For Jonathan Polon, the Senior Director of Business Development for Brivo, the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic accentuates two priorities he’s seen creeping into the industry for a long time: access and data.
“Access is very important with COVID,” Polon said. “It’s taken on an importance it never did.”
Polon explained that the Brivo cloud native, open platform has allowed them to respond nimbly to the pandemic, rolling out tools to their more than 20 million credentialed users within weeks of the shutdowns. Polon also talked with the GWA about how he believes Brivo can not only help provide security to coworking spaces—it can also help them grow.
Brivo is a worldwide leader in cloud-based control and access control, allowing clients to manage their facility from any connected device anywhere in the world. On top of allowing access to the building, Brivo has a number of other features, allowing coworking space owners and operators to easily track who is where in their space, give temporary access, and respond to issues from anywhere in the world.
As the world rethinks how we use physical space, Brivo said their high-powered tracking tools also put key insights for understanding growth patterns right at clients’ fingertips while letting them maintain security and flexibility when it comes to access to their space.
Access Is (More Than A) Key
Using physical keys—or even local server-based security systems—comes with a host of limitations. From lost keys to after-hours access, Polon said that more and more clients are realizing that cloud-based options are set to become the industry standard.
“From a mobile perspective, coworking operators are always on the run, they’ve got multiple sites,” he said. “You need to be able to let people in.”
As coworking spaces look at diversifying their offerings, scaling up virtual office packages with limited or temporary onsite members (e.g., conference room access for only a few hours a month), Polon said it’s more critical than ever to be able to monitor and change who has access to which parts of your space, when they’re using it, and for how long. Brivo offers real-time alerts, easy access to visitor credentials, and even the ability to lock down parts or all of your space from anywhere, with a few clicks. And, because of Brivo’s mobility, Polon said there’s a peace of mind that comes with knowing you’ll be notified immediately if there’s a problem—no constant checking needed.
Data-Driven Growth
Because Brivo already monitors user access and entry into the space, Polon explained that many clients are using the data from the system to help them make decisions about service offerings.
“You can learn about how people are using your space,” Polon explained. Brivo offers the ability to track who is using which parts of your space, at what time of day, and to track changes over time. As space usage patterns change as a result of the pandemic, economic downturn, and other factors, Polon said having this kind of data readily available can help coworking spaces respond better to changing conditions.
Tools For COVID-19
Brivo prides itself on constant innovation for its members, and the COVID-19 pandemic is no exception. Within just a few weeks of shutdowns, Polon said they were able to roll out a suite of new tools, called Facilities Safety Features, to their members.
These tools included customized health-related questions with Brivo’svisitor management system and mobile entry applications, and a feature that compels anyone entering the space to do some kind of check-in—whether that’s a check-in with a staff member, self-screening questions, or putting on a mask.
“It compels the user to interact with that method of access,” Polon explained, noting that, because of Brivo’s cloud-based model, these interactions can be monitored and controlled from anywhere.
There are further security measures for staff, with features allowing access to the space to be turned off at the end of every day. Polon explained that operators can set the system to prompt employees to check in with their managers, self-screen, report their temperature, or wash their hands before granting them access to the space the next day.
They also implemented an easily generated contract tracing report, which allows operators to tell who was in any given room at any given time—something that can be crucial to tracing potential exposure to COVID-19.
“It’s really helpful in giving peace of mind,” Polin said. “It can actually really help with the physical contract tracing.”
Easy Interfacing
Because of their open API, Polon said they’ve been able to talk with partners who are developing even more sophisticated tools in the wake of COVID-19, including one that will be able to interface with Brivo and will be able to take temperatures using a thermal camera before granting access.
But their open API isn’t just for responding to a pandemic, Polon explained. It can be customized or interfaced to other programs and tools in a myriad of ways—some of which are just fun.
“We have a large customer that wanted to ring off a siren when the employee of the month came in,” Polon said, by way of example. With just a few clicks, they were able to set the system to automatically sound the siren when that team member entered the building.
As the industry shifts, Polon said he believes this type of flexibility will be crucial for spaces that are trying to innovate and continuously improve.
“The ability to tie to other systems is going to be key,” he said.
Getting Started With Brivo
Clients who are new to Brivo can expect an onsite consultation followed by a personalized proposal, Polon explained. Brivo has installers all over the world who will complete the initial setup—and from there, it’s very hands off.
“Our systems are designed to be extremely easy and do it yourself,” he said. Polon said systems can go live within just a few weeks, and new clients can easily get started by contacting Brivo through their website.
