Beyond Keycards: How Cohesion's Smart Access Solutions Enhance Building Security While Improving Tenant Flow

As buildings get smarter, so should their access control. The days of worn-out plastic keycards and outdated badge readers are giving way to a new era of mobile-enabled, cloud-connected security. In commercial and corporate real estate, where security and convenience must coexist, modern access control systems are playing a central role in shaping the user experience. At the center of this shift is Cohesion’s smart access technology,designed to deliver both airtight security and effortless entry for occupants, visitors, and staff alike.

The Evolution of Access Control

Access control has long been a foundational element of building security, but traditional methods like metal keys and standalone keycard systems are increasingly insufficient in today’s fast-moving, high-expectation environments.

From Keycards to Mobile Credentials

Legacy access systems typically rely on physical credentials—keycards or fobs—that can be lost, stolen, or duplicated. They also require time-consuming administrative work, often involving manual credential assignment and revocation. More importantly, they offer limited insight into real-time building activity.

Now, property managers are embracing mobile credentials that reside on users’ smartphones. These credentials allow for secure, contactless access while giving building teams the ability to manage and monitor permissions from a centralized platform like Smart Access.

Growing Demand for Touchless Access

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s been a clear shift toward minimizing contact points in shared environments. Touchless access control has emerged as both a health safeguard and a modern convenience. For high-traffic lobbies, shared elevators, and tenant suites, mobile-first systems eliminate the need to touch common surfaces, helping reduce germ spread and increase user comfort.

New Security Expectations

Today’s security professionals are tasked with balancing frictionless movement and high accountability. Modern access systems must not only prevent unauthorized entry but also respond dynamically to threats, integrate with surveillance, and support compliance reporting. Smart, scalable solutions—like those Cohesion offers across commercial office environments—are becoming essential.

Understanding Smart Access: The Basics

Smart access systems go far beyond simply unlocking doors. They’re part of a connected security ecosystem, designed to give property teams full visibility and control over who enters, when, and how.

What Makes Access "Smart"?

A smart access system typically includes:

• Mobile credentials issued and managed digitally
• Cloud-based control centers for real-time permission changes
• Audit-ready logs of entry and exit activity
• IoT-enabled door hardware for seamless integration
• Unified access that allows one credential to open everything—from building entrances and tenant suites to shared amenities like parking, bike rooms, and fitness centers.

These components work together to create a dynamic system that adapts to tenant behavior, improves building-wide awareness, and reduces operational bottlenecks.

IoT’s Role in Secure Access

Internet of Things (IoT) devices—like connected door locks, readers, and sensors—are the backbone of modern building access control. These tools provide immediate data feedback, help detect anomalies, and allow systems like Smart Maintenance to ensure that entry systems are always functioning optimally.

Mobile Credentials: The Future of Building Entry

The smartphone has become the digital wallet, the ID card, and now—the key. Mobile credentials are quickly replacing plastic badges as the preferred form of secure building entry.

How Mobile Credentials Work

Mobile credentials are typically delivered through a tenant’s building app. Once approved, the user receives a digital key that is encrypted and stored on their device's digital wallet. This can then be used to open doors, turnstiles, or elevators with a simple tap or scan. Some systems even use Bluetooth or NFC to detect proximity and unlock doors automatically.

Security Advantages Over Keycards

Unlike traditional keycards, which can be cloned or borrowed, mobile credentials are:

• Device-specific and cannot be transferred
• Encrypted and stored securely within the app’s digital wallet
• Revocable in real time, without physical retrieval

In BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) environments, mobile credentials provisioned from mobile apps also reduce hardware distribution needs and simplify onboarding. Platforms like Cohesion’s are designed to support seamless integration with existing IT and security infrastructures, making mobile access not just safer, but smarter.

Touchless Access Control: Minimizing Contact, Maximizing Flow

Touchless “tap-to-enter” access isn’t just a convenience—it’s become a baseline expectation in modern commercial properties. With health concerns still top-of-mind and workplace efficiency a growing priority, the ability to move through a building without physical contact offers wide-ranging benefits.

Key benefits of touchless access control:

• Hygiene and health safety: Reducing contact with shared surfaces like keypads, badge scanners, and door handles helps prevent the spread of germs, making it a valuable upgrade in any high-traffic building.
• Improved accessibility: Touchless systems are easier to use for individuals with mobility impairments, creating a more inclusive building environment.
• Fewer maintenance needs: Eliminating physical wear-and-tear from keycards or badge readers reduces maintenance costs and prolongs hardware life.

These benefits are especially pronounced in large buildings with frequent tenant turnover or public access. For example, incorporating touchless systems in multi-tenant spaces and integrating them with platforms like Smart Experience ensures a seamless, hygienic experience from lobby to office.

Frictionless Entry Solutions in Action

Beyond safety, smart access solutions are designed to make movement through a building faster and more intuitive—for both tenants and guests. This frictionless experience starts before someone even walks in the door and continues throughout their visit.

How frictionless entry is implemented:

• Pre-authorized entry for visitors: Guests can receive temporary mobile credentials ahead of time, eliminating check-in lines and manual sign-ins.
• Elevator and turnstile integration: Access control systems can assign elevator stops based on a user’s credentials or pre-scheduled appointments, reducing delays and unnecessary stops.
• Peak traffic management: During high-volume hours, frictionless access tools minimize bottlenecks and help maintain flow, ensuring buildings don’t feel congested or disorganized.

These features are particularly useful in buildings with diverse occupant profiles—from large corporate offices to coworking spaces and flexible workplaces. 

Advanced Access Management Platforms

Behind every frictionless entry experience is a powerful access management platform that enables real-time decision-making, role-based permissions, and centralized oversight. In a mobile-first world, these platforms give property and security managers the flexibility to control access from anywhere, at any time.

Capabilities of a modern access management platform:

• Centralized multi-tenant management: Easily assign and revoke access for hundreds (or thousands) of users across different organizations, floors, or suites.
• Role-based permissions: Grant access based on job function, time of day, or building zone—allowing for smarter segmentation and enhanced security.
• Audit-ready logs and tracking: Maintain detailed entry/exit histories that support compliance audits, incident investigations, and usage analysis. By pairing your access control system with Savvy, property teams gain deeper insights into usage trends, entry anomalies, and security patterns—transforming raw access data into actionable intelligence for continuous improvement.

This type of control is invaluable in high-security environments or buildings with shifting tenant rosters. When integrated with tools like Cohesion’s corporate security solutions, property teams gain visibility that extends beyond doors—supporting larger safety and emergency response efforts.

Enhancing Building Security with Smarter Access

Smart access systems do more than simplify entry—they actively strengthen building-wide security by integrating with other tools and responding intelligently to threats. In an era of heightened risk and accountability, these systems help security teams act faster and with greater precision.

How smart access improves overall security:

• Adaptive security rules: Permissions can automatically change based on time of day, building occupancy, or external threat levels—locking down floors or triggering alerts based on real-time conditions.
• Integration with video surveillance: Entry events can be linked to video footage, helping teams confirm identities and investigate suspicious activity more quickly.
• Instant lockdown features: In emergency scenarios, buildings can initiate partial or full lockdowns from a centralized dashboard, instantly disabling access and protecting occupants.

When combined with building-wide systems like alarms and emergency alerts, smart access platforms give property teams a flexible toolkit for proactive and reactive security. For many, integrating access control with Cohesion’s enterprise solutions offers the scalability needed to secure large or multi-property portfolios without compromising responsiveness.

Improving the Tenant Experience Through Access Innovation

The benefits of smart access extend well beyond safety—they also have a meaningful impact on tenant satisfaction. Long gone are the days when waiting at a front desk or fumbling for a badge was considered normal. Occupants now expect access to be fast, personalized, and controlled from their phones.

Features that enhance the tenant experience:

• Mobile app convenience: Tenants can manage their credentials, invite guests, and access shared spaces—all from a building-branded app.
• Personalized entry settings: Some platforms let users set preferences like auto-unlock upon arrival or custom push notifications when a guest arrives.
• Reduced entry frustration: No more long queues at access points or lost badge issues—tenants enter as seamlessly as they move through other digital parts of their day.

These subtle but powerful upgrades can influence tenant retention and even leasing decisions. Providing smooth, modern access demonstrates that a building prioritizes both innovation and occupant comfort.

Simplified Operations for Property and Security Teams

While tenants, occupants, and employees can enjoy the front-end benefits of smart access, building operators gain behind-the-scenes efficiency. A good access platform simplifies the workflows that once consumed time, created confusion, or required manual oversight.

Operational benefits include:

• Automated credential management: Credentials can be issued, updated, or revoked with just a few clicks—ideal for onboarding, offboarding, or vendor access.
• Reduced administrative burden: Digital logs replace physical records, while customizable dashboards make it easy to track activity and spot anomalies.
• Streamlined training: With intuitive interfaces, staff can be onboarded faster and manage systems confidently without deep technical expertise.

These efficiencies translate to cost savings, fewer service tickets, and greater operational agility. For busy facilities teams, having a centralized access dashboard—like the one Cohesion offers through Smart Access—helps maintain a secure, responsive building without adding unnecessary complexity.

Seamless Integration with Building Systems

One of the greatest strengths of a smart access platform is its ability to integrate with other building systems. By connecting access control with HVAC, lighting, energy management, and facility platforms, buildings can create dynamic environments that respond to occupancy and utilization in real time.

How integration enhances operations:

• HVAC and lighting tie-ins: Entry data can trigger adjustments to climate control and lighting settings—reducing energy waste in unused spaces and improving tenant comfort as they move through the building.
• Unified data ecosystem: Access data becomes part of a broader insight dashboard, helping teams understand occupancy trends, peak usage times, and underutilized areas.
• Informed space planning: Access trends can guide decisions around workspace layouts, amenity investments, or flexible seating strategies, particularly in hybrid work environments.

This level of integration is especially important for buildings striving to become more sustainable and adaptive. When paired with broader facilities management solutions, access data becomes a powerful tool for smarter, leaner property operations.

Compliance and Data Security Considerations

Access control systems handle sensitive data—names, entry times, device identifiers, and more. Ensuring this information is secure and that the system is compliant with local and global data privacy laws is critical for building trust and avoiding costly violations.

Best practices for secure access systems:

• Encrypted mobile credentials: All digital keys should be encrypted at rest and in transit, tied to specific devices to prevent unauthorized use.
• Redundant infrastructure: Cloud-based systems with built-in failovers help ensure uptime and reliability, especially during emergencies or network interruptions.
• Privacy regulation compliance: A strong platform should help buildings meet GDPR, CCPA, and other data protection standards through data minimization, user consent workflows, and transparent logging.

These safeguards are essential not only for protecting user data but also for maintaining a defensible security posture in highly regulated industries.

Planning for the Future of Building Access

Smart access is not a final destination—it’s a foundational element of a broader, future-ready building strategy. As technology continues to evolve, the most successful properties will be those built on systems designed for growth and change.

What the future holds:

• Scalability for growing portfolios: Whether you’re managing one building or 100, smart access platforms must scale easily—supporting consistent experiences across properties while allowing for local customization.
• AI and predictive tools: As systems become more intelligent, expect to see features like anomaly detection, predictive maintenance alerts, and automated security adjustments based on historical behavior.
• Preparation for new standards: Mobile credentialing is just the beginning. Future-ready buildings are preparing for biometric integrations, smart wearables, and tighter interoperability across building management platforms.

By investing in smart access now, building leaders create a flexible foundation that adapts to future demands—whether they come from technology, tenants, or the marketplace.

Get Started with Smarter Access

Cohesion’s Smart Access platform is designed for today’s dynamic, security-conscious, and mobile-first commercial properties. Whether you’re upgrading from legacy systems or launching a new deployment, our integrated platform helps you control building access with precision, flexibility, and ease.

From mobile credentials to cloud-based management and seamless system integrations, we’re helping buildings deliver a better experience—while improving security, efficiency, and scalability.

Ready to take the next step? Contact us to schedule a personalized walkthrough of our Smart Access solutions.

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