How Incedo became an even more powerful hub for connected security

Incedo is built to grow and change alongside the organizations where it is deployed. The range of available access control hardware has grown since its launch in 2020; it now includes Aperio wireless locks, cutting-edge wired readers, and Pulse intelligent keys powered by the company’s own energy-harvesting technology. Software options have expanded to incorporate Incedo Business Plus, which integrates with third-party solutions that include video surveillance, biometrics and face recognition, and also the high specification, Incedo Business Cloud.

A cloud solution makes system management of access control more convenient. Implemented as part of a digital transformation strategy, cloud management helps companies to administer security in a streamlined, location-independent and efficient manner. Incedo has been created for this kind of business. Security managers running an Incedo Business solution can work remotely too, while maintaining complete control over every building access point.

Incedo Business Cloud solves many pressing daily challenges faced by facility managers. They no longer need to be on-site to handle day-to-day security. It operates securely 24/7 from any PC with an internet connection. Installing the system is easy, with no complex integrations needed. Software updates are regular and automatic, with real-time reports and analytics available with a few clicks. The system works out of the box via a cost-efficient subscription service, while onboarding is fast and hassle free. Organizations can feel confident about compliance and confidentiality: business and user data are safeguarded with an information security management system certified to ISO/IEC 27001.

According to Assa Abloy’s Wireless Access Control Report 2021, over one third of companies now use cloud-based access management. This proportion is likely to grow in the years ahead as working practices become ever more mobile and a hybrid model of location-independent employment becomes even more popular.

Growing Demand for Cloud Management
The business benefits of ‘managing from anywhere’ are driving demand for cloud solutions, both within security and beyond. A survey by Morphean of organizations in diverse sectors across Europe, 78% of 1,000 decision-makers anticipated increasing their use of hosted cloud services. In 2021 alone, growth in public cloud infrastructure was forecast by Forrester to be 35%.

Cloud-based management gives security managers the flexibility to work remotely, adding extra flexibility to their workflows and greater scope to manage multiple sites from a single control point. Mordor Intelligence found that across Europe businesses are increasing their expenditure on IT to accommodate the boom in remote working. Yet conversely, a cloud access control solution can actually save businesses money.

“A cloud software solution like Incedo makes budgeting more predictable for facility and security managers,” says Kevin Hoare, EAC Product Unit Director at Assa Abloy Opening Solutions EMEIA. “It removes the need to hire additional in-house IT support and maintenance teams, or to buy additional equipment: you know ahead of time how much of your resources to allocate and can quickly scale infrastructure up or down.”

Cost and Efficiency Benefits
“The business benefits of ‘managing access rights from anywhere’ will continue to drive ever greater demand for cloud solutions within security and beyond,” says Kevin Hoare. “Survey data shows that the way companies manage access control will continue to be a mixed picture, with both locally hosted and off-site cloud solutions for access control as a service. This is why we always give users the choice when developing and extending our Incedo ecosystem, and the ability to change their plans at any time.”

Migration between Incedo’s local and cloud management options is always seamless in either direction. Businesses can choose the security hardware and credentials they need to start with from a wide and ever-growing range of Assa Abloy and 3rd-party solutions, and combine their chosen hardware with the right management option. With the recent launch of Incedo Business Cloud Offline, security managers now have even more choice about how they work remotely, while maintaining control. Offline and online control can be managed together within one flexible installation, and from anywhere in the world.

Choice of Devices
The range of hardware and management functionality has been a huge attraction for European companies that have already adopted Incedo Business Cloud, including Clockwise who provide flexible office space for entrepreneurs and established businesses. The company’s fast-growing services include contemporary offices, meeting rooms and shared workspaces in multiple cities in the UK and continental Europe. Co-working is a fast-developing market as demand grows for flexible or hybrid working almost everywhere, Covid having accelerated a trend that was already well underway. A recent Mordor Intelligence forecast suggests that Europe’s co-working spaces market will continue to grow at almost 5% per year over the next 5 years.

Any business that relies on flexibility has high expectations of door security and access control. Clockwise needs a broad choice of electronic devices to secure meeting rooms, private offices, communal spaces and main entrances, and these access points require different types of lock. The range of Incedo-enabled devices on offer was critical in the company’s choice.

The same challenge faced another Incedo adopter, power tool manufacturer Makita. “The diversity of access control devices available for an Incedo system was a decisive factor,” says Makita’s Richard Cimerman. They searched for a single, intuitive system to control every access point at their newly-built premises in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, for now and for the future. As at almost any sensitive commercial site, not every door or opening is the same and Makita needed an access control solution with a comprehensive range of devices to secure escape doors, entrances, interior doors and more.

The facility now has an Incedo system controlling access through main entrances, fire doors and emergency exit doors, as well as interior doors fitted with Aperio wireless electronic escutcheons. The user-friendly software manages and monitors everything together from a single control panel. It filters and restricts employee and visitor access to specific areas of the plant.

Flexible Management
Businesses that cannot afford to stand still – which is almost every business – need access control that can move with them. For example, Clockwise’s access management must adapt as quickly as their clients’ needs. The office space requirements of a start-up, a freelance co-worker or a growing SMB can change at any time. Clockwise facility managers need the tailoring of user access rights to be as easy as possible because tenants come and go frequently. Their own spaces and portfolio may also evolve, so their access system must be able to instantly scale up or down. Incedo can.

The diversity of Incedo-enabled devices enables Clockwise to select the ideal electronic lock for every doorway. Internal private office doors, ‘zoom rooms’ and meeting rooms as well as communal area doors and entrance/exits are all secured with wireless access control devices and managed by Incedo Business Cloud. Users may select physical credentials like smartcards or unlock using mobile keys stored on their smartphone. Incedo saves everyone’s valuable time: managers do not have to issue new keys in person or ever require a user to visit reception before using a meeting room, for example. At Makita, Clockwise and elsewhere, Incedo’s flexibility equips businesses with a future-proof access solution that is designed to grow with them.

Learn more about Incedo Business.