ASCII startup “Akerun 2nd phase opening” Photosynth announces new strategy and new service

Photosynth, which provides the "Akerun entry/exit management system" using smart locks, announced on August 4, 2020, a new strategy for access authentication platform "Akerun Access Intelligence" and an office using the same platform. A new service for buildings "Akerun Visitor Management System" was announced. With the new service, a "key (access authority)" is issued on the cloud system for building visitors to enter the building, such as transportation IC cards, etc., and allows them to pass through the security gate. Efficiency and digitalization can be achieved.

Outline of the new service "Akerun visit management system". When a guest (visitor) is registered on the host side, the guest's physical ID, such as a transportation IC card, is granted entry authority on the cloud platform.

Kodai Kawase, President and CEO of Photosynth, attended the press conference. He also announced that he has raised funds. Also, as a guest, Mitsui Fudosan, which is conducting demonstration experiments by introducing the Akerun visitor management system to its new office, also took the podium.

Kodai Kawase, President and Representative Director of Photosynth (left), and Kenkazu Nakamura, Executive Officer, Deputy General Manager of Building Division and Deputy General Manager of Corporate Business Department of Mitsui Fudosan, who attended as a guest.

A new platform that integrates multiple “keys” into a single physical ID such as a transportation IC card

Mr. Kawase first introduced the current state of the company's business. Founded in September 2014, the company currently has offices in Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka, and has grown to more than 100 employees. The corporate smart lock "Akerun Pro" has been introduced by 4,500 companies, and the number of users (accounts) using it is about 660,000. "This is a figure equivalent to 7.4% of office workers in Tokyo," said Kawase.

Under the slogan "Let's eliminate keys from the world," the company has been developing its business to realize a keyless society. , AAI). This is a cloud platform that eliminates the "keys" that had to be carried around for each "door" until now, and links all access privileges to physical IDs such as IC cards held by individuals.

Mr. Kawase explains that instead of the conventional "N:N" key, "N:1" "key" is realized without a key.

Specifically, on AAI's cloud platform, user account information, digital ID (contact information) such as email address and phone number, physical ID (IC card, smartphone, face, fingerprint, etc.) that only the user has ), and the granted authority information (accessible objects, expiration date, etc.) are linked and centrally managed. Various external systems refer to this platform to perform personal authentication, enabling a single physical ID to unlock your home or office, enter buildings you visit, and temporarily use hotels and car sharing services. is.

Because of this mechanism, users need to register their physical ID only when they use it for the first time. ” can be used as As physical IDs, not only IC cards (FeliCa, TypeA/MIFARE) but also NFC compatible smartphones and biometric information can be registered, and one user can register multiple physical IDs.

“For example, by granting access rights to the email address entered in the rental housing application form, the resident can use the transportation IC card they usually use as a key to their home. If you authorize the phone number you gave when you made the reservation, the same card can also be used as the key to the hotel." (Mr. Kawase)

Overview of data managed by AAI and two example use cases

The physical ID information of the 660,000 Akerun Pro users mentioned above is already managed by this mechanism, and if the application of AAI expands in the future, the same "key" will be able to be used in various situations.

"Akerun visitor management system" that allows smooth entry without complicated reception registration

A new service using this AAI is the Akerun visitor management system announced at the same time. Mr. Kawase explains that "the new target market is office buildings."

The "Akerun Visitor Management System" works in conjunction with the existing security gates in the building

In recent office buildings, security gates (flapper gates) are often installed to prevent unauthorized entry. Employees of the tenant office can pass through with an employee ID IC card, but in the case of visitors (guests), in general, it is necessary to have an admission pass issued after completing the admission procedure at the reception. In addition to the inefficiency of reception response, there was also a security problem that it was difficult to reliably confirm the identity of the visitor at the reception.

Conventional general building visitor reception/entry management method. The procedure was complicated each time

The aim of the Akerun visit management system is to automate and streamline this process. The host (reception side) registers the visitor's e-mail address on the cloud when the visit schedule is decided. Due to the AAI mechanism mentioned above, when the scheduled visit date comes, the key authority is granted to the IC card (physical ID) registered by the visitor, so the guest can enter the building without the reception procedure.

Only the first time you have not registered with AAI, you need to register an IC card at the reception terminal, but since the host has already entered information such as the guest's name, you can register only by entering the PIN received in the guidance email. can work.

When a guest enters the building, the host can be called in real time by e-mail or Slack, and the entry and exit records of the guest can be recorded as digital data, so it is more accurate and efficient than the conventional paper-based system. expensive. Personal authentication by email address and physical ID also increases certainty.

Admission flow by Akerun visitor management system. Visitors can use the IC card they usually carry around to enter the building.

When the host (reception side) registers a visit schedule, key authority is granted to the IC card held by the guest only at the scheduled visit date and time.

Akerun visit management system has started a beta customer introduction program from the same day. At the presentation, Mr. Kenkazu Nakamura, Executive Officer, Deputy General Manager of Building Division and Commissioned General Manager of Corporate Sales Department 1, from Mitsui Fudosan, which has introduced this system at its new office (Nihonbashi Muromachi Mitsui Tower) and is conducting demonstration experiments, will be the guest speaker. bottom.

Mitsui Fudosan has adopted the Akerun entry/exit management system since 2018 in the shared office "WORK STYLING" operated by the company, and has also used Akerun for entry / exit management in its own office. The company group's medium-term management plan calls for "real estate tech" and aims to improve business model innovation and customer convenience and satisfaction through the use of ICT. Regarding this demonstration experiment and AAI, he commented as follows.

"In this demonstration experiment, we introduced it in our office. Until now, we issued a QR code (entrance card) to each visitor, but customers who visit us say, 'That kind of annoyance has been eliminated.' ”(Mr. Nakamura)

Furthermore, Mitsui Fudosan is developing various services such as the aforementioned shared office, and we are working with Photosynth to investigate in what situations AII, which can realize a common access ID, can be used. He said he wanted to come.

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In addition, Akerun's new brand logo was also announced in this announcement.

"Akerun has been popular as a 'smart lock' so far, but we will change it to a new logo that incorporates this (AAI's) element. We will break away from smart locks and express our determination as an access authentication platform. It makes sense.As the beginning of the second phase of Akerun, we made it a smarter, more dynamic, and expansive logo." (Mr. Kawase)

Akerun's new brand logo. The mark on the left is an image of intelligence = "brain"