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A short guide for SMBs to upgrade to mobile access

Learn how SMBs can provide their employees and staff with mobile credentials to access their workplace in the most affordable, fast and secure way.
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Contents

Overview

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) always want to strive to make their workplace experience for their employees the best by implementing the latest technologies, however when it comes to upgrading physical access to provide mobile credentials, some might have their reservations due to costs and complexities. 

SMBs often operate on tight IT, security, and facility budgets and struggle to justify the expense of upgrading to mobile access due to costly and complex hardware changes and simply due it being perceived as a “nice-to-have” rather than an essential. Ripping out access control hardware that has worked just fine for many years and replacing it with new mobile-enabled infrastructure to provide employees with a new modern method of access that they might not even take to, is a risk. New dependency on mobile phones may be a worry for some SMB operators, taking away the trust in physical keycards and fobs that have always worked.

However, SMBs can now extend the capabilities of their existing legacy access control systems to support mobile credentials without replacing any readers that are already installed. Readerless mobile credential software integrates with legacy physical access control systems (PACS) to provide the option of mobile access for employees, avoiding costly hardware replacements or lengthy installation projects. Saving money and time for SMBs plus still giving the opportunity for users to use their physical keycards or fobs if preferred. This approach delivers modern, secure, touchless entry without straining limited budgets.

Mobile access control for SMBs

How it works

Readerless mobile credentials can integrate into a portfolio of physical access control systems (PACS) using SDKs and APIs. If an SMB has a system compatible with readerless mobile credential software they can be up and running in a matter of hours, with no infrastructure changes required.  

 

Access provisioning:

Building admins assign access rights (permanent or temporary) to staff, employees and visitors, instantly providing them with a mobile credential they can use to access multiple doors and buildings they require access to.

Mobile access methods:

Users can use their mobile credential to unlock doors via NFC technology, QR code scan, or iOS and Android widgets.

Seamless integration:

If an SMB has an existing employee or member experience application they can embed mobile access as a feature within it. 

Digital visitor passes:

For guests or contractors, SMBs can issue temporary digital visitor passes remotely, the mobile credentials can be automatically revoked keeping your facility secure without additional costs.



woman using her smartphone to access a door.

Benefits

  • Cost-effective security: Upgrade legacy access control systems security, with  NIST compliant mobile credentials that leverage multi-factor and iOS and Android biometric face detection technology.
  • Operational efficiency: Reduce the time and expense of issuing, replacing, or collecting physical keycards.
  • Employee convenience: Staff enjoy modern, touchless entry via their smartphones.
  • Auditability: Every access event is logged in the cloud, providing valuable visibility via access logs.
  • Scalable and flexible: Scale mobile access to more doors gradually as the business grows, keeping costs under control.

Use Cases

  • Corporate offices: Provide staff access to multiple locations using a single mobile credential.
  • Small facilities or warehouses: Upgrade key entry points quickly and affordably.
  • Contractors or temporary staff: Grant temporary, time-bound access without issuing physical cards.

Integration

 Readerless Mobile credentials integrate with:

SMBs can modernize access without replacing every reader, achieving enterprise-level security on a small access security budget.

Key takeaway


Readerless mobile credentials give SMBs a fast, affordable, and secure way to upgrade their workplace access experience. By leveraging existing access control system infrastructure SMBs can enhance security, reduce administrative overhead, and deliver modern convenience, all while staying within tight security budgets.

Start your journey to mobile credentials today

Extend the life of your access control systems and provide the choice of secure NFC mobile credentials to automate operations and optimize user experience.

Connect with a member of our team within 24 hours.

Get a system audit for integration.

Deploy and activate mobile credentials within days.

William Bainborough

Board of Directors

William is an experienced British entrepreneur, founder, and accomplished board executive and advisor for a number of businesses. He is the CEO and co-founder of Doordeck, the world’s only true cloud-based access control aggregator. He is also the managing director and founder of Group Secure, a leader in providing security, CCTV, and access control solutions, products, and installation for high-net-worth individuals in the UK. 

William established his first business at just seventeen and brings 20-plus years of in-depth experience and industry knowledge. He has a proven track record for building businesses from the ground up—and then leading them to profitability and a successful exit across a myriad of sectors including hospitality, retail, security, telecommunications, and e-commerce. William’s leadership, vision, and experience in creating cutting-edge SaaS-based technology platforms will prove invaluable for Sentry Interactive moving forward.

Denis Hébert

CHAIRMAN & CEO

Hébert began his career at Honeywell International where he held several leadership positions including Managing Director for the Automation and Controls business in France and eventually President of the NexWatch Corporation from 1999-2002. Hébert led HID Global as President & CEO over a transformative 12-year period from 2002-2015, where he provided strategic guidance and grew the business tenfold through a mix of strong organic and acquisitive growth. Most recently, Hébert was President of Feenics Corporation which is a cloud-based access control company that was successfully sold to ACRE LLC at the end of 2021. Hébert also served on the Board of Directors for the Security Industry Association (SIA) from 2009-2020 and was nominated to be Chairman of the Board for SIA from 2016-2018. He is currently Chairman of the Board for Nightingale Security based in Newark, CA.

Stephen Taylor Matthews

Board of Directors
Stephen is a very accomplished attorney, member of the Texas State Bar, licensed commercial real estate broker, and an avid philanthropist. He is an experienced executive board member, serving in leadership positions for more than 20 community councils and corporate boards—ranging from Boy Scouts of America to the ABBA Business Leaders Council, and most recently the American Bank BOD, the Real Estate Council of Austin, and the Marbridge Foundation BOT. With more than 35 years experience, Stephen and his firm, Barrond & Adler, L.L.P. are devoted to eminent domain cases in Texas.

Jon Davis

Board of Directors

Mr. Davis is an Experienced corporate board member, having served on boards of public, private equity-backed, and venture-backed companies. Jon possesses deep industry expertise in dairy, food processing, food technology and manufacturing, and food, beverage, and entertainment services. 

During Jon’s tenure of 25 plus years, he’s led operations, research and development, and mergers and acquisitions. He’s served as CEO and has been the founder and active board member for many successful enterprises—from startups to billion-dollar corporations. While COO and CEO of Davisco Foods International, Jon built a state-of-the-art cheese plant which was awarded the United States Dairy processing plant of the year in 2005 by Dairy Foods magazine. Currently, Jon is active with several non-dairy projects, including investments in local real estate, the Wayzata Brewworks, and his latest venture the new CōV restaurant in Edina’s Galleria.

Joe Caldwell

Founder and Chairman of the Board

Joe is an American entrepreneur, investor, and accomplished executive. He has co-founded, founded, and led many successful businesses, including US Internet, a leading fiber internet service provider, Securence, a leading provider of email filtering software, and Ravon, an industry-leading digital voice communications service. 

It was Joe’s venture, Municipal Parking Services (MPS), that inspired him in 2020 to start Sentry Interactive, an advanced touchless and staffless detection platform.

Caldwell currently serves as CEO and Chairman of the Board for Municipal Parking Services (MPS), a global tech company based in Austin, TX responsible for inventing and patenting technologies that assist in parking and security enforcement.

Joe was named one of Minnesota’s 500 Most Powerful Business Leaders for the past two years—and is a seasoned corporate board member. He’s served on boards of public, private equity-backed, and venture-backed companies—and has deep industry expertise in all aspects of digital technology.

Jason Bohrer

Board of Directors

Jason Bohrer is one of the visionaries behind our mission to bring people back together safely and securely, in any environment, through Sentry’s advanced digital communications and detection platform. With over two decades of senior leadership experience, Jason’s track record of success spans across sales, operations, product innovation, strategy, and technology for domestic and global companies like Bexar Technology Partners, CPI Card Group, HID Global, and Motorola, Inc. Prior to launching Sentry Interactive, Jason was actively involved with several key technology transitions across multiple industries, including the contact and contactless EMV transitions in the U.S. payments industry and the adoption of smart card and mobile technologies in the global access and identity market. Jason was an inaugural member of the University of Chicago Executive Institute and holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin. He also serves as the Executive Director for two industry-leading not-for-profit organizations: the Secure Technology Alliance and the U.S. Payments Forum.
Brent Terry

Brent Terry

Chief Operating Officer
Brent Terry leads the operations and solutions organizations at Sentry. This includes all product innovation, development, and operations management. A veteran in the technology space, Brent has more than 30 years of experience across a myriad of industries, like physical security technology and building automation, SAAS, hardware and software product development, internet, digital TV, interactive TV, digital media, telecommunications, and medical products and services. Prior to Sentry, Brent has spun up successful startups and led high-performing teams for some of the biggest global, Fortune 500 companies, including ARRIS, Conerco, Motive Communications, SeaChange International, and IBM. Brent holds a BS in Computer Science from the University of Louisiana. He also is the committee Chairman and Program Director for a non-profit organization responsible for the rollout of smart cards for physicians and first responders.