person unlocking revolving door with phone

BXP Unveils New Street-to-Seat Journey

Overview

BXP (NYSE: BXP), the largest publicly traded developer, owner and manager of premier workplaces in the United States has extended its enablement model for clients with a new connected access experience that makes it possible for clients to use employee badges in Apple Wallet on iPhone or Apple Watch to easily navigate through secure access areas in BXP buildings. BXP’s 601 Lexington property in New York City is the first in its portfolio where this new offering will be available to clients.

The Opportunity

At many BXP buildings, the technology that occupants and guests first encounter are turnstiles and access control. The experience needs to be reliable, seamless and fast. In addition, the use of iPhone and Apple Watch for secure transactions is becoming ubiquitous. Why not extend this now common experience to building access? Also, without automation, administrators manually manage and enter access records in both client and BXP systems — a process with inherent data integrity issues. BXP was seeking an access enablement solution that would enhance the client access experience, facilitate process efficiencies and elevate data integrity.

The Solution and Benefits

Powered by SwiftConnect, a leading provider of connected access enablement, BXP’s street-to-seat journey for its clients is the first of its kind to enable a client-branded pass that works seamlessly across multiple points of access that are managed by both BXP and its clients (including amenity spaces), so occupants can enjoy hassle-free access. 

Partnering with SwiftConnect, we’re excited to launch the commercial real estate industry’s first connected experience that unifies disparate client and building owner access systems to offer a self-service user journey using iPhone and Apple Watch. The rollout demonstrates our fundamental philosophy and continued commitment to enabling services and options that empower the talent of our clients while also enhancing security and process efficiencies. — Jim Whalen, SVP and Chief Information and Technology Officer at BXP

The SwiftConnect platform unifies disparate access control and enterprise and building systems, providing BXP clients with the tools to centralize and automate their access management. BXP clients elevate the accuracy and integrity of credential records by using their systems as the source of truth and book of record to automate the lifecycle management of the credential records, whether provisioned as a traditional plastic card or on employee badge in Apple Wallet. 

How It Works

Client employee badges in Apple Wallet are provisioned using SwiftConnect AccessCloud, which brings together mobile platforms and enterprise systems that govern physical access. SwiftConnect’s AccessCloud integrates with HID Origo™, a cloud platform that enables lifecycle management of mobile credentials. The solution also leverages HID’s Seos® credential technology to deliver an intuitive, private and secure access transaction when a user presents their iPhone or Apple Watch to HID Signo™ and iCLASS SE® readers.

The Access Experience

  • Client users simply register iPhones through their employer’s mobile device management platform and log into the managed mobile application using their single sign-on 
  • After this initial setup, clients can easily add their employee badge to Apple Wallet. Once added, the badge will instantly give them access to lobby turnstiles, stairwells, elevators and common amenity areas within the BXP base building, along with exterior and interior secured areas within the client space.
  • Users can simply tap their iPhone or Apple Watch to HID Signo and iCLASS SE readers to unlock access to secured areas. With Express Mode, clients do not need to unlock their device to use their badge in Apple Wallet. Even if the phone needs to be charged, the device can be used in Power Reserve Mode.
  • When a BXP client has a badge in Apple Wallet, it is never shared with Apple or stored on Apple servers. Employee badges in Apple Wallet are stored on personal devices and take full advantage of the privacy and security built into iPhone and Apple Watch.
  • If a user misplaces their iPhone or Apple Watch, they can use the Find My app to lock and help locate their device and suspend their employee badge or remotely erase the device and its employee badges. When suspended or erased, SwiftConnect promptly deactivates the employee badge on both the client and BXP access control systems.    

Looking Into the Future

Following the success of the program at 601 Lexington, BXP plans to extend the new connected access experience to other locations across its portfolio of premier workspaces in the United States throughout 2023 and beyond.