I've watched property managers spend hours every week managing physical key cards. Lost fobs. Replacement costs. Manual provisioning for every new employee or tenant.
The math doesn't work anymore.
20% of key cards are lost or stolen every year. Each replacement costs $5-$50. For a building with 500 employees, you're looking at $2,500 annually just administering the system—15 minutes per person, per year, tracking down cards and resetting access.
Mobile credentials eliminate this entire problem.
The Hidden Cost of Legacy Access Systems
Your key card system creates invisible friction.
When an employee leaves, you revoke their card access. But the card still exists. Someone finds it. Or the employee keeps it. Now you have a security gap with zero audit trail.
When you hire someone new, HR coordinates with the front desk. Someone physically hands over a fob. If you're onboarding 20 people, that's 20 separate handoffs.
With mobile credentials, I can provision access to 100 phones simultaneously. No physical contact. No front desk coordination. No waiting.
The system I use lets me submit credentials instantly. The new hire gets a notification. They tap to accept. They're in.
Security Through Personal Device Attachment
Here's something most people overlook.
With a physical fob, I can hand it to you. "Hey, can you grab that file from my office?" You take my fob. You have access all day. You return it at 5pm.
Nobody hands over their phone for the day.
This simple fact makes mobile credentials inherently more secure. Employees protect their phones. They don't share them. They don't leave them sitting on desks.
The technology backing this up is solid. Mobile credentials use AES-256 encryption—the same standard banks use. That's 1.1 x 10^77 possible combinations. A supercomputer would need over 3 trillion years to crack it.
You can deploy multiple authentication methods depending on your building's needs:
- NFC (Near Field Communication) – Tap your phone like you're paying for coffee. Heavily encrypted, short-range, stable connection.
- Bluetooth – Gesture-based triggers. Shake your phone or just approach the door. Longer range than NFC.
- QR codes – Scan to enter. Useful for temporary access or visitor management.
- Digital wallets – Store credentials in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. Same security layer as your credit cards.
Most buildings I work with offer hybrid solutions. Some people prefer NFC. Others want Bluetooth. The system supports both.
Instant Provisioning Across Organizations
The operational shift is significant.
Large corporations were the first to adopt mobile credentials. Now I'm seeing small businesses, property managers, apartment buildings, and campus facilities make the switch.
The barrier to entry dropped. Once decision makers understand the system, adoption happens fast.
In higher education, administrators provision thousands of wallet credentials to incoming students in seconds. Compare that to mailing physical cards or requiring in-person pickup during orientation week.
Healthcare facilities use mobile credentials to manage staff, contractors, and vendors across multiple buildings. Campus access for students eliminates the "I forgot my ID" problem entirely.
The global access control market reflects this momentum. It grew from $10.62 billion in 2025 to a projected $15.80 billion by 2030—an 8.3% annual growth rate.
Implementation Considerations
Before you roll out mobile credentials, you need to answer three questions.
First: Do your employees have smartphones?
Send an email. Ask who has a smartphone. Ask who's comfortable using their personal phone for work access. Some people won't want to mix personal and work on the same device.
Look at the percentage. If 80% opt in, you have a viable path forward. If it's 40%, you might need a hybrid approach.
Second: What's your authorization structure?
You need contact information—phone numbers, names, and access levels. Who gets into which doors? Who has after-hours access? Map this out before deployment.
Third: Are you going hybrid or mobile-only?
Most organizations I work with deploy hybrid systems. Mobile credentials become the primary option. Traditional fobs remain available for people who prefer them.
Older employees might not know how to use their phone for building access. That's fine. Give them a fob. Over time, mobile adoption increases as people see colleagues using it.
