Coworking

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

SALTO proudly introduces a partnership with Coworking Bansko, one of Europe’s largest digital nomad hubs based in the mountainous town of Bansko in Bulgaria. Coworking Bansko integrates SALTO technology across their locations for smooth and seamless user experiences. With a strong community of over 125 members on average, Coworking Bansko is people-first. That’s why, each year, they bring together a global community of 500+ digital nomads, location-independent, freelancers, and entrepreneurs at Bansko Nomad Fest.

Since you opened the very first location 6 years ago, Coworking Bansko has developed, changed, and grown. Tell us more about the different spaces at Coworking Bansko, and your ethos.

Our community is built on  freedom and happiness and is guided by the five core values of coworking: comm­unity, open­ness, collab­oration, sus­tain­ability, and accessibility.

We provide the infrastructure so that our members can become the very best version of themselves. Different people have different needs and work habits; we aim to support them with our different environments. So for deep work, our members can head to the Gondola or the Quiet Space, our main community hub with a large garden that’s home to the famous Friday potluck gathering, where all community members contribute to food and drink and come together to celebrate and enjoy the community. Or, if they want to work and casually socialise in more laid back areas, they can do so in the calming Social Space. We also have the Lounge, a space that recreates a coffee shop with a blend of music, work, and chat, and a great rooftop with a work and chill area.  

In which Coworking Bansko locations have you installed SALTO technology?

We’ve installed SALTO technology in all our four locations in Bansko, including an off-the-grid forest location on the doorstep of Bansko National Park that we call the Playground. It’s a place where we host lots of community events and where we’re building our wood cabin. 

We’ve integrated SALTO technology across standard use cases, like the main entrance doors, but also at more experiential spaces, like all our meeting rooms and our wood cabin, to better manage access and usage. We’ve also integrated SALTO technology at a separate storage site for external contractors who help with events or other projects to access our locations. They can easily come in and out without our team needing to be around. As it’s so secure, it helps us to continue creating safe experiences for our community.

What impact has equipping your spaces with SALTO technology hadmade in your business and community?

Before we began using a smart lock system, we were using physical tokens that generally worked well although there were issues with the system’s stability. It was a homegrown DIY solution which didn’t work when we experienced power or internet outages, plus there were hardware issues during cold winters. Using only physical tokens held us back. When people arrived outside normal office hours to pick up or return tokens, it created a lot of work for several people, including our team, trial members, and day pass users. We also didn’t have the token system on all our doors, so our teams still had to use physical keys alongside them, which was inconvenient.

We’ve now installed 19 SALTO locks and 5 IQs on our doors, and plan to add a few more wall readers, locker locks, and padlocks in different locations for different uses.

Our users love the new system. Being able to open all doors with the SALTO KS app means that they no longer need to pick up and return any hardware tokens, making operations and welcoming new trial day members much easier. Also, the look and feel of SALTO locks helps us to create the best community experience possible when new people open our doors for the first time.  

How did you meet Cate and Christian at SALTO Systems?

I was surprised when Cate and Christian approached us to partner at Bansko Nomad Fest 2021 (we met through a mutual connection). Initially, I didn’t understand why they wanted to come to a digital nomad festival because we’re not an industry trade show. But it soon became clear to me that Cate and Christian are visionaries. They have a passion for community and togetherness, with‘community is the key’ at the heart of it all. They wanted to explore the future of access management for coworking and coliving, and that was the perfect fit for us. 

Christian ended up staying with the community, overnight, despite having to fly home early the next morning, I realised  that he is someone who we had to work with. Cate stayed longer in Bansko after her first Nomad Fest to engage with our community, organise some photoshoots with our 40-year-old orange Lada jeep and brainstorm many ideas. During that time, she became part of our community. We loved seeing her again this year and look forward to her every visit.

Why do you also believe that community is the key?

Our members join Coworking Bansko to make connections for their business, social life and to enjoy Bansko together. In an era of remote working, nobody really needs to work at a traditional office anymore. But, everyone needs connections to thrive and become the best version of themselves. Our community is not limited to our members. Coworking Bansko is part of several communities who’ve helped us grow from grassroots as a rural coworking location, to one that is now a globally recognised ecosystem and nomad capital. Community is the key that unlocks our peoples’ happiness. That’s how I view my community. 

How will SALTO technology continue to support Coworking Bansko now and in the future?

I believe that SALTO KS cloud-based access management and SALTO industrial leading hardware, in combination with a very responsive support team and dedicated partner organisation, is a great basis to integrate with our strategy and operations.

Coworking Bansko is constantly growing. We successfully crowdfunded  a “crypto cabin” via an NFT using Web3 authentication, which gives owners access to the cabin at different times. We’re also building a sauna at the Playground, as part of our efforts to boost our community’s well being. To streamline the whole operation, all these locations will have SALTO locks which are accessible using the SALTO KS app that our members already use. 

A lot of our members use bicycles that often break down on the rough roads around town. So, we’re building a bicycle repair station outside one of our locations, with access to the tool box and air compressor via SALTO Padlock. We also plan to use SALTO locker locks to facilitate car key access to our orange flotilla of rental cars. 

It’s been fantastic to receive the support of SALTO and the Community and Partnership team, particularly over the last couple of years when Cate and Christian joined us at both  the Nomad Fest and the CUBB (coliving unconference). We look forward to our continued partnership and collaboration with SALTO at community-oriented events like these as well as events outside Bulgaria.

What’s next for Coworking Bansko?

Our next big exciting project will move us into the coliving space. “Coliving Bansko” will be a purpose-built coliving space co-owned with our community. Unfortunately, supply chain issues and high energy costs are slowing down construction, but this project is at the top of our list, and we hope to start building it in early 2023. 

We’ve recently announced our Nomad Festival 2023 edition. I feel that it will attract even more attendees next year (this year it was around 550). We’ll most likely host the second edition of the coliving conference (CUBB)  in April 2023, and I’m pretty confident there will be more surprises from Coworking Bansko and our community to come.

We look forward to witnessing Coworking Bansko’s continuous evolution and its growing use of SALTO technology. And we’re looking forward to partnering with them again at their upcoming coworking and coliving events because community is, indeed, the key! 

Want to find out more about our partners in coworking or other industries? Take a look at our industry pages and follow us on LinkedIn for updates!

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!

Don’t want to miss a thing? Follow us on LinkedIn and/or Instagram to stay up to date.

Salto Systems offers cutting-edge smart access technology to businesses for a complete smart building experience.

We are now thrilled to announce that we are offering other best-in-class technology leaders the opportunity to partner with us for an integrated and improved customer offering.

Why to become a Salto Technology Partner?

Salto’s Technology Partner program empowers best-in-class technology companies to link into our access control Technology Platforms and integrate and certify their solutions within Salto's smart locking product portfolio.

As such, we are looking for third-party systems to integrate with our smart access technology architecture with the aim of improving any type of facility’s operations in terms of efficiency, flexibility, and security. Our aim is to provide you and your customers with the ultimate smart keyless living experience. 

Technology partners will benefit from these integrations by delivering comprehensive solutions that unite smart access control, security, building automation, software, property management software, operations, and more, in an all-in-one integrated technology platform.

In a nutshell, by partnering with Salto, companies can offer improved access control solutions for their customers and overall operations enhancements for complete building management.

Salto offers a range of solutions to technology partners

Through the SaltoTechnology Program, our partners will have access to the following solutions:  

• Smart access experience, delivering seamless, keyless building experiences to users.
• Wireless technology for electronic locking solutions via an on-premise network or the cloud. 
• Mobile device access and digital key solutions.

• Secure and robust performance across all products. Salto is trusted by industry-leading companies worldwide and offers this peace of mind to potential partners.

Salto’s Two Main Solutions

Salto was the early leader in cloud-based access control technology and has become a major player in keys-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.

• Salto Space: Technology partners can benefit from Salto’s stand-alone, virtually networked, wired, and wireless online smart access control platform
  
  Salto Space is a fully-integrated, stand-alone wire-free smart-locking platform and web-based software management system that brings seamless access to every door in any building in an efficient, flexible, safe and secure way. 
  
  Our partners are offered a smart access control on-premise platform that’s designed to work in a wire-free environment. 

Click here to learn more. 
 

• Salto KS: For a truly unique offering, Salto’s technology partners can make use of a scalable and flexible cloud-based smart access control solution with best-in-class real-time capabilities.
  
  Salto KS offers proven reliability and recognized stability for our technology partners. This service provides higher functionality and performance than what is possible with a traditional mechanical key access solution. 
  
  Our Salto KS cloud-based access control product range offers a flexible solution that requires no software installation with remote management capabilities and endless integration possibilities for our partners.

Click here to learn more. 

Technology partners: bringing excelence to customers

Technology Partners benefit from a wide product range across numerous industries

Salto Systems offers cutting-edge solutions across a range of industries, including; Commercial, Healthcare, Hospitality, Retail, Coworking, Shared Living Spaces, Corporate Smart Offices, Fitness Centers & Gyms, and Residential.

Our current partnerships include a broad range of integrated systems, such as Property Management Systems, Check-in Solutions, Mobile Apps, CCTV Security Cameras and Video Surveillance, Intercoms, Room Management Systems, Time Attendance, Booking, Management software, Visitor / Identity Management, Elevator / Lift Control, and Point of Sale software.

Technology partners are not limited by their industry by any means. SALTO Systems is confident that we can find a smart access solution for virtually an interested technology leader.
 

Technology Partners have online access to Salto’s customizable smart access technologies

Salto Systems offers an online platform for partners to customize their access solutions. Our technology partners will benefit from our extensive product portfolio for their systems integration, which includes:

• Electronic Locks and cylinders for Doors: We have an extensive range of electronic door locks that make use of wireless, keyless, card access technology, as well as a range that makes use of a keypad with a unique safety code.
• Wall Readers and Controllers: Control access with sleek, easy-to-fit wall readers that offer contactless, keyless access and control.
• Locker Locks: Safely store contents with electronic locker locks that make use of pre-programmed keyless technology to give authorized users access to the locker content.

Become a Technology Partner today

Contact Salto Systems, and we will not only demo how our product works, if you’re interested in becoming a technology partner, we’ll also discuss a truly unique integration solution. 

We are confident that our innovative and customizable technology will be able to support our certified Technology Partners so they may better their service offering. 

Technology Partners can look forward to becoming a SALTO certified technology partner to deliver even more innovation for their brand, bringing their customers so much more in the keyless living experience. 

Learn more about becoming a technology partner and sign up today

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.

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.

Last year, we launched a brand new series of Instagram Live sessions with our Technology Partners around the world. In these lunch-time sessions, we focused on a topic that concerns the integration of technology, its impact, and its significance.

To kick off this series, our Community and Partnership Manager Caterina Maiolini met with Igor Dzhebyan, CEO of andcards and our very own Christian Schmitz, Global Lead of Shared Living and Workspaces at SALTO Systems. During the afternoon chat titled Smart Solutions to Transform Your Coworking Experience, the trio discussed the most significant changes in the coworking industry in the last decade, the role of technology in the evolution of flexible workspaces, the technology integration between andcards and SALTO Keys as a Service, and the importance of access control as a solution for coworking space members.

Read ahead for the highlights of their live lunchtime chat, or click here to re-watch the IGTV video.

A Transformation Within Coworking

Following an introduction of Igor and Christian, Cate dives straight in, asking about the changes to the coworking industry over the past decade.

In Christian’s view, coworking has evolved from the 1.0 version to 2.0. He attributes the acceleration of the coworking trend to the pandemic and notes how we will soon see the 3.0 version of coworking evolve. As the pandemic has vastly increased remote working, the purpose of workspaces has also changed. Christian emphasizes this change by highlighting a view held by the majority.

“When I go to a workspace, I go there not only to work but also for the communal life and social aspect, which makes it different from working spaces,” he said.

Igor, who agrees that coworking has transformed in the last decade, believes that a coworking space is more than just a workspace. It’s also a type of service platform. Yet, many people don’t understand this aspect of coworking spaces. As a result, Igor thinks it’s essential to help everyone understand the many advantages of flex working, ensuring that this trend reaches the mass market.

Remote working has seen enormous growth over the past two years, increasing the number of coworking spaces. According to Christian, technology has enabled this growth. Likewise, Igor explains how technology allows consumers of coworking spaces to take advantage of their membership benefits 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The benefits of technology in the coworking industry is seen through the integration between andcards and SALTO KS, which enables a seamless customer journey.

Productivity and Coworking

On working outside of a traditional office environment, Christian raises an important point: What is the level of productivity like in coworking spaces?

According to Igor, coworking spaces help build a sense of belonging and allow people to feel like they are part of a community. He explains that research shows a sense of belonging that positively impacts productivity. Consequently, coworking spaces boost productivity levels. Cate adds to this point by mentioning how being in a coworking space allows for increased levels of collaboration, which has a positive effect on mental health.

Access Control for Coworking Spaces

Shifting the focus to the integration between andcards and SALTO KS, Cate asks, “How important is access control as a solution for coworking members?”

“Ensuring a smooth and positive customer journey is very important in building a successful business,” Igor notes. “In general, our company’s mission is to put coworking space services into a smartphone, and that’s what we really want to do with andcards. SALTO’s Digital Key solution is similar in that it allows a person to access spaces using their smartphone. I think that’s what customers want to have: 24/7 access to their membership benefits. I believe that we can give them just that with our integrated solution,” Igor explains.

“The new generation thinks with a smartphone in their hand,” insists Cate. Indeed, a generational shift has meant that the younger generation is now growing up with smartphones. As a result, there is an increasing move towards mobility, which is also driving the coworking trend.

Andcards x SALTO KS Integration

On a final note, Cate, Igor, and Christian discuss what’s in store for the andcards and SALTO KS partnership.

“We will continue to build upon what customers need, what the market needs, and where we’re headed. We’re driven by our mission and vision to build a coworking space in a smartphone: We have a bank in our smartphone, we have other services in our smartphone, and now we have a coworking space in our smartphone,” Igor says.

The customer will remain at the centre of the andcards and SALTO KS integration. Christian stresses this point as he explains that “a tech company can always build nice tech integrations. However, without having the customer at the centre, and letting them decide what they really need, a company risks driving the boat in the wrong direction.”

In summary, the future of our integration, which is undoubtedly promising, will be based upon the needs and wants of the real and current market.
 

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.

We first crossed paths with our community partners Coworkies in 2018, the start of an exciting journey into coworking and its many possibilities within the world of access control.

Pauline Roussel and Dimitar Inchev, Coworkies Co-founders, are the power team behind the unique book about coworking, community & design: Around the World in 250 Coworking Spaces, the first of its kind in the global coworking community. The pair invited us to join their coffee-table book project, co-led by our very own Christian Schmitz, Global Lead of Shared Living and Workspaces and Caterina Maiolini, Community and Partnership Manager.

The book offers a comprehensive understanding of coworking in all its capacity on a global scale, with carefully curated stories of people, spaces and products that are actively transforming the workspaces of today. It also acts as an engaging and interactive guide of how people build new work environments through collaboration, interior design and community activities.

In October 2021, we were proud to attend Coworkies’ successful book launch event in Berlin which brought the coworking community together for the first time since the pandemic. Following the event, we interviewed Pauline, Coworkies Co-Founder. Amongst other topics, we discussed the global impact of the book, the relationship between cloud-based access control and coworking spaces and the partnership between Coworkies and SALTO systems.

Read ahead for our conversation and some highlights of the event!