Smart keys and cylinders simplify the switch from mechanical to digital access
Security, cost-management, and compliance demands placed on building managers have grown significantly. The key to meeting them all without increasing workload and costs could be the strategic implementation of smarter digital access, as a new whitepaper explores.
As organizations upscale, downsize, or onboard new locations faster than ever, facilities managers must be able to manage access flexibly and to adapt on the fly. The boom in third-party service contracting means many essential building functions are now handled by external providers rather than employees: they need access to complete their work while keeping the premises secure.
At the same time, new access and security solutions must battle for budget and justify their total cost of ownership (TCO), producing real returns on investment (ROI) in the process.
Mechanical locking was never designed for this kind of demanding, dynamic environment. Yet it is becoming the ‘new normal’ in many sectors.
In addition, physical, cyber and ‘hybrid’ physical–cyber security threats loom larger than ever, as do strict regulations designed to protect critical sectors from these threats, including the EU’s NIS2 guidance and forthcoming Cyber Resilience Act (CRA).
Clearly, compliance within a complex regulatory landscape and the implementation of joined-up security and access management are critical challenges, particularly in sectors on which NIS2 access management obligations fall most heavily: infrastructure, finance/banking, healthcare, energy, transport, and ICT sites such as data centres.
Managing access with intelligent programmable keys
One valued benefit of the mechanical key is its familiarity. In many cases, a mechanical locking system with patent-protected cylinders and keys may be the appropriate solution.
However, unlike mechanical security, a digital solution offers the ability to allocate time-based rather than blanket access authorizations, and to amend them quickly and flexibly. A digital credential, such as a smart key, can be programmed or de-authorized in seconds, negating the threat of a lost key in circulation, not to mention the cost of changing cylinders and re-keying.
The ability for building technology to connect solutions for access, fire protection and escape routes, for example, may also enhance user safety and facilities management workflows.
With a digital solution, audit capability is automated for each lock and user, benefitting compliance efforts. Tracking and tracing access is one requirement of NIS2 regulations.
Of course, switching from mechanical to digital access management is not as simple as flicking a switch. Many organizations have large systems which they cannot change all at once, so digital systems must be scalable gradually over time as budgets allow.
Smart key systems are the fastest, least disruptive way to switch mechanical security for intelligent digital access. They immediately upgrade the flexibility of access management in organizations of every size and type.
Electronic or electromechanical locking cylinders simply slot into place instead of the legacy mechanical devices, without door damage or wiring. Intuitive software and programmable digital keys issued to authorized site users gives facilities management teams granular control over the movements of staff and contractors.
Digitalizing access with CLIQ®
With a key-based digital access management solution like ASSA ABLOY CLIQ, it becomes straightforward to grant access rights which are personalized to an individual’s precise needs and level of authority. Because every access event is logged by the system, audit trails can be generated with a few clicks in the software control panel – streamlining compliance obligations with the latest generation of regulations such as NIS2 and the CRA.
The CLIQ ecosystem includes more than 60 different cylinder and padlock types, ensuring almost any need can be met with a CLIQ solution.
Adaptability, scalability, security, convenience and trust are just some of the reasons CLIQ has been adopted in some of the most demanding environments for access management. It is trusted to manage access and protect secure spaces by the London Ambulance Service, at Düsseldorf’s 55,000-capacity stadium, at sensitive and dispersed water and electricity utilities sites like CHEVAK, in Amsterdam’s World Trade Center, and at small offices, hospitals and schools all over Europe.
It provides reliable, flexible security and can deliver a concrete ROI, as modelling in the new whitepaper illustrates, alongside advice and checklists for decision-makers looking to upgrade from mechanical to digital access management.
With a choice of software for managing on a local PC (CLIQ Local Manager) or online from anywhere (CLIQ Web Manager), plus the CLIQ Go app for small businesses who wish to manage access for themselves, CLIQ simplifies the switch from mechanical to flexible, secure digital access almost anywhere.