Exclusive interview: ASSA ABLOY's Frank Stier about “the move from mechanical to digital locking
Date: 2026/09/21 Source: Editorial Dept.
Organizations using mechanical master-key systems face increasing challenges as hybrid workforce deployments are becoming more common and compliance rules are tightening. To explore an alternative that bridges the gap between mechanical and fully wired access sontrol systems, we talked to Frank Stier, VP & Head of PU Key-based Digital Cylinders at ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions EMEIA, about use cases and benefits of smart key solutions such as ASSA ABLOY’s CLIQ®.
asmag.com: Mechanical master-key systems have long been the default at many organizations. What technological and market developments do you see that make organizations revisit that setup? Where does mechanical locking still hold up well, and where does the case for switching become hard to ignore?
Frank Stier
VP & Head of PU Key-based Digital Cylinders,
ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions EMEIAFrank Stier: Mechanical locking was not really designed for the complex nature of the world’s ‘new normal’. Facilities managers now face a challenging environment to keep our buildings secure, compliant, and operational. For example, as businesses upscale, downsize, or onboard new locations, they must manage access control ever more flexibly. Increased service contracting has also handed many essential functions over to third-party providers, rather than employees.
These, too, need efficient building access that does not compromise security. At the same time, physical, cyber and ‘hybrid’ physical-cyber threats loom large, as do the regulations designed to protect critical sectors from them: compliance and the implementation of joined-up security and access management are ongoing challenges, particularly in infrastructure, finance/banking, healthcare, energy, transport, and data centers. Static legacy systems may struggle in such a dynamic environment.
asmag.com: Somewhere between mechanical systems and wired network systems, there's a middle ground occupied by smart keys. How do you see organizations navigating that space? What options do they have on that spectrum?
Frank Stier: One huge benefit of the mechanical key is its familiarity. So, in some cases, a mechanical locking system with patent protection may still be an appropriate solution. However, digitalization offers many opportunities for business efficiency and compliance. A digital credential can be programmed or de-authorized in seconds, negating the threat and significant costs of lost mechanical keys. When building technology can connect digital solutions for access, fire protection, and escape routes, both user safety and facilities management benefit. With a digital solution, audit capability is automated, benefiting compliance efforts; manual access tracking with mechanical keys is either time-consuming or, in many cases, impossible.
Of course, moving from mechanical to digital access management is not like flicking a switch. Many organizations have large systems. They cannot change all at once, so digital systems must be able to scale gradually over time and as budgets allow. This is the precise advantage offered when organizations choose the right programmable smart key system. It represents the easiest transition from mechanical to digital access management.
asmag.com: Facilities managers, installers, and day-to-day users all experience access differently. Where do their priorities line up, and where do they pull in different directions?
Frank Stier: Our smart key access solution, CLIQ®, is designed to be simple and intuitive for every type of user. They simply insert their programmable CLIQ key into a cylinder. If the key is authorized, the lock opens. It’s fast and familiar. Installers also experience benefits. Whether electronic or electromechanical, our CLIQ locking cylinders simply slot in place of legacy mechanical devices, with no door damage or wiring.
Keyholders bring their own power to the access point, via batteries or energy-harvesting technology inside keys. Installers are also fully supported with technical datasheets, our in-house expertise, and a global network of locksmiths and security partners who know this solution inside-out.
Finally, CLIQ is easy for facilities managers to administer, with intuitive, powerful software which runs from a local PC or via a secure web portal. Assigning access rights to an individual key, to operate a door or group of openings, takes a few clicks. Keys may be updated and revalidated via an updater or optional Bluetooth® functionality, so changes are effective immediately. Because the power is inside the key itself, no expensive mains electricity is consumed during operation. For users, access simply works. For installers, CLIQ helps them complete the task and move on to the next customer. For managers, control and accountability become easier to sustain.
asmag.com: Up-front cost and return on investment are always part of the conversation. What tends to surprise people most once they run the numbers on switching to smart keys?
Frank Stier: How favourably it compares with the alternatives — either continuing with a sub-optimal mechanical solution or moving away from traditional cylinders to readers and the like! Of course, in the real world where budgets are always scrutinized, any new security solution must compete for funds and justify its total cost of ownership (TCO). Smart key systems have the advantage of being the fastest, least disruptive way to switch mechanical for digital access. Electronic or electromechanical locking cylinders simply slot in place of legacy mechanical devices, without door damage or wiring.
Facility management teams gain granular control over the movements of staff and contractors, at a relatively low cost. Some solutions, including our own, even allow security managers to administer mechanical and digital access within the same system, streamlining the process of scaling a new solution. All these benefits have significant cost advantages for smart key system adopters. Indeed, our recent whitepaper models some hypothetical numbers for a 100-door installation. Compared with mechanical locking, CLIQ’s TCO over a 5-year timeline was around 64% lower, including purchase and installation costs.
asmag.com: ASSA ABLOY has made its name as sustainable company. What sustainability benefits do smart keys offer as opposed to fully wired systems?
Frank Stier: Choosing CLIQ over comparable — including wired — digital access solutions can help organizations meet environmental targets as part of an overall sustainability strategy. Unlike many other digital systems, CLIQ cylinders do not use mains electricity. They are wire-free, installed without cabling, which minimizes disruption to the building fabric and cuts the journeys installers must make. The microelectronics inside a cylinder and key are powered by a standard battery inside every key, with a typical battery lifetime of 10 years between changes for standard user keys. This further reduces energy use and maintenance needs.
We also offer customers the option of CLIQ Connect: Bluetooth-enabled keys. To update their access rights, a keyholder makes a secure Bluetooth connection between their CLIQ Connect key and app. Essentially, keyholders use their smartphone as a portable updater, which means businesses no longer need to buy, maintain, or replace dedicated devices. Remote workers travel fewer miles and consume less fuel when they carry a CLIQ Connect key.
asmag.com: How does moving to digital access change the calculus around lost or duplicated keys — what's actually different about the risk? How does cybersecurity factor in?
Frank Stier: The most important differences are in authentication and auditing. With a smart key system, just possessing a key is of limited benefit. Digital authentication decides whether the keyholder is permitted access, not just the mechanical coding. If someone loses their key, it takes a couple of clicks in the software to delete its authorizations. Keys may also be set to require periodic revalidation: without regular visits to an updater, or updating via Bluetooth, it won’t unlock anything.
Unlike a mechanical key, a smart key enables the filtering not only of who goes where, but at what times — and these permissions are not set in stone, unlike a mechanical key. The automated logging of every access interaction makes speeds up investigation if unauthorized use does occur. With all their authentication and security attributes, smart keys are effectively impossible to duplicate. The proprietary CLIQ chip is also engineered specifically for resistance to digital manipulation.
asmag.com: For readers less familiar with it, how would you describe CLIQ and the problem it's built to solve? What are different versions and what distinct cases and markets do they address?
Frank Stier: Within the CLIQ family, we offer two versions. Fully electronic eCLIQ offers maximum digital flexibility with a single mechanical profile and electronic coding. Cylinders meet the highest VdS requirement and operate maintenance-free. Electromechanical PROTEC2 CLIQ adds multiple mechanical profiles on top of the electronic coding, with the option to manage mechanical cylinders in the same unified system and/or develop custom-made locks for specific applications. These two versions are interoperable with the same software.
The CLIQ ecosystem includes more than sixty different cylinder and padlock types, ensuring every need in almost any sector can be met with a CLIQ device. CLIQ also opens the door to a growing ecosystem of integrations, including via the braXos Composer; with our own SMARTair, Seawing, ARX, and Abloy OS platforms; and many more.
asmag.com: Your systems get deployed across some very different environments — healthcare, critical infrastructure, public venues, offices. What tends to differ most about implementation from one sector to the next? In what markets do you see the best conditions for wider adoption of smart keys going forward?
Frank Stier: What is interesting, to me at least, is that such different environments, each with their own unique requirements, all find the answer to their challenges in a CLIQ solution. In healthcare, for example, nurses need fast access to medicines; but these openings should not be accessible to everyone. In multi-residential housing, service providers and maintenance contractors require flexible access; but it must be secure and time-limited.
In the utilities sector, sites are often remote and/or widely dispersed; stations must be securely locked but also accessible quickly in an emergency. This is testament to the solution’s flexibility and trusted security. For example, PROTEC2 CLIQ is trusted in highly sensitive environments, including the London Ambulance Service. At Düsseldorf’s 55,000-capacity football stadium, eCLIQ makes it easy to issue temporary authorizations for contractors, cleaning staff, and external event providers.
As an additional layer of security, their eCLIQ Connect keys must be validated on-site by entering a PIN code in the smartphone app. They also selected an eCLIQ cylinder which fits flush to the door and thus offers no attack surface for vandalism. CLIQ has been adopted at both sensitive, geographically dispersed utility sites across Europe, as well as in small offices and schools. Alongside durability and convenience, CLIQ delivers a tangible ROI in many ways, as our whitepaper illustrates.