a special version with all the SALTO group companies present after a period of not being able to see each other face to face. 

At the Essen fair, we could see the names of the group companies proudly presented on SALTO staff sleeves. Together, the companies form a collective of solutions that fit the needs of multiple verticals. The Essen security fair was the ideal opportunity to see first-hand the latest products and technology available and provided an opportunity to network and build partnerships with members and executives in the industry. 

While combining these companies, SALTO Systems remains the heart and soul of the company: including the founders that once started a small business in lock manufacturing. The ‘small business’ SALTO Systems once was, has grown out to be an industry leader in electronic locking and smart access with market-leading positions in key geographies and a diverse range of services with, currently, not only specialized in top-notch hardware but additionally the software which makes the hardware smart. It was a very special moment to see employees of all SALTO group companies intertwine: Clay Solutions, Cognitec, Contidata, Conlan, Bluefield Smart Access, Gantner, and Danalock were among the 120 people present from SALTO!

“SALTO has significantly expanded our range of products and services over the past two years through the acquisition of several technologically-innovative companies. At Security Essen, we’ve showcased the interaction of the different solutions of our Group companies live for the first time. - Axel Schmidt, Managing Director SALTO Germany.
 

With all these specialties combined, SALTO continues to push boundaries by expanding the envelope of what is possible and how the latest and emerging technologies can be used to create keyless buildings that are smart to own, operate, and manage. Think of face recognition, smart locker- and payment solutions, license plate recognition, and cloud-based access control. Besides expanding the company with the group companies, we have been growing our solutions with technology partners. By collaborating with all these partners we continue to develop the technologies and solutions that will help customers in various industries to drive intelligent building management and smart access technologies with more integrated and streamlined keyless and contactless solutions.

If you missed us at ESSEN  make sure to join us at one of our upcoming events. For details on these events – or to learn more about us – visit our events page here.

Don’t want to miss out on the latest from the world of access control? Follow us on LinkedIn and/or Instagram to stay up to date.

The B. Amsterdam coworking hub in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, is built to give entrepreneurs the flexibility and inspiration they need to grow their businesses. In the open-plan coworking space, you will find like-minded people. This often results in an increase in collaboration, igniting great ideas that might have not come to life otherwise. With a ‘full membership’ you get to enjoy this entrepreneurial community, and additionally make use of unlimited access to events, support, and facilities any coworking space should be proud to offer such as a padel court! All of this is spread over three buildings situated close to one another.

For this interview about how SALTO Keys as a Service helps B.Amsterdam increase member satisfaction, we spoke to Robin Slijkhuis, their New Business & Sales Manager.

 

What challenges or needs did you face in your building facility that led you to look for an access control solution like SALTO KS?

Well, there are approximately 300 spaces that need to be opened and closed on a weekly basis. This is time-consuming. We needed to get new keys, hand them over, get them back, change them, and worst of all, dismantle locks when someone lost a key. You can imagine with all these businesses that rent a space at B.Amsterdam there was a lot of administration, and therefore frustration regarding key management.

What steps and processes did you follow to determine your specific access control needs? 
There is great circulation in the number of people coming and going. The Digital Key functionality is therefore a big plus of SALTO KS. Because of Corona and after there was an increase in flexibility. We don’t need a receptionist anymore because there are no keys. Different types of people come and go such as members, cleaning staff, suppliers, and employees of ‘STACH’ the in-house coffee bar. We have people coming in from 6 am to 11 pm without any hassle. We are not using it yet but it would be ideal to share keys with guests of our members. For instance, when one of the companies that rent a space organizes an event they can simply send the ‘key’ to their guests so they can come in at a specific time. Additionally, it’s nice that the organizer can see who of the invitees came and maybe wants to subscribe for more events or information.

Why did B. Amsterdam choose SALTO KS in the first place over any competitor and how does it compare to previous management?
From the very beginning, SALTO KS was chosen as the access control management tool for B.Amsterdam. I wasn't included in the process but I find SALTO KS very reliable and easy to use. It’s also a big advantage that SALTO KS can be integrated with Office RnD which increases the ways we can optimize our member experience. It goes without saying, this way of managing access control in the buildings is way better than when we were working with mechanical keys and a receptionist.
 

How many members do you have in one building on a regular basis?
It depends on the day, but we have 300 offices spread over three buildings, with 3000 members, a STACH (coffee bar), and, event rooms. So I would say 750 members per day. 
 

What type of openings do you use and why? 
We have an 80% Digital Key adoption rate which means most people use the Digital Key feature to open their offices. We have a lot of regular suppliers such as cleaners and grocery delivery services who can get their own personal keys. We can see exactly who was in the building and at what time which makes a great case to attract new potential members. It gives them a sense of security. 

I recently learned about the Digital Key widget which seems to be a great next step for our members to make it even easier to open their doors.
 

How much does using SALTO KS reduce the cost and time of your building operation management tasks?
I don’t have the exact numbers but I’m guessing it’s a lot since we don't have to replace any locks or keys anymore and a receptionist is not necessary for access management at all times. It’s also helpful that we know when an office is empty so we can directly notify the cleaners to come and get the office ready for the next day/member.
 

How does using SALTO KS ignite the sense of community at B. Amsterdam?

Because you are able to get in the building and your office straight away, members feel included from the very beginning of their journey at B.Amsterdam. Members feel like they have ownership of their ‘own’ office, instead of a big building where they are just a ‘number’, which contributes to the exclusivity B.Amsterdam offers. 
 

What would you tell others who might be considering using SALTO KS?

SALTO KS makes operations way easier, and it increases member satisfaction. The system is intuitive so adding, deleting, and blocking members is a simple task.
 

Thank you, Robin, for taking the time to meet with us! It’s an honour to have B.Amsterdam in our customer portfolio.

Are you looking for a private office or a nice spot in an open office filled with entrepreneurs? Contact B.Amsterdam! 

Do you own a coworking space or are you interested in SALTO KS for another reason? Please contact one of SALTO’s sales teams. They are more than happy give you all the information you need!

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Coliving Consultant and Community Experience Specialist, Leah Ziliak is one of the world's leading experts in the industry. In the second post of our 6-Part Coliving Blog Series, Leah shares how the Hybrid Hospitality trend is changing the way we think about travel and hospitality. 

Working from the rooftop of a trendy hotel in Cape Town with 200 Mbps internet, a dedicated call room, and a barista serving up the perfect flat white, it's easy to see just how much the hospitality world has changed over the last decade. Remember when the 'business centre' of a hotel meant a couple of clunky desktops facing a beige wall with a printer?

With a coworking space, community events, group fitness classes, and even a mini movie theatre and a popcorn machine, this is more than just a hotel; it's an experience.  A Hybrid Hospitality experience.

Hungry? Scan a QR code at your coworking desk and the cafe downstairs will deliver your falafel wrap and cold-pressed juice right to you. Bored? Download the community app and you’ll see a list of social events to choose from. Stressed? Book a massage using your smartphone and easily access the spa with keyless entry. 

So, what exactly is Hybrid Hospitality?

Hybrid Hospitality is essentially a blend of the traditional hotel experience, with elements of the coworking and coliving spaces as well as

restaurants, wellness, retail and more. With Hybrid Hospitality, people can live, stay, eat, drink, work and socialise all in one dynamic space. Hotels, hostels, restaurants, bars and other hospitality venues are making the shift to create multifunctional spaces that foster connection and enhance the overall guest experience. 

Hybrid Hospitality is a growing trend, and for good reasons; it’s enabling hotels to expand their offerings, bring underutilised spaces to life, connect guests to a community, and draw in a whole new demographic.

So, why are we seeing such a massive push toward Hybrid Hospitality?

1. Consumer Trends: 
   
   In recent years, the hospitality industry has seen a shift in consumer trends. Millennials especially were looking for more out of the hotel experience and wanted to be part of a connected, engaging environment.
   
   Traditionally, hostels offered a great community experience, but were lacking when it came to high-quality spaces and superior hospitality experiences. On the flip side, hotels offered great spaces and excellent hospitality, but lacked any sort of community or connection.
   
   Because of this, we saw innovative hostel brands listening to those needs and creating a more elevated experience, offering work-friendly environments, well-designed spaces, private room options, and expanding the typical backpacker demographic.
   
   We also saw hotel brands focusing on community, events, neighbourhood integration, keyless access solutions for increased flexibility,  and rethinking common areas to create an experience that went beyond just a comfy bed and room service. 
    
2. The Pandemic Effect:
   
   Since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve seen an even greater expansion of the Hybrid Hospitality trend. The number of remote work opportunities has grown exponentially, meaning that people have more freedom to choose how/when/where they work. The work-from-anywhere movement has had a massive impact on the hospitality industry.
   
   Why take just a weekend trip, when you can bring your laptop and make it a month-long trip? Providing guests with ‘live-and-work-friendly’ spaces enables brands to cater to these longer-term stays.
   
   We’re also seeing a rise in remote work retreats and workations, with some companies offering travel perks to their employees, such as the ability to spend up to 6-8 weeks working from a location abroad. Employees are more mobile than ever before and the hospitality industry is ready to act as a home away from home for this new business traveller.
    
3. Digital Nomadism:
   
   With the rise of remote work, we’ve also seen an increase in long-term travellers. Digital Nomads often give up their homebase altogether and choose to live from different hotels, hostels, and coliving spaces around the world.
   
   It used to be that business trips and vacations were the only reason to leave home, now for an estimated 35 million digital nomads around the world, ‘home’ is constantly changing and can be anywhere in the world. Extended travel was once only a privilege for the super wealthy, but has now become an opportunity for the everyday remote worker. Hospitality brands are adapting to the needs of this growing demographic.
   
   Hospitality brands are adapting to the needs of this growing demographic who have a different set of requirements than your typical vacationer. Digital Nomads are incredibly well-travelled, tech-savvy and place a high value on freedom and flexibility within their living spaces.
    
4. Expanded Amenities:
   
   For many years, ‘hotel amenities’ were limited to a few different things - bathrobes, a gym, tiny bottles of shampoo and overpriced laundry services. But, in the modern-day hospitality world, it can (and should) be a whole lot more. And, as more and more forward-thinking brands provide these extras to their customers, expectations will be higher.
   
   Today, amenities can mean providing guests with opportunities to socialise through community events and connecting to the city in a more authentic way. Many hybrid hospitality brands are also looking to serve as a neighbourhood hub and integrate more effectively into the local community.
   
   Amenities can also mean implementing tech-driven services like digital check-in, keyless entry, and the ability to make restaurant or spa reservations from your smartphone to create a flawless overall experience.

In general, this new wave of guests are looking for much more from their hospitality experiences and brands are finding unique ways to provide increased value to their customers by offering flexible workspaces and tech-driven solutions such as a digital key to access the facilities on-the-go. 

With endless hospitality options out there, why not spend your money with the brands that truly align with who you are and what you need?

The Hybrid Hospitality model not only benefits consumers who now have a myriad of interesting choices at their fingertips, it clearly benefits the industry as well. By providing these unique customer-centric experiences, hospitality brands are able to generate new revenue streams, optimise their spaces, create brand loyalty and appeal to a much wider range of guests.  Not to mention, they’re able to enhance their entire guest experience in a very forward-thinking way.

The coliving concept is not simply a fad that will be fast forgotten - it’s an exciting time for the entire hospitality industry, but it’s also a key turning point for brands that want to stay competitive and relevant in the future. There are plenty of spaces in the world where you can get a quiet night’s sleep and a decent meal. But, the brands that are standing out above the rest are the ones who are creating something truly unique - both functional and engaging. It’s a whole new modern hybrid world out there and the smartest brands are here for it.

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. 

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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.

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.

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.