Key Takeaways

• Plastic badges are outdated: costly, insecure, and hard to manage.
• Mobile credentials are now table stakes: tenants expect to be able to use Apple Wallet and Google Wallet to gain access to buildings and amenities.
• CRE teams gain efficiency and security: real-time provisioning, instant revocation, fewer tickets.
• Flexibility is the new gold standard: modern properties need scalable, app-free, tenant-friendly access.

Commercial real estate has invested heavily in creating smarter, more connected buildings — from tenant engagement apps to flexible workspaces. Yet physical access often remains stuck in the past. 

While tenants pay with their phones, board planes with digital passes, and manage their work lives through mobile apps, the office experience still starts with a plastic badge and a line at the front desk. 

That disconnect is no longer acceptable. In today’s market, mobile access is not a nice-to-have amenity. It is the baseline for delivering the seamless, secure, and flexible experience tenants expect from modern properties.

In this blog, we’ll explore why legacy credentials no longer cut it, how mobile access delivers the experience tenants demand, and what it means for operational efficiency and security in CRE.

Why Plastic Credentials Can’t Keep Up

The traditional plastic badge has been the backbone of building access for decades, but it was never designed for the pace and complexity of today’s workplaces. As the world becomes increasingly mobile, plastic credentials are quickly losing ground. 39% of organizations now actively use mobile identities, with employees naming touchless/contactless solutions (48%) and mobile access (44%) as the two largest trends shaping the wider access control industry.

Beyond the numbers, the problems with plastic are painfully familiar. Badges get lost, copied, or forgotten, creating security risks and constant admin work. Updating or revoking access typically means submitting work orders, sending emails, or tracking spreadsheets — slow, manual processes that frustrate tenants and bury admin teams in low-value tasks. And in workplaces where tenants expand, contract, or shift locations daily, static badges simply can’t keep up.

How Mobile Access Delivers the Experience Tenants Expect

For most people, mobile credentials are already second nature. Apple Wallet and Google Wallet have normalized tap-and-go experiences for payments, travel, and identity, so it feels only natural to expect the same convenience when accessing an office.

In commercial real estate, tenants increasingly view mobile access as table stakes for a premium building experience. A plastic badge signals outdated infrastructure, while a mobile device-based credential communicates modernity, convenience, and security.

What makes mobile especially powerful is its reach. Credentials don’t just unlock the front door — they can also extend to elevators, shared amenity spaces, lockers, and even secure print stations, giving tenants a consistent, seamless experience across their entire journey.
The payoff is significant: one tap everywhere means fewer headaches for tenants, higher satisfaction, and stronger retention for landlords. Per the 2025 VTS Global Workplace Report, 65% of corporate tenants are interested in a mobile access app.

Efficiency and Security for CRE Teams

For landlords and property teams, mobile access directly improves operations and security.

With identity-based access in place, provisioning and deprovisioning happen automatically in real time, eliminating the manual handoffs, tickets, and delays that bog down traditional processes. Admin teams no longer drown in badge requests or updates, freeing them to focus on higher-value work.

Security improves as well. Lost or stolen devices can be locked remotely, and access is instantly revoked when someone leaves a role or company, keeping compliance tight and risk low.

At portfolio scale, these improvements compound. Costs drop, friction disappears, and CRE teams gain stronger operational control across every property in their footprint.

Where SwiftConnect Fits In

SwiftConnect bridges the gap between legacy access systems and today’s mobile-first expectations. Our platform connects PIAM systems with cloud, identity, and mobile technologies, automating what used to be manual and disjointed.

There is no rip and replace. We work with the infrastructure already in place, unifying systems into one connected environment that adapts as properties evolve.

For CRE teams, that means delivering the premium tenant experience tenants now expect, while also gaining operational efficiency, stronger security, and long-term flexibility. All of it, delivered effortlessly, everywhere.

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FAQ

1. What is mobile access in buildings?

Mobile access allows tenants and employees to use their mobile device instead of a plastic badge to unlock doors and amenities.

2. Why are plastic badges becoming outdated?

They’re easy to lose or copy, rely on manual updates, and don’t match the fast, fluid nature of today’s workplaces.

3. What do tenants expect from modern access?

Tenants increasingly see mobile credentials as table stakes for a premium property experience, alongside fast, seamless, app-free entry.

4. How does mobile access improve security?

Credentials are tied to identity systems, so access updates in real time and can be instantly revoked if someone changes roles or leaves.

5. Does mobile access replace physical badges entirely?

Not necessarily — many buildings support both, but mobile is becoming the gold standard for convenience, security, and flexibility.

6. Does mobile access support sustainability goals?

Yes. By reducing reliance on plastic badges, mobile access helps minimize waste and supports broader sustainability initiatives for buildings and organizations.