London, April 2024 – Compatibility with a range of credential technologies can be a critical factor when selecting access control. As organizations across the world explore a move to mobile keys for access, it is more important than ever.

 Aperio’s open technology platform has been built on compatibility. Its range of battery-powered access hardware for integration with third-party access control systems can secure almost any opening.

Customers have a choice of wireless Aperio handles, escutcheons, cylinders, security locks, server rack locks and new cabinet/cupboard locks. With Aperio, it is straightforward to control all access points digitally.

And with the rapid growth of mobile adoption in security, Aperio is extending support for mobile credentials, to keep offering high convenience and security benefits to customers.

Extending mobile access options

Changes in end-user demand are reflected in a survey for the Wireless Access Control Report 2023, which suggests 29% of organizations already use mobile credentials — instead of or alongside RFID cards — while another 40% of respondents anticipated deploying them within the next two years^*.

The single most important factor when considering a switch to mobile, according to Report data, is convenience.

Aperio native mobile access is built on HID Seos^®, a next-generation platform with class-leading cryptography, authentication and privacy protection. Seos Mobile Access supports both NFC and BLE. Unlocking an Aperio device by phone is easy and intuitive: users simply present their phone at the reader, just like a smart card. They don’t even need to open an app.

In response to growing demand for mobile solutions, Aperio has also integrated cutting-edge mobile access credentials from Gallagher and STid. With this, Aperio broadens the range of options available, facilitating seamless integration with mobile devices and enhanced flexibility.

“The open nature of the Aperio development platform removes compatibility worries for OEMs, integrators and other partners — which translates to high convenience for their customers,” says Piet Van Den Bossche, Business Development Manager at ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions EMEIA.

“It is a natural progression for us to now add support for STid and Gallagher mobile credentials, to reflect their growth among our integration partners.”

Aperio openness: “No lock-in, only choice”

“Aperio’s approach supports an ecosystem where customers are not constrained by their initial choices,” adds Van Den Bossche. “Aperio users can effortlessly transition to the latest mobile credential technologies without being tied down, ensuring they are always equipped to meet evolving security demands and new challenges.”

In addition, to increase flexibility, Aperio locks can handle multiple credential technologies at the same site: Security managers may gradually roll-out mobile access while RFID cards already issued remain valid.

Aperio’s credential compatibility has grown in tandem with the platform. Aperio wireless devices now unlock via the widest range of RFID technologies, in both Online and Offline mode.

“To continue to make these convenience and security advantages available to the widest possible market, Aperio will continue to be an open platform which supports the growth in mobile credentials,” confirms Van Den Bossche.

To learn more about mobile access with Aperio, visit https://campaigns.assaabloyopeningsolutions.eu/aperio-mobile-access

London, April 2024 – With approximately 29,000 employees worldwide, Amdocs is a leading global software company providing services and solutions to communications and media companies. When building a new campus in Ra’anana, Israel, their large site with four office buildings and three underground floors required a door closer solution tailored to every door, taking into account their different size, type and usage. Finding a single supplier to meet all their needs was a challenge – but they succeeded.

This new site required reliable, flexible door closing solutions tailored for use at several hundred doors of multiple types: fire doors, public entrances, for high and low traffic, and many more. For such a complex project, they also sought trustworthy specification support from an established, experienced manufacturer with a proven track record and a team with local knowledge.

“ASSA ABLOY has many access solutions related to openings in the building, including door closers. I am pleased that our project specification team was able to provide the right solutions for our customer’s requirements,” says Avi Kimhazi, Managing Director at ASSA ABLOY Israel. This included full support for choosing, supplying and installing solutions for doors across the campus. ASSA ABLOY’s expertise and advice was always available.

 Product portfolio to meet the individual needs of every opening

The vast range of available ASSA ABLOY Door Closers, Electric Strikes, Locks, Panic Exit Devices and other products ensured every opening at Amdocs Park campus was equipped with its ideal solution, without compromises. Certifications – including fire compliance across the full range – help to remove regulatory worries for specifiers and facilities managers.

Models supplied include ASSA ABLOY Cam-Motion^® Door Closers for several applications: With innovative Cam-Motion technology, the push-force required to open a door falls rapidly, providing barrier-free access for all plus secure closing to keep premises safe.

ASSA ABLOY’s Cam-Motion DC700 model creates comfortable, secure access to high-traffic public doors in the building. The DC840 model conceals the same technology within the door leaf itself, and so is deployed where minimal aesthetic impact was a requirement.

For smaller door sizes, choosing the cost-efficient DC200 rack and pinion door closer helped the project hit its budget targets.

Hitting project deadlines with the help of comprehensive specification support

The project was managed using BIM principles from the outset. As part of the BIM process, ASSA ABLOY’s local specification team became a hub for coordinating and disseminating up-to-date information for every door solution.

Alongside providing timely specifications, the team made sure supply and installation hit timelines which construction managers required. Detailed specifications were supplied and updated digitally, so designers could visualize door solutions accurately and the right solution was specified for each opening.

Openings Studio^® software was a key tool for everyone involved in the project. This user-friendly software ensures accurate specification data is logged and, when approved, transmitted to the live Revit^® design. With detailed specifications supplied and updated digitally, designers visualize door solutions accurately as soon as possible – and ensure the right solution is specified for each opening.

And because every stakeholder can have appropriate Openings Studio access, they work transparently and with accurate, up-to-date specifications.

To learn more about ASSA ABLOY’s comprehensive product portfolio, visit https://www.assaabloy.com/group/emeia/solutions/topics

London, April 2024 – Embedding sustainability within any organization requires a broad, strategic perspective. Scrutiny should include the physical infrastructure itself: According to the IEA, buildings consume around 30% of global energy^*.

 These considerations are already part of many architecture and design workflows. The demand for green building certifications, for example, is growing among decision-makers in the built environment space, according to a recent survey of 4,000 professionals^**.

Yet the entire building life-cycle is equally important. Even when the building is in use, many design and specification decisions also impact ongoing sustainability performance and energy management. The choice of access solutions is one which can contribute to an overall sustainability strategy.

From the initial ideas stage through to product supply and the maintenance, repair or retrofitting of older premises, access control procurement choices matter in at least these 4 different ways.

Stage #1: Specification support for greener buildings

From doors and door closers to complete digital access solutions, ASSA ABLOY manufactures and supplies products for almost any building or opening. “This range gives us uniquely broad-based knowledge about standards and certifications,” explains Dikesh Pattni, Specification Manager at ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions EMEIA.

“Our locally based specification experts can help customers choose solutions which reduce energy use, for example, or door products which improve the thermal efficiency of indoor spaces.”

ASSA ABLOY offers in-depth support for architects and developers seeking accreditation in any of six leading green building certifications: BREEAM, LEED, Green Star, WELL, DGNB, HQE^***. Specifiers can be confident that ASSA ABLOY devices benefit from ongoing supply-chain innovations which specifically target reducing embodied carbon.

In Poland, for example, developer Torus aims for the highest level of LEED certification for all their new properties in the Gdansk area. Where possible, they choose products which have Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and Green Circle documentation, favouring access solutions which reduce both carbon footprint and energy costs.

ASSA ABLOY have provided expert knowledge, delivered by the local BIM and specification team. They supplied products which are manufactured to eco-design principles and help reduce ongoing energy use: Robust, reliable, battery-powered Aperio^® wireless access control devices which secure doors consume much less energy than a comparable wired solution. HID Signo door readers have an Intelligent Power Mode (IPM) which saves 41% in energy compared to equivalent readers without IPM configuration^****.

Detailed, product-specific EPDs highlight the concrete benefits delivered by ASSA ABLOY’s investments in using more reusable and recyclable materials, and in embedding low-energy and eco-design principles across its operations — detailed information which will be essential when the European Performance of Buildings Directive is implemented from 2026.

Stage #2: Fast, easy installation with less materials used

Installation of any building solution can be energy intensive. However, businesses reduce energy use by choosing a wireless digital access solution: ASSA ABLOY offers a range of options from smart-key operated access management systems to locking devices powered by energy harvesting technology.

With solutions which require no wiring around the door, there’s no drilling or cabling, which reduces power consumption. There’s much less damage to the building fabric. And because wireless installation is faster, fitters make fewer journeys to and from the site.

“The lack of wiring significantly reduces materials use, reduces costs, and ensures quick installation,” confirms Torus’ Roman Sokolowski.

In addition, implementing smart product design principles — such as the common template shared by multiple ASSA ABLOY Cam-Motion Door Closers — helps installers get the job done quickly and accurately, saving time, costs, and energy.

Stage #3: Reduced energy consumption during use

Use stage for any digital building system means ongoing energy consumption, 24/7 and year-round for most business premises. Traditional wired security and access systems can be surprisingly power-hungry.

Wireless systems work differently, however. During operation, instead of an ‘always on’ mains electricity connection powering lock magnets, wireless devices only ‘wake up’ when presented with a credential. Energy use in operation is eliminated altogether if locks are powered by energy harvesting technology. These self-powered devices do not require batteries or any other external electricity source.

At A Place To, a 400-apartment mixed-use development in Esbjerg, Denmark, doors are secured with ASSA ABLOY PULSE key-operated electronic cylinders with energy harvesting technology. PULSE devices are self-powered: The cylinder’s encrypted electronic security is energized with power generated by key thrust. “It was a big plus with PULSE that keys and locks are battery and cable free,” says Peter Høpfner, A Place To’s COO and Founder.

Smart key technology also offers the opportunity to cut wasted journeys. ASSA ABLOY’s award-winning CLIQ^® Connect keys and app are designed to minimize travel to and from a base to collect, return, update or revalidate access rights. With CLIQ Connect, everyone carries their own programmable CLIQ key and keeps its permissions up-to-date on the move via a Bluetooth connection to their smartphone — meaning fewer miles driven and less money wasted on unnecessary fuel.

“CLIQ Connect offers an easy win for businesses examining the impact of a mobile workforce on their sustainability performance,” says Stephan Schulz, CLIQ Product Manager at ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions EMEIA. “And of course, spending less on fuel will also help with budget concerns, too. There’s a concrete, immediate ROI.”

Furthermore, the option to deploy ASSA ABLOY devices which can be unlocked with mobile keys stored securely on a user’s smartphone, instead of cards, fobs or traditional metal keys, reduces materials use and further cuts unnecessary travel. Granting or amending someone’s access is done over the air, with no need to return to base or an update point and no physical credential to issue or manage.

Stage #4: Less frequent, less invasive maintenance

Every building system needs maintenance. However, they don’t all require the same level or frequency of maintenance visits. Less maintenance translates to fewer journeys and lower energy consumption. Again, wireless access technologies with a proven track record of reliability and durability hold a significant advantage.

Many ASSA ABLOY wireless locks, including Aperio, use standard batteries which are optimized for a long lifetime — typically 2 years or more, although this varies by model and usage. Under normal circumstances, a battery change is the only maintenance they need, unlike wired systems where specialist electrical maintenance is a frequent requirement.

Programmable key systems with electronic or electromechanical devices are likewise designed for minimal lifetime maintenance. An eCLIQ cylinder, for example, has an integrated lubricant reservoir which ensures it typically remains maintenance-free for up to 200,000 cycles. Battery-powered eCLIQ keys have a typical lifetime between battery changes of up to 10 years.

“We have made energy efficiency a driving force behind the development, design and manufacturing of our innovative solutions,” adds Olympia Dolla, Head of Sustainability Program at ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions EMEIA. “Energy harvesting technology, mobile keys and energy efficient devices help enhance sustainability performance right away — and equip you with the flexibility for challenges to come.”

To learn more, download a free Access Solution Sustainability Guide at https://assaabloy.com/emeia-blueprint/en/documents/solutions/topics/sustainability/ASSA-ABLOY_Sustainability_Brochure_A4_Landscape_04_2024_FINAL.pdf