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SMARTER OPERATIONS January/February 2017 StudentHousingBusiness.com 72 Embracing Mobile Technology for Access and Security Successful access and security is a balance of technology, ease of use and addressing the desires of residents. By Amy Bigley Works A Access and security are always top of mind for student housing operators and as technol- ogy advances and residents become more mobile-minded, shifts in products and ser- vices are addressing traditional concerns in new ways. For many operators and third-party ven- dors, the changes in access and security for student housing are more rapid than other multifamily channels, as students are often early technology adopters and expect busi- nesses to follow suit. "Nowhere has this been more apparent than with the rise of mobile technol- ogy," says Lihong Wu, president of Dallas-based ASSA ABLOY Hospitality North America. "More than just another c o n v e n i e n c e - enhancing solu- tion to these indi- viduals, mobile technology is relied on daily to support a lifestyle that demands instant results and satisfaction." Along with the uptick in mobile technol- ogy, there has been significant growth in the use of electronic access control, notes Brad Aikin, commercial electronics portfolio leader at Allegion's U.S. headquarters in Carmel, Indiana. While many residence halls and housing facilities already employ electronic access control on perimeter openings, many are also looking to move away from using keys on student room doors. "The management and use of keys is com- plicated and inefficient in this fast-paced, high turn-over environment, while using an electronic access control and a smart creden- tial offers benefits including convenience for students, peace of mind for parents and audit trails for access reviews," says Aikin. Products & Services Operators and third-party vendors employ a variety of products and services to create access and security systems for student hous- ing properties. Many of these new technolo- gies allow for easier use by property man- agement teams, especially during turn over cycles. Michael Hanley, senior vice president of Austin, Texas-based Campus Advantage, notes that electronic door locks and video over internet protocol (VoIP) surveillance cameras are now very affordable, easy to manage and are being deployed on new properties, as well as retrofitted on older communities. Electronic door locks can easily replace existing standard keyed cylindrical deadbolts and offer superior access control and various companies, including Schlage and Kaba, offer electronic locks that are ideal for the student housing market, explains Hanley. In addition to quality access control, the electronic locks can significantly reduce main- tenance hours because lock changes are man- aged remotely and no one needs to physically visit a unit to change a lock if a key is lost or to rotate a lockset during a new move-in. "Residents and staff appreciate the ease and simplicity of issuing a replacement key," says Hanley. "What's more, we can now feel much more secure about providing master keys for the maintenance staff because the loss of a master key can be quickly remedied — there's no need for wrestling with multiple unit keys, key boxes or other key systems." Allegion, which offers electronic locks, works with operators and management teams to provide an integrated solution to access control for student housing properties. Aikin notes that the electronic lock solutions offer increased security and workforce efficiency for operators and convenience for students through the use of mobile devices and elec- tronic cards. Dormakaba manufactures full scale elec- tronic access control solutions, including software and hardware components and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) security, that deliver total key control to ownership teams. Bobby Welliver, senior business develop- ment manager for dormakaba's mul- tihousing group, explains that the company's solu- tions give total key control to the management team through one data- base where they use a unique cre- dential for each staff member, resident and ven- dor. Additionally, through the com- pany's InSync product line, dor- makaba offers several options that are simple and straightforward and can be deployed in a stand-alone fashion while delivering true no-touring capabilities to every access point. Along with electronic locks, companies are also offering Radio Frequency Identification Devices (RFID) for security and access solu- tions to student housing facilities. ASSA ABLOY Hospitality offers operators the abil- ity to leverage RFID door lock technologies across properties. "This solution has become increasingly popular in recent years, due to its ability to offer unmatched security via RFID keycards with anti-cloning encryption functionalities that prevent any potential for the unauthor- ized creation of keycards and the correspond- ing threat to student safety," says Wu. Combining RFID products with ASSA ABLOY Hospitality's software, Visionline, LIHONG WU President, ASSA ABLOY Hospitality North America BOBBY WELLIVER Senior Business Development Manager, dormakaba's Multihousing Group