Salto KS

As we’ve shown on our blog, smart access control is relevant for all kinds of industries, from coworking to experience design. To inquire into what access control and locking technology mean for architects, we reached out to Björg Halldórsdóttir, an architect and design manager for Hafnartorg (The Harbour Square Project) in Reykjavík, Iceland. With a size of over 24.000 m2, including 1.700 m2 of coworking space, this was a large project with many important decisions that needed to be made.

When thinking about the target audience for access control providers, one traditionally thinks of building operators, site owners or administrators, or residential and industrial end-users. However, there is a group that is often overlooked.

This group is the people who design the building: the architects.

Architects may not have the deciding vote when it comes to choosing locking solutions for the buildings they’re designing. However, for those operators who lack knowledge or experience when it comes to choosing access control, they often consult with the architect designing the building.

Some architects have years of experience of designing buildings in a specific sector, for example, hospitality or office spaces, and have worked with specific access control providers before. First and foremost, they might have an opinion about the look of the locks chosen, and whether it matches the aesthetics of the building.

Read on to find out what smart access control means to Björg.

What is the importance of smart lock solutions to you as an architect, and what do you look for in regards to access control?

As an architect, the first thing you look for in a smart lock solution is a product that is aesthetically pleasing. It may not be ideal, but it is the truth.

Secondly, the access control system has to fit the client’s needs. Most clients nowadays prefer smart, electronic locks, depending on the level of security needed for the building. However, some still prefer to use mechanical keys. These preferences must be discussed before starting to search for the right locks for the building.

Do you think that it is important for architects to think about access control when they are designing a space, or is it something that is solely the responsibility of the building manager?

I do think it's important to discuss access control at the initial design stage. It has been proven many times that the most successful building projects are the ones where the whole team works as one. Design managers and architects come from the opposite end of the spectrum and can, therefore, point out different aspects of a design element to one another, resulting in the most suitable choice for the client and the building users.

At what stage during the design process do architects need to think about access control?

At the initial design stage, it is important to get an idea of how the flow of people will be through the spaces. Learning about the client’s wishes regarding access control plays a vital part in that process. This also affects the fire safety design of the building, which means that it cannot be an afterthought.

At the later stages of the design process, when choosing materials, building elements and equipment, there needs to be a discussion with the whole design team and the client to make sure that his wishes are being met and that the chosen product fits the overall interior design. Furthermore, it needs to be established that the product can be delivered within the given time frame.

How important is it to be able to customize the look and finish of the lock, such as with SALTO Systems’ MyLock?

As I previously mentioned, the look of the locks is everything to an architect. It is extremely satisfying for an architect to be able to customize the finish of a product that affects the everyday usage of a building so much. The ability to create a holistic design is always the end goal, and SALTO Systems’ MyLock plays a huge part in achieving that goal.

Have you had any projects where you had to think about locking technology?

Yes. In a recent project for the headquarters of Regus in Iceland at Hafnartorg, access control was an important topic. Although the client already had a product in mind from the start it was still a constant discussion throughout the design process. I’m pleased to say that the end result was a success, both aesthetically and functionally.

Finally, are there any features you would like to see in locking technology in the future?

Customized locking technology for main doors to buildings is something I’d love to see in the future. Although being able to choose the colour and finish, as with SALTO’s MyLock, is a great start, I’d like architects to be able to fully design custom made handles themselves.

“I do think it's important to discuss access control at the initial design stage. It has been proven many times that the most successful building projects are the ones where the whole team works as one.” - Björg Halldórsdóttir, Architect and Design Manager of Hafnartorg.

Thank you, Björg, for taking the time to give us your insights into an architect’s perspective on smart access control.

To read more about SALTO KS, click here or follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn for the latest product features, team updates and news from the industry.

SALTO KS provides a flexible access control management system that requires no software installation or the added expense of a fully-wired electronic product. Modern cloud-based, wireless access control systems are easy and simple to use for businesses including Coworking Spaces, Coliving Buildings, Purpose Built Student Accommodation, Retail, Multi-Tenant Housing, Gyms and many more. Our best in class wireless access control solution and smart locks guarantee the efficiency for your business. Integrate smart locks, start easily managing wireless access control now!

As the Coworking industry continues to evolve, new trends are emerging to answer the progressing demands. From pet-friendly offices to futuristic space design, innovative and interesting concepts continue to surface in coworking spaces around the world.

Not too long ago, we put together a blog post on ‘5 niche Coliving spaces to look out for’. Now we turned to Coworking and set out to find the exciting options these spaces offer their visitors.

Read on to discover our selection of the top 5 new trends in Coworking.

Coworking with on-premise childcare

A growing trend in Coworking is offering full-time childcare on-premise. Finding effective, affordable childcare has become a major hindrance for parents to return to the workforce, and mothers in particular. Women disproportionately take on caregiving responsibilities when their family cannot find or afford child care, with damaging results to their careers. Thus, coworking spaces offering childcare not only make themselves an attractive option to parents of young children but also contribute towards gender equality.

Providing on-premise childcare offers numerous other benefits, including reducing the commute that parents traditionally have to make to pick up their child. This increases the valuable free time parents have with their children, while reducing the impact on the environment. Additionally, helping parents re-enter the workforce contributes towards economic growth and prosperity. Due to the positive outcomes of childcare in coworking spaces, we predict that this trend will continue to grow over the next years.

Niche coworking spaces

As is the case for niche coliving spaces, niche coworking spaces are becoming increasingly more popular. There has been an emergence of sites targeting different industries and professions, such as coworking for developers or musicians, spaces for entrepreneurs that encourage networking, and even locations dedicated to construction workers. Offering services tailored to the needs of the specific profession has evident benefits for the workers, as they can have ready access to everything they need in their line of work.

In addition to industry-targeted spaces, there has been an increase in coworking spaces catered to specific social groups and demographics, such as LGBTQ+ or women-only spaces, or different ideologies, like wellness-oriented spaces. Bringing together people with the same interests increases the feeling of community and enables collaboration with people working towards the same goal.

For the coworking spaces, targeting specific segments of the coworking population allows them to stand out from the abundance of spaces available. Spaces focusing on niches also tend to deliver faster growth and profitability. This trend has already been established in many major cities but is sure to grow even further in the future.

The corporate shift

Corporate coworking is a rising trend with many benefits for both businesses and their workers. While earlier, the Coworking industry tended to target entrepreneurs, freelancers, and digital nomads, today’s coworking spaces have set their sights on bigger targets as well.

Over the past few years, the historically rigid corporate environment has started offering more flexibility to its workers with remote working and fluctuating work schedules. Permitting employees to be in charge of their own work hours offers more work-life balance while increasing trust between employees and employers. Now, in the aftermath of COVID-19, this trend is expected to increase as even more corporations move towards coworking spaces.

For this shift towards corporate coworking to be successful, the spaces need to be able to offer different kinds of working environments to the corporations. Depending on the business, it might need access to meeting rooms and conference spaces, desk clusters for collaborations, and individual work desks.

Coworking for sustainability

With the climate crisis at the top of everyone’s mind, many have started to consciously take actions to reduce their carbon footprint. Among actions like reducing meat consumption and opting to buy second-hand rather than new, many only choose retail or service providers that have clear sustainability initiatives. This includes coworking spaces.

As an answer to the demands of sustainable-minded workers, there has been an emergence of green coworking spaces. To reduce their carbon footprint, some of these spaces get their power from renewable energy sources such as solar panels, others practice zero-waste, and most use energy-saving devices and appliances. By enabling the sharing of resources and services, they also reduce waste and unnecessary consumption.

As the need for sustainability will only grow in the coming years, we predict that the number of green coworking spaces will continue to steadily increase, and that many existing coworking sites will retrofit sustainable solutions to remain competitive.

Smart technology and management platforms

With the recent popularity of AI (Artificial Intelligence) and IoT (Internet of Things), many sites have started to utilize smart technologies to provide their tenants with a seamless coworking experience.

Smart technology and integrations with various tools can automate certain operational tasks, creating a self-service culture within the space. For the tenants, streamlined operations can greatly enhance their coworking experience. Features such as smart printers and meeting room booking reduce or eliminate waiting times, increasing the workers’ productivity and satisfaction with the services provided.

For operators, management software helps manage the space and its resources, freeing up time and funds for other initiatives. Smart sensors can be used to save costs by turning off lights or ventilation for unused rooms and smart access control can provide instant access to the tenants while increasing security. Ultimately, effectively managing the coworking space with the aid of smart technology increases profitability, efficiency, and sustainability.

This concludes our list for the top 5 trends emerging in the Coworking industry, but we’re excited to observe even more trends that might make their way into your local coworking space. Now that you’ve seen our predictions, will you jump on the bandwagon and implement smart technology at your coworking space?

If you’d like to know even more about Coworking today, check out this unique book project by Coworkies: “Around the world in 250 coworking spaces”. The book contains carefully curated stories of people, spaces, and products that are actively transforming the workspaces of today, offering a comprehensive understanding of the diverse coworking world.

To read more about SALTO KS, click here or follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn for the latest product features, team updates and news from the industry.

SALTO KS provides a flexible access control management system that requires no software installation or the added expense of a fully-wired electronic product. Modern cloud-based, wireless access control systems are easy and simple to use for businesses including Coworking Spaces, Coliving Buildings, Purpose Built Student Accommodation, Retail, Multi-Tenant Housing, Gyms and many more. Our best in class wireless access control solution and smart locks guarantee the efficiency for your business. Integrate smart locks, start easily managing wireless access control now!

The ability to work from home and flexible work schedules have been gaining popularity with workers over the past few years as we have mentioned before on our blog. The reasons for this shift are multi-faceted, with some choosing to work from home to gain a better work-life balance or to accommodate childcare schedules, while others enjoy avoiding the long commutes to the office.

Technological developments have also contributed to the rising number of people working from home. Technologies such as Software as a Service (SaaS) and cloud-based solutions, communication platforms and video conference programs have facilitated remote working, making it much easier to collaborate with colleagues from separate ends of the city.

This year, many of those who had not previously worked from home have been forced to do so for months at a time. This shift in the working environment and lack of social interactions can be challenging for some and can take a toll on one’s mental health. To aid the inexperienced in the art of working from home, we have compiled the SALTO KS tips and tricks for a successful home office. We will focus especially on recommendations that promote self-care and increase well-being in honour of #worldmentalhealthday which will be celebrated on October 10th.

Read on to find out what keeps the SALTO KS machine running:

Stick to a specific schedule

When you don’t have to get up early to catch that train to work and the mornings grow darker as we sail into winter, nothing seems more tempting than to lie in bed until 8:55 AM. Indeed, nothing is stopping you from simply grabbing your laptop from your bedside table and starting the day’s work from bed. However, there are numerous benefits to waking up a little bit earlier, from increased productivity to less stress in the mornings.

Waking up at 8:00 AM provides enough time for a 30-minute yoga session, a hearty breakfast, and a morning shower before you sit down in front of the laptop, making you feel more refreshed and ready for the day. Even without these activities, having a few moments to yourself without jumping straight into work can make a world of a difference.

“Going out for a morning run before work makes me feel like I’m in charge of my day rather than the day being in charge of me.” - Kristin Pater, Marketing Manager at SALTO KS.

Optimise your #WFH wardrobe

A benefit that accompanies working from home is the freedom to wear whatever you want. Many have revelled in this freedom by saying goodbye to their office wardrobe and wearing their most comfortable pyjama set instead. However, wearing pyjamas, just like working from bed, can trick your mind into feeling more sleepy and less energised. Dressing up in clothes you would wear to the office can bring a sense of normalcy to the workday and keeps the days from melding together.

Don’t forget that lunch!

Without the visual cues of seeing your coworkers stand up and move to the canteen, lunch can easily be forgotten in the busy home office. For many, the days are packed with stand-up meetings to make sure that everyone is on the same page despite working in separate places, resulting in workers skipping lunch to work on their individual projects. However, taking at least a 30-minute break from work to eat a healthy lunch or simply taking your eyes off the laptop can increase productivity for the rest of the day.

Working late to accommodate deadlines is fine...

…but make sure it does not become a habit. When you work in an office, you usually keep the same hours, arriving at and leaving the office around the same time every day. When working from home, it is very easy to accidentally work longer while finishing a project as there is no train schedule to keep track of, reminding you what time it is.

A good way to make sure a work-life balance is preserved is to stick to the same hours you would usually work in the office. If you have to work late on a project on a Wednesday, substitute the hours worked by taking a longer lunch break on a Thursday. This way, you make sure that you do not give up too much of your personal time and reduce the chance of feeling overwhelmed.

Plan water cooler chats with your coworkers

When at the office, it is customary to take small breaks throughout the day to grab coffee with your coworkers, or as in the case of SALTO KS, you would play a game of pool. To nurture your relationships with your colleagues, we recommend planning short, online meetings with your coworkers, or reserve 5-10 minutes for small talk during your meetings.

On a larger scale, there are many ways to keep up the office morale even when everyone is working from home. Planning after-work virtual drinks, a trivia night, a BINGO challenge, or a virtual work-out class are all examples of innovative gatherings that keep up the team spirits.

“Spending time together in an informal setting helps you get to know the real person you are working next to every day. It’s during the most mundane coffee break interactions that I’ve learnt the most amazing things about my colleagues which is why keeping some time aside for those micro chats is so important.” - Wilma Georgeson, Office Manager at SALTO KS.

To read more about SALTO KS, click here or follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn for the latest product features, team updates and news from the industry.

SALTO KS provides a flexible access control management system that requires no software installation or the added expense of a fully-wired electronic product. Modern cloud-based, wireless access control systems are easy and simple to use for businesses including Coworking Spaces, Coliving Buildings, Purpose Built Student Accommodation, Retail, Multi-Tenant Housing, Gyms and many more. Our best in class wireless access control solution and smart locks guarantee the efficiency for your business. Integrate smart locks, start easily managing wireless access control now!

As our team expands, so does our commitment to providing our users with the best user experience in operating their own systems or running a business, accompanied by smart and valuable software. This is why SALTO KS is proud to announce a brand new integration partner: Fichaj.es, whose technology partnership allows our users the convenience of ‘time and attendance’ along with their cloud-based access control management system. The time-tracking software developer Fichaj.es provides system administrators with a workforce management tool which allows users to accurately record and monitor employee attendance, make staff planning easier, and communicate employee hours and automated access management with 24/7 activity data.

“The Fichaj.es integration with SALTO KS lets the end-user use door access control as a check-in and check-out reader which helps to avoid expensive investments in time and attendance tablets, keypad devices, and even installing drivers on laptops for clock-in and clock-out event notification” - Pablo Pérez de Ciriza, Project Manager at Nubba Group

Fichaj.es is a trusted and accurate time-tracking solution that has robust features including an online time-clock application available for Android and iOS. It has the ability to show overtime information as well as breaks in graphs and progress bars. Additionally, the solution contains an advanced system for managing work schedules and attendance - including maternity leaves and vacations.

KS Connect Partners offer advanced management and access control in an easy and secure way. As a result of this partnership, you can now manage access along with time and attendance needs for your business on-the-go. Open doors remotely, block access, view entry activity and receive activity messages on your smartphone. All that is needed is an online device with an internet connection. In addition to enhanced functionality and performance, this effectively reduces cost and almost eliminates the need for maintenance.

SALTO KS provides flexible cloud-based access control management that requires no software installation nor the added expense of fully-wired electronic locking solutions, ensuring vastly better functionality and performance than is possible in a traditional mechanical locking system.

Enabling the Fichaj.es integration with SALTO KS delivers the following features:

Enabling the Fichaj.es integration with SALTO KS delivers the following features:

This integration brings with it, the exciting and promising scope for more successful, time and cost-reducing collaborations.

If you’d like to be a KS Service within SALTO KS or integrate SALTO KS smart lock functionality into your own app, make sure to contact us.

For more information, watch this video or visit the Fichaj.es Academy.

To read more about SALTO KS, click here or follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn for the latest product features, team updates and news from the industry.

SALTO KS provides a flexible access control management system that requires no software installation or the added expense of a fully-wired electronic product. Modern cloud-based, wireless access control system is easy and simple to use for businesses including Coworking Spaces, Coliving Buildings, Purpose Built Student Accommodation, Retail, Multi-Tenant Housing, Gyms and many more. Our best in class wireless access control solution and smart locks guarantee the efficiency for your business. Integrate smart locks, start easily managing wireless access control now!

If you are familiar with Scrum, you are possibly no stranger to the values and practices that go hand in hand. For this week’s blog post we decided to dive deeper into this side of working in tech, by consulting with our in-house expert, Scrum Master Elena Vladimirova. According to Elena, Scrum is a framework that helps us make work as productive and enjoyable as possible. She says, “It is very team-centric and aside from promoting efficient ways of working it is very helpful in establishing a healthy culture within an organization.”

Earlier this year, Elena introduced a new practice to the Bricks, centred around Team Identity. The purpose of this was twofold: to define a mission and vision for each team. This seemingly simple initiative has already made an impact within the (remote) office.

Read ahead to find out the method she used, the purpose of this practice, and its importance.

Could you please introduce yourself to our readers, and tell us about your role at SALTO KS?

My name is Elena and I have been a Scrum Master and Agile Coach for the last 10 years. I’m originally from Bulgaria but moved to the beautiful city of Amsterdam 6 years ago and I still love it, despite the occasional month of endless rain. I’m currently working as a Scrum Master for three of the development teams at SALTO KS.

What are the ‘Scrum values’?

The five Scrum values: commitment, focus, openness, respect and courage are guidelines to help the team build trust both inside and outside the team, which is the foundation that the Scrum framework rests on. Putting a bunch of people to work on a product together doesn’t automatically make them a team, they need to go through different phases of adjustment, conflict and ultimately adaptation and performance; the fairly well-known model of forming, storming, norming, performing.

If you have very different working styles or personalities within a team it’s sometimes difficult to align those. But if you have a clearly expressed common purpose, helped by the Team Identity and clear values that the team members need to uphold, everything becomes much easier.

What led you to think about starting an initiative around Team Identity?

One of my teams felt some frustration and a lack of direction for a few reasons: they were relatively new to the company and the team (still in the storming phase), and they were working on multiple products at the same time, so their priority was not that clear. I’d say they had a bit of an identity crisis, so I thought it would be good to start fresh with a very clear outline of the mission and the vision for the team.

How did you go about this inspiration?

I first shared the idea with my manager and he told me to go for it. Then I made some preparations around this; like setting up a survey for the team to fill in their initial input and setting up a brainstorm board on an online visual tool which we could use during our interactive session. Of course, we had to do it online because of the COVID-19 circumstances, so I needed some digital version of a whiteboard with sticky notes. It was a bit scary because it was the first such workshop I had done online but the results were great and people loved it. I shared my findings with our team’s other Scrum Master Geert Visser, and we prepared to roll this out to all of the teams.

In your opinion, why is it important for teams to identify their team’s mission and vision?

I think that having a common understanding of what the team is about, what they should focus on, knowing their vision and how everything they work on aligns with that vision can be really priceless. There is a common misconception that engineers don’t really care about the business side of things and that is really not true. Pretty much everyone has a need to know what the big picture is that they’re working towards and hitting the goals. Seeing the results of your work reflected on the product and users is extremely fulfilling.

What distinguishes ‘team mission’ from ‘team vision’?

‘Team mission’ is about the question “Why do we exist?”. To determine the reason for us to have a team focused specifically on our self-service tools, or on our core components, etc. It’s a great go-to reference if you’re asking yourself “Why do I show up for work in the morning?”.

‘Team vision’ is much more about where we want to go as a team. The horizon is usually 3 to 7 years and it’s a shoot-for-the-moon type of statement. Whether we want to fully automate some tool, or we want to have the fanciest commissioning process in the world, the sky's the limit. It’s the best thing for giving the team a direction. It’s also a great source of inspiration and ideas.

What are the challenges that defining ‘Team Identity’ can help overcome?

In my experience, this exercise has definitely boosted morale and motivation for the teams. Since I’m first requesting people to give their own definitions in the initial survey, it has been a real revelation about how the different team members might have a different idea of the same team. It definitely brings everyone together, not only on the idea of what the team should be about but it also gives us the opportunity to address those different perspectives and come out with a common understanding.

“Whether or not you decide to go full Scrum, discussing and building your team’s identity is always a great starting point for a new team.” - Elena Vladimirova, Scrum Master at SALTO KS

How did the team respond to this exercise?

I had some sceptics at first (and of course, some people admitted their hatred for filling in forms) but the results were great. It felt that it really kick-started the performing phase for the team. After this, we set up the same exercise with a mostly similar structure for the rest of the teams and we had some great results and feedback.

How will the results and progress of this initiative be measured?

As part of the sessions, we also asked team members to come up with business metrics and engineering metrics that they think our team should care about. All of these we essentially tied up to superior user experience; whether your user is an end-user or a developer. We’ve set up some dashboards around these metrics and will be reviewing our progress on a regular basis to also check how features we implement affect them.

Can this practice be adopted by non-Scrum teams or even teams in other creative or corporate fields?

Absolutely. There are very few fields that don’t incorporate the use of teams, and whether or not you decide to go full Scrum, discussing and building your team’s identity is always a great starting point for a new team. That and beer pong.

Elena, thank you very much for sharing your project with us! We look forward to witnessing the importance of defining our identity, mission and vision together.

Now that you’ve had a glimpse into teamwork at SALTO KS, do you feel ready for the challenge? If yes, check out our Careers page in order to join our team and #becomeabrick.

To read more about SALTO KS, click here or follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn for the latest product features, team updates and news from the industry.

SALTO KS provides a flexible access control management system that requires no software installation or the added expense of a fully-wired electronic product. Modern cloud-based, wireless access control systems are easy and simple to use for businesses including Coworking Spaces, Coliving Buildings, Purpose Built Student Accommodation, Retail, Multi-Tenant Housing, Gyms and many more. Our best in class wireless access control solution and smart locks guarantee the efficiency for your business. Integrate smart locks, start easily managing wireless access control now!

We are proud to have solutions that have been implemented globally, from our own turf in The Netherlands to across the pond in the Empire State. For this reason, we like to make it a point to reach out to our customers around the world and find out what led them to SALTO KS and how they make use of it.

In this blog post, we focus on Australia, where we have an incredible Cloud team and colleagues who do their best to learn more about the spaces and sites using our cloud-based access control solutions. Two of these happen to fall under the same category of Student Housing and while both are customers, they are very different in their mission and identity.

This is supported by Josie Rae, Marketing Manager at SALTO Systems Australia and New Zealand, who says that “Australia offers world-class education and safe communities for international students.” According to Josie, these benefits will still hold true post the present pandemic; "As a service industry and home-away-from-home for young adults, implementing a cloud-based access control solution such as SALTO KS is operating with an eye to the future.”

Read on to find out more about Ultimo Terraces and The Student Housing Company.

Ultimo Terraces

Sydney’s universities and colleges attract a large number of overseas students. This generates a demand for council approved, safe, and secure accommodation, like the Ultimo Terraces student house-shares. Ultimo Terraces has three adjoining terraced houses, each with several bedrooms, a shared lounge, kitchen, bathroom and courtyard, and a communal laundry. While Ultimo Terraces are not primarily limited to student housing, they provide a valuable option for all renters.

According to the owner and operator of Ultimo Terraces, managing access to the houses and rooms was quite a headache before the decision to switch to SALTO KS. This was not only demanding on management time but inconvenient for the students, who had to wait for access. Additionally, there was a lack of visibility for the owner and operators who had no real-time clear view of who had access to which houses, doors and bedrooms.

“If a student lost their key card, a building manager had to come onsite with a new card, and physically reprogram it (which meant accessing the space under the stairs). Resetting a PIN code was a 10-minute process per door, involving taking the PIN pad apart,” said the owner.

After seeing SALTO Key as a Service (KS) at an expo, Ultimo Terraces’ owner decided it offered the perfect solution. The student’s phone becomes their ‘key’ for access to all parts of the house and is linked to a central management system via the cloud. Using their phone is an attractive and intuitive option for students, who are far less likely to lose the phone than a keycard. A flat battery is a potential risk, but Ultimo Terraces has a simple and practical solution, with a charger kept outside the front door.

Nevertheless, bedroom doors still have PIN pads or Keypads, as a backup option (in case students leave their room without their phone), but these SALTO Keypads can be programmed remotely from the central control system, rather than having to be physically taken apart. This means that changes and updates to access can be made on the fly, with no waiting for a manager to get to the house.

"As a service industry and home-away-from-home for young adults, implementing a cloud-based access control solution such as SALTO KS is operating with an eye to the future.” - Josie Rae, Marketing Manager at SALTO Systems Australia.

The Student Housing Company

The Student Housing Company is part of the Global Student Accommodation family. In Australia, they operate 4 properties housing over 1600 students. University Square in Melbourne opened its doors in July 2018, followed by The Boulevard in Perth, Infinity Place in Melbourne and most recently Park Avenue in the heart of the student precinct surrounding The University of Melbourne. With prime locations, all-inclusive rents, exceptional customer service and great community spaces, The Student Housing Company sets new standards for student accommodation providers.

Complete peace of mind for parents and students alike is an integral part of their brand promise and secure and flexible access control is an important element in delivering this. Students need to be accounted for and have access to their individual rooms, as well as various communal spaces. Some of these communal spaces are only accessible during certain hours of the day such as the swimming pool in Perth, or open to certain individuals, as is the case with the communal bathrooms split by gender at Park Avenue.

SALTO KS allows The Student Housing Company to centrally manage all their properties in real-time. For instance, the residence office can now see when a student last accessed their room which is vital for student monitoring. Notifications allow instant alerts to be sent to activity in the system based on their parameters. This has been used to identify when a student returns from a period of absence so that they can be welcomed back reliably every time.

The ability to remotely open doors also supports after-hours services. Since COVID-19, this has been used for opening the main doors for parcel deliveries and housing doors for when students are locked out. It has kept their students and staff safe by limiting human contact, while still providing the same level of service and ease of access.

“Once you learn how to efficiently use the system, it’s very simple and streamlined. The different functions are easy to navigate and simple to use.” - Becky Blakeway, General Manager of Infinity Place and University Square.

The right access control system can transform the student housing experience for both management and residents. This streamlined process can increase security while simultaneously giving students more independence and control over their spaces which while temporarily belong to them, provide them with a home away from home.

As Josie Rae points out: “Flexible security and safety measures have never been so important, and the integration possibilities with other service platforms allow these properties to truly differentiate their offering.”

To learn more about how SALTO KS benefits Ultimo Terraces, The Student Housing Company, among other spaces, visit our selection of Customer Stories.

To read more about SALTO KS, click here or follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn for the latest product features, team updates and news from the industry.

SALTO KS provides a flexible access control management system that requires no software installation or the added expense of a fully-wired electronic product. Modern cloud-based, wireless access control systems are easy and simple to use for businesses including Coworking Spaces, Coliving Buildings, Purpose Built Student Accommodation, Retail, Multi-Tenant Housing, Gyms and many more. Our best in class wireless access control solution and smart locks guarantee the efficiency for your business. Integrate smart locks, start easily managing wireless access control now!

Last year, in honour of #InternationalPodcastDay, we published a list of our top 5 podcasts in Coliving that dive into contemporary issues and innovations in their own unique ways.

It just came to our attention that we have not yet put out our list of the best podcasts for 2020, and moreover, we have not covered the Coworking landscape. If you are familiar with the community, you will know that coworking is more than just a growing trend and that it has the potential to change the way we experience our working environment. Whether you are a fan of flexible workspaces or prefer to work from home, coworking discusses values and practices for entrepreneurs, freelancers, full-time professionals and more.

On a global scale, podcasts have emerged to challenge existing norms and push the boundaries for creativity and innovation in the workplace; covering a range of topics from software and integrations to streamlining your membership plans.

Read ahead to find out which of these podcasts made our top 5 list, who they are hosted by, and where you can find them:

1. Everything Coworking

Host: Jamie Russo

Where you’ll find it: Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Podbean.

Why we like it: Host and Founder Jamie Russo promised in-depth industry insights and interviews and this is exactly what she delivers. Described by Cobot as “The giant of the coworking-podcast world”, this weekly podcast sets the agenda for the coworking community with operators, vendors and experts on a global scale. While there is a focus on the traditional real estate market, you’ll also find a variety of expert features from different industries and backgrounds which keeps the content fresh and exciting.

2. The Allwork.Space Future Of Work Podcast

Host: Jo Meunier, Ceci Amador and others

Where you’ll find it: Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play, TuneIn and Podbean.

Why we like it: Approaching its one year anniversary, this podcast was started by its namesake Allwork.Space, an online publication that is dedicated to the future of work. The podcast was inspired by the shift in media consumption and its implications for the coworking movement. Described by host Ceci Amador as a “holistic, very robust, comprehensive podcast” the podcast features flexible workspace experts from leading investment companies, prop-tech, the technology sector, traditional real estate, marketing, HR leaders and more.

3. Coworking Out Loud Podcast

Host: Cat Johnson

Where you’ll find it: Apple Podcasts, Podtail, Spotify, Podyssey.

Why we like it: Storyteller Cat Johnson hosts the Coworking Out Loud podcast which sheds light on her passions of coworking, community and content marketing. Cat’s mission is to “help workspace operators humanize their brand, create authentic content, and tell better stories.” This is precisely what she does in her podcast which features exciting guests and original topics which would engage anyone regardless of their affiliation with coworking.

4. Coworking Insights Podcast

Host: Kelly Konya

Where you’ll find it: Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play.

Why we like it: True to its roots, the Coworking Insights Podcast is rich in its information, data, and key takeaways. This podcast is recommended to those who want to learn more about the industry and gain access to reports and resources. Topics such as ‘2020 Global Coworking Growth Study: Key Insights’ and ‘What the Future Holds for Coworking and Remote Work’ illustrate the quality of reliable in-depth interviews you will be listening to with this podcast.

5. GCUC Community Coworking Podcasts

Host: Liz Elam and Tony Bacigalupo

Where you’ll find it: Apple Podcasts, MyTuner, Soundcloud

Why we like it: The GCUC Community Coworking Podcast is 5th on our list and one we highly recommend. Guests include technology leaders and industry experts, however, their content is even more impressive with topics including ‘Diversity & Inclusion in coworking’ and ‘Where’s Coworking Headed Post-pandemic?’ which covers the equally important societal landscape of the industry.

Special mentions! If you can’t get enough of coworking content and are craving more to listen to, check out Coworking with Iris, and the archives of Coworking Conversations and The Coworking Weekly Show.

To read more about SALTO KS, click here or follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn for the latest product features, team updates and news from the industry.

SALTO KS provides a flexible access control management system that requires no software installation or the added expense of a fully-wired electronic product. Modern cloud-based, wireless access control systems are easy and simple to use for businesses including Coworking Spaces, Coliving Buildings, Purpose Built Student Accommodation, Retail, Multi-Tenant Housing, Gyms and many more. Our best in class wireless access control solution and smart locks guarantee the efficiency for your business. Integrate smart locks, start easily managing wireless access control now!

Earlier this year, we received a nudge inspired by our shift to remote work, to stay connected and embrace the digital means in which we can do so. This inspired the arrival of our first-ever newsletter. The Monthly SALTO KS Newsletter.

Since it’s inauguration in September, our newsletter has proven to be a valuable resource in connecting with our audience on a more meaningful basis. This is a result of the careful way in which we constructed the newsletter. To keep you in the loop without the hassle of unnecessary or overwhelming amounts of information. Instead, we compile the most relevant content that we know will keep you engaged; ranging from end-users to partners, and all our peers in the security and tech industry.

We decided to put together 5 reasons why we believe you should subscribe to our Monthly Newsletter.

Read below to find out how you can benefit by signing up:

1. We keep it short and always sweet

We promise! We are aware of the constant stream of content that regularly floods your inbox and have kept this in mind. In spite of our newsletter being monthly, we decided to provide you with a brief and cohesive summary with only the most important news for you. It’s short and snappy so feel free to scroll through as even if you do, you will still leave with key takeaways and updates.

2. Our content is community-driven

You are the prime motivation for this newsletter and consequently, we want you to be involved. Whether you use our app, have an integration partnership with us, or run in the same circles as a technology lover, you will find that our newsletter is inclusive and strives to reach beyond our comfort zone in order to create a meaningful and mutually beneficial network. To give you an example, in the latest November Monthly Newsletter, we announced the 3rd edition of Coliving Insights, in which we feature among more than 30 industry thinkers who contributed to the topic of 'Impact and Sustainability in Coliving'. If you have content ideas or suggestions for our newsletter, we’re all ears and we always end each newsletter with a button which is just one step away from you sending us an email to reach out! If you’re more social media savvy, feel free to contact us through our LinkedIn or Instagram.

3. Handpicked just for you

The type of content we select for our newsletter is carefully curated in order to give you a quick and insightful overview of what is going on in the SALTO KS world. Ranging from the latest career openings where you can join our team of Bricks to new product releases and updates, we make sure that the information we send out meets the mark and moment. Were you waiting on the newest app release? With the monthly newsletter, new releases and announcements won’t pass you by.

4. Catch a glimpse of what’s behind the scenes

We would like for you to get to know us better and on a deeper level. Your inbox is a personal space which we don’t take lightly and therefore our newsletter content is far from generic. We do our best to communicate with you on a personal level where we can also show you what our team has been up to, whether it be in the form of a new office initiative thought up by our Office Manager Wilma or a new idea built around teamwork that has come from our Scrum Master Elena which we think might inspire your own team. Now that we are living in a time where it’s hard to invite you into our office, we want to make the most of this platform to do just that.

5. Get inspired

At the end of the day, this newsletter has the sole purpose of captivating our network in an exciting and visually stimulating way! Whether you learn about new tools or products that can be applied to your space or whether you’re a writer and come across some content that might be a good starting point for your next piece, we welcome you to use our newsletter as a jumping point. It goes both ways and we would like to connect with you so we can do the same. We are inspired by our network every day and this newsletter is one of the many means in which we shall continue to do so.

 

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Are you ready to unlock a new door into the KS world?

Subscribe to The Monthly SALTO KS Newsletter at the end of this blog post!

Can’t wait for the newsletter to arrive? Start here to find more about SALTO KS or click here to follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn for the latest product features, team updates and news from the industry.

SALTO KS provides a flexible access control management system that requires no software installation or the added expense of a fully-wired electronic product. Modern cloud-based, wireless access control systems are easy and simple to use for businesses including Coworking Spaces, Coliving Buildings, Purpose Built Student Accommodation, Retail, Multi-Tenant Housing, Gyms and many more. Our best in class wireless access control solution and smart locks guarantee the efficiency for your business. Integrate smart locks, start easily managing wireless access control now!

At this time last year, we introduced you to our Think Tank Partner, SPX Agency; the experience-driven real estate agency with a mission to create and develop brands which connect to the hearts of their customers.

Now a year later, this mission has progressed into reality and SPX is evolving into Spatial Experience. While the former focused on branding and digital marketing, Spatial Experience drives the agency even further to an experience-driven hub shaping future living.

To learn more about this new chapter, we caught up with the Spatial Experience team to learn more about their evolution, their Think Tank Partnership with SALTO KS and upcoming plans for the future.

Read ahead to learn more.

Before we begin, could you please briefly introduce Spatial Experience to our readers?

Spatial Experience is an innovation hub working in the intersection of design, technology and research to shape the future of living. Spatial Experience brings creativity and innovation to emerging real estate sectors with one goal in mind: designing purposeful spaces that enable human-to-human interactions, both online and offline.

We have gone through an extensive rebranding process, leaving SPX Agency (SPX) behind to evolve into Spatial Experience. We are expanding our offer and reach, creating more opportunities for our clients and partners, enabling connections and strengthening current partnerships, such as our Think Tank Partner SALTO KS.

When did the rebranding process take place and when was it finalized?

In general, we had this in mind for a very long time. We first evolved into a creative agency and later became an ecosystem with three pillars: SPX Agency, SPX Lab and SPX Studio.

Years of research and development finally turned into concrete planning at the beginning of 2019, and in March 2020 the first activities behind the scenes took place. The message we wanted to send to the world is our enhanced positioning into an innovation hub.

“We work in the intersection of design, technology and research, and each of these aspects is very important to our business as we cannot do what we do without these three pillars.”

We have been strong in design as well as branding & marketing since the beginning and we are strengthening our expertise in technology and research continuously.

While working on SPX Lab we realised that there is a pressing need to bring product and business development into perspective, so we realised this needed to be externalised with a refreshment of the brand, that is where Spatial Experience comes from. Spatial Experience in general stands for experiencing the space, driven by different factors such as interior design, sensorial elements, interactions, among others.

“Our role is to help emerging real estate concepts in the creation of inclusive, memorable, experience-driven spaces, supporting them in digital transformation and bridging the real & digital world.”

For the last half a year we have been focused on discussions and planning of the new brand positioning, what is our role in the industry, how can we drive greater impact, connect to partners and other stakeholders in the industry to influence the way shared living is shaped. We made the decision to rebrand because we know that the real estate industry will face a need to evolve and we want our business to be capable of supporting all challenges of future living. In order to be empowered to do that, we have created an ecosystem where research & development, agency solutions and support to emerging real estate startups can coexist and fuel each other. We evolved to become a strong partner that business can turn to for great ideas, to help them materialise their goals.

“It should be noted that our approach to rebrand Spatial Experience follows a growth-driven design and design thinking methodology: we believe a brand is a living entity, it is a journey, not a destination.”

What is the significance of the Think Tank Partnership between Spatial Experience and SALTO?

Our Think Tank Partnership with SALTO resulted from a number of genuine discussions between Bart Sasim, CEO & Founder of Spatial Experience, and Christian Schmitz, Coliving Business Development & Sales Manager at SALTO Systems, during different industry events. For years we have been advancing ideas, trying to be inspiring partners for each other, and at some point, we realised our organisations would mutually benefit from a partnership. We do not foster only our intercompany relationship, we also get involved in other organisations. We are both members and partners of Co-Liv and of The Class of 2020, we are working together on Coliving Insights and we are hoping to keep working together in the future, aligning our vision for the industry.

Think tanks share ideas, concepts, perspectives and assumptions on how things will move forward, how we can answer today’s problems with future-proof solutions. As we are both stakeholders of the same industries and segments, intersections of technology, design and marketing can provide a greater value. For us, this partnership is a great chance to understand SALTO’s perspective and share ours.

You mentioned that there was an “extensive rebranding process” involved in the transition to Spatial Experience. Could you describe what this transition involved and how it took place?

This transition required strategic thinking, planning and a seamless promotion of the new identity and brand. On an internal level, it involved an alignment of our vision and mission and of our long term involvement in the industry, as well as the reinforcement of the belief that we can drive more impact through other tools. Bound to the success of this major transition was also an alignment of our team culture. To accomplish the rebranding in the terms of what we envisioned, it was crucial that every member of our team understood the implications of the expansion of our horizon. A number of novel ideas, technological advancement, digital solutions and a whole new ecosystem would be now embedded into their DNA as well. In that sense, regarding team culture, we feel we have matured a great deal during the transition process. Certainly, one of the biggest milestones of Spatial Experience was to have built a culture that enables our team to support the industry on multiple fronts.

On an external level, this transition required us to better communicate in a more holistic yet simple way what we do and what we stand for, as well as what our work, services and products can bring to our stakeholders eg. clients and partners, among others. A well-defined message from Spatial Experience had to be translated into our offering as well.

What is in store for Spatial Experience and SALTO’s partnership and the upcoming future?

One of the main reasons we started a Think Tank Partnership with SALTO is that we are aware of how important smart technology is and how it helps drive sustainability, efficiency and value creation. With this in mind, we are developing a new venture named Digital Estate, that will connect multiple PropTech solutions among other Tech Tools in one single platform, linking real estate businesses with products and services in an easy, integrated, seamless experience.

Digital Estate will be an enterprise dedicated to help real estate businesses in sustainable digital transformation and to reach their highest potential, allowing users to browse, select, combine and book services & products.

Thank you very much for sharing your experience, plans and perspectives with us. If you would like to find out more about Spatial Experience, visit their website, blog, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Stay tuned for a special second part to this interview, where we dive further into experience design and the future of living with Spatial Experience.

If you want to learn more about our Think Tank Partners, explore our coliving page. To read more about SALTO KS, click here or follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn for the latest product features, team updates and news from the industry.

SALTO KS provides a flexible access control management system that requires no software installation or the added expense of a fully-wired electronic product. Modern cloud-based, wireless access control systems are easy and simple to use for businesses including Coworking Spaces, Coliving Buildings, Purpose Built Student Accommodation, Retail, Multi-Tenant Housing, Gyms and many more. Our best in class wireless access control solution and smart locks guarantee the efficiency for your business. Integrate smart locks, start easily managing wireless access control now!

Piece by piece, we are bringing the SALTO KS Web App functionalities to our iOS and Android apps and the following blog post will walk you through how we aim to do this.

We at SALTO KS value your feedback and continuously strive to improve your experience with our solution. This is why we have been working on new features to enhance your user experience ranging from Site Admins having greater flexibility in managing access to improvements on the People page where you are able to keep a clear overview of your Site's users and their permissions.

Our goal is to allow our Site Admins to be able to execute their daily operations with ease, including changing the profile details of a user, inviting and editing users to their Site, and creating and managing access groups easily from their mobile devices.

This week, the new versions of the SALTO KS Mobile App will be available in stores for both iOS and Android versions.

Below you can find an overview of improvements and fixes within the iOS and Android apps respectively:

1. Profile page

Within your SALTO KS web portal, you are able to navigate to the page that’s called ‘People’. Here you will find all users in your system. Each user has its own tile which states all the information you need at one glance. Here you may edit the rights of a user or gain more information by searching for the user.

The People page which provides you with these details will now provide Mobile App users with the same features available on the Web App. This means you will be able to see more details like user role, alias, Tag, and email.

In addition, editing profile information on the People Page through your smartphone device now allows you to have all the same abilities as on the Web App. This includes the options: change User Role, delete user, send reminder emails in case the user is pending registrations, and of course when necessary, blocking or even deleting a user.

1. Digital Key Settings

A Digital Key is the virtual equivalent of a Tag, enabling your phone to unlock a SALTO lock. With the new app release, you can now see all the Digital Keys of a user and block or manage Offline access per Digital Key.

3. Tag Settings

Although a smartphone is often used to open the SALTO locks, a Tag can also be used. It is a mechanical fob/tag that can be attached to one’s keychain and is pressed against the SALTO lock to open the door.

With the new app release, you can manage Offline access and/or block the Tag of a user. Furthermore, you can assign them a new Tag or unassign the current one.

4. PIN Settings

The SALTO KS PIN locks make Tags and mechanical keys obsolete. By simply entering the PIN code on the keypad, you’re able to unlock your door. Site admins can also generate and assign a secure and authentic single-use code to grant guests temporary access. This keyless entry provides a high level of enhanced security as well as convenience.

Now, from your Mobile App in your PIN Settings, you can assign a code for PIN locks and share it in any way you want with the user. It is also possible to block and unblock the PIN as displayed below.

5. Lock Options

With the multiple types of lock options available in SALTO KS, great security and flexibility can be offered for any Site. The lock options which are implemented in Office Mode(s) include Remote Opening, Manual Office Mode (MOM), Easy Office Mode (EOM), and Override Privacy Mode. It is now possible to use your Mobile App to turn these options On or Off.

Summary of what’s new in iOS version 6.0.0

Features & Improvements

Features & Improvements

Bug-fixes

Bug-fixes

Summary of what’s new in Android version 6.0.0

Features & Improvements

Features & Improvements

Bug-fixes

Bug-fixes

We value your opinion. Contact us if you have any concerns or suggestions regarding the above updates or visit this page for FAQs; we are happy to help!

To find more about SALTO KS, click here or follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn for the latest product features, team updates and news from the industry.

SALTO KS provides a flexible access control management system that requires no software installation or the added expense of a fully-wired electronic product. Modern cloud-based, wireless access control systems are easy and simple to use for businesses including Coworking Spaces, Coliving Buildings, Purpose Built Student Accommodation, Retail, Multi-Tenant Housing, Gyms and many more. Our best in class wireless access control solution and smart locks guarantee the efficiency for your business. Integrate smart locks, start easily managing wireless access control now!