The new Reader Pro: The now and the why

Kisi has just released an update to our most popular product: the Reader Pro.

Kisi isn’t a consumer hardware company that iterates every year our products with small updates (cough, smartphone manufacturers), so a new product release means a lot more to our customers.
For reference, our first iteration of the Kisi Reader Pro released five years ago. Technology changes a lot in 5 years. But, unexpectedly, the office may have changed more in that time.

Evolving offices required a new solution #

If COVID never happened, the Kisi Reader Pro could have been quite different. Starting in 2020, we were getting a growing amount of feedback and experience both internally and from our customers: sudden changes in workflow, staff, use-cases, and how offices were being utilized.

The “standard” modern office seemed to have tumbled down a waterfall, and we weren’t sure how it was all going to settle out.

A new design for any office (and any doorframe) #

There was one thing we knew for sure: Kisi’s hardware and software needed to support this new, evolving office. Both now, and into the future.

The first thing we set out to do was redesign the Reader Pro from the ground up. We wanted it to be less visually intrusive while scaling down the footprint so that it could fit on even more doorframes.

This led to a sleek, black unibody chassis with a design language that can fit easily into any space. The reduced footprint allows it to be placed on most modern doorframes, including thin mullion frames.

The design emphasizes the touchless functionality of the Reader Pro, with simple user feedback using a large LED oculus and a buzzer.

Meeting the needs of decentralized staff and a hybrid workspace #

Offices today are more diverse than ever. Remote work has become more standardized, and hybrid office models are gaining in popularity because of it. Businesses that weren’t even considering remote work now support it fully, and a “come-as-you-want” office model has gained traction.

All of this informed the new version of the Kisi Reader Pro. It was created to address the needs the previous iteration addressed while being dynamic enough to support new work and office models. This is possible because of the robust software that lets you remotely manage all of your Kisi devices, giving your access to tools including:

• Intrusion detection
• Capacity management
• Unlock schedules
• Remote permission management
• Web-token visitor day passes
• Exportable access logs
• And many, many more

Kisi’s software allows us to keep updating and upgrading your Kisi devices so they can keep up with your evolving needs.

Helping meet public health goals #

Another massive shift in the modern office is the massive shift of public health goals. Following COVID, many businesses committed to maintaining a safe and productive office environment needed to adopt a completely new concept of office layout and staff capacity.

All of this culminated in the 6-Feet Office. In order to maintain new public health goals aimed at suppressing the spread of COVID-19, businesses scrambled to find a way to enforce safe social distancing while maintaining some, if not all, of their on-premise staff.

This affected everything in an office, from floor layout to max capacity. We wanted to do our part to help customers more easily manage these new office standards, so we made sure there were new features to work alongside the new Reader Pro.

The Reader Pro itself is ultra-hygienic in function. There are no touch points on the device, and the entire design is devoted to touch-free and hands-free access. This lets the unlock process be completely hygienic for staff and visitors, with very little chance of surface contamination.

Software features like Capacity Management help you keep track of space utilization and capacity to make it easier to keep your spaces safe from overcrowding.

Reserve your Reader Pro today #

If you’re looking for an access solution that meets the needs of the modern office, be sure to go to our website to learn more.