Żabka, one of the largest European retail companies with 7000 locations across Poland and the Czech Republic, called on HID’s expertise to streamline its security and access control. Innovation is in Zabka’s DNA and the organisation is known as an early adopter. From introducing AI to create an autonomous and checkout-free shopping experience to launching a cloud-based platform to better the franchise management process, Żabka has actively embraced continuous change and improvement.
When implementing security for its new headquarters in Poznań, Poland, Żabka returned to its pioneering roots, requiring a highly secure, automated solution that enabled the integration of custom applications and simplified the use of other building-wide office functionalities.
Physical access control (i.e., the readers on the door and the credentials that individuals present to them for authentication) is not only one of the first interactions employees have with security technology but is also the first line of defence in security programs. The balance of a good user experience and strong security is critical, though striking that balance has been a challenge historically as security teams are tasked with prioritizing safety and protection. Innovative companies who want to go beyond traditional access control have found the balance of a frictionless user experience and strong security in mobile access solutions.
Żabka’s vision included seamless access starting at building entrances with employees using their mobile phones to “badge” into the building. From there, the same mobile credential would unlock turnstiles, authenticate floor access in elevators, track time and attendance and release documents at shared printers. Most importantly, user data would need to be secured via encryption and authentication through appropriate access keys with the introduction of new users being completely under Żabka’s control.
The implementation of an ecosystem with multiple capabilities — including a migration from plastic cards to mobile identities, surveillance tools, access management and physical security components to underpin the entire solution — also necessitated collaboration between partners who shared Żabka’s spirit of modernization and vision for a seamless user experience. The project team included HID Global who managed the transition from traditional plastic credentials to mobile identities, with Zonifero to develop a custom mobile app, and Cynergy to complete the installation of hardware and embedded components.
HID Mobile Access in Action at Żabka
Today, Żabka’s comprehensive ecosystem utilizes digital access control processes and integrated surveillance tools with a security management platform enabling Żabka to migrate completely to the use of mobile identities. The move to HID Mobile Access has changed the experience of employees, visitors, HR and security administrators by accelerating and automating access control management for the entire building. Mobile identities, contactless employee onboarding, touchless visitor management, time and attendance, and integration with the security system of the entire building are now aggregated and facilitated within the smartphone app.
The ability to manage the access control system from anywhere with no physical contact was especially valuable. Launched amid the pandemic, the new infrastructure enabled Żabka employees to maintain social distancing and limit contact through automatic and remote activation of access. Security administrators remotely managed a pool of allocated mobile identities and individual access to user’s devices, thereby solving the problem of storing physical cards, facilitating credential transfers, issuing new credentials in the case of lost or damaged ones and deactivating cards in the event they were lost or stolen.