A Working Lab Automates Access with Parakey and Nexudus

Introduction

A Working Lab wanted to reduce the administrative burden associated with access and make it easier for members and external users to use their spaces at their various locations. By integrating Parakey with Nexudus and consolidating mobile access within the A Working Lab app, booking and access are now linked—automatically.

Key Benefits

• Automated booking and access—digital keys are automatically linked to bookings and memberships.‍
• Less administrative work —external users can book spaces and gain access to them without the A Working Labs team having to manage access manually.
• ‍An app for members—booking and mobile access are all available in the A Working Labs app.‍
• A unified solution across multiple facilities —the same approach to access management can be used at A Working Lab’s various facilities.‍
• Greater control and security —permissions can be assigned based on who should have access to which areas.‍
• More time for members —spending less time on access management frees up more time to focus on the facilities and the member experience.

About A Working Lab

A Working Lab is Akademiska Hus’s national concept for coworking and flexible meeting spaces, with five locations throughout Sweden. Here, companies, researchers, and startups come together in environments that range from coworking spaces and offices to laboratories and shared lab resources for players in the life sciences sector.

We spoke with Satya Silcock, Lab Manager at A Working Lab, about how Parakey and Nexudus have simplified access management for the team and made it easier for members to gain access.

Challenge

Multiple systems created administration and friction

Over the years, A Working Lab has used several different access solutions—both digital and analog—sometimes in parallel. As Satya puts it, this created “quite a bit of chaos and a lot of administrative work.”

For members, the different systems also created a fragmented experience. They could book spaces and resources in the A Working Labs app, but needed a different app to unlock the door.

External bookings posed an additional challenge. When an external company booked a meeting room, conference room, or lab resource, the A Working Labs team had to manually arrange temporary digital access or a door code. Each booking therefore required direct contact with the customer.

A Working Lab wanted fewer systems, less manual administration, and a smoother experience for everyone who uses the facilities.

As Satya puts it, the idea was simple:

“What if access just… worked?”

Solution

Connecting Nexudus, Parakey and the A Working Lab app

A key reason A Working Lab chose Parakey was the ability to integrate access control with Nexudus, the platform they already use for reservations and membership management.

Members use the A Working Labs app to book meeting rooms, lab resources, and other services. Using the Parakey SDK, mobile access has been integrated directly into the app, so that booking and unlocking are all in one place.

When a new member is invited to Nexudus and creates an account, the digital keys to the doors they have access to are immediately available in the app.

“Linking access to our app gives our members a much smoother experience, since they don’t have to use several different apps.”

The integration also links reservations with access. For example, an external user can reserve a meeting room or a lab resource and automatically receive a digital key 15 minutes before the reserved time, without the A Working Labs team having to manually arrange access.

A smooth integration process

For Satya, who describes himself as “no IT expert,” setting up the integration between Nexudus and Parakey was relatively easy.

“The communication and collaboration with Parakey to get this up on place went really well. It made the whole process very smooth.”

Results

From manual access to an automated flow

The integration has reduced the need for manual access management for both members and external bookings. Members can now book and unlock doors in the same app, instead of booking in one app and using another to open the door.

For external bookings, A Working Lab no longer needs to manually set up access for each customer. This reduces recurring administrative work and makes it possible to offer meeting rooms and lab resources to external companies without access management requiring as much effort. The team thus has more time to focus on the facilities and members.

Increased security and control

With offices, meeting rooms, and shared lab resources, different users need access to different spaces. Parakey gives A Working Lab greater control over who has access to what, while reducing the need for temporary codes and manually assigned permissions.

“It has also made the building safer. All access has become more secure, and we can control who has access to what.”

A consistent approach at all facilities

With five facilities across Sweden, flexibility is key—both within each facility and between them. A standardized approach to access management makes it easier for A Working Lab to grow—adding more members, spaces, and facilities—without having to create separate procedures for each place.

“When this type of system is in place at all facilities, our customers can easily work from different locations while traveling. At the same time, it gives our team a common system to work in.”

Satya sums up the value:

“The greatest benefit of the integration between Parakey and Nexudus is that it provides our members with a seamless experience while allowing us to spend less time on administrative tasks. This frees us up to help our members with other matters.”