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What's new in June 2024

· 3 min read

Explore the latest Kisi features and stay up-to-date with the most recent updates in the Kisi docs.

New features​

Never miss offline devices again with Outage Alerts​

Until now, admins have found it challenging to pinpoint offline Kisi hardware, leading to unnecessary downtime for end users. To address this, we've introduced Outage Alerts. With these, admins can get notified when Kisi devices go offline, enhancing transparency and enabling quicker responses to improve operational efficiency and reduce downtime.

Get the details now

Interactive Places Map for easier navigation​

As an admin, you can now get a complete overview of all your Kisi places within your organization with our interactive Places Map. Jump to a specific place's dashboard by simply clicking on its location on the map.

Try it out now

Kisi Terminal Pro: Now available for elevator access​

Last month, we introduced the Kisi Terminal Pro, our latest hardware innovation that lets visitors access spaces by simply scanning a QR code. Now, we’re excited to announce that it supports elevators, too! Visitors can conveniently access specific floors in your building by scanning their QR code with the Kisi Terminal Pro.

Get the details now

Customize user lists easily with Pagination Controls​

With our Pagination Control feature you can now customize how many users are displayed per page—choose between 10, 20, or 50 users. Stay tuned as we plan to extend this functionality to other lists within the Kisi Web Dashboard soon.

Try it out now

Kisi & Spot AI integration: Enhance security insights with AI video footage​

We’re excited to share our newest integration with Spot AI. The integration connects Kisi event data with Spot AI’s video footage whenever a Kisi-controlled door is unlocked. This enables customers to monitor access control in real-time. As an admin, you can:

Integrate with your existing camera or cameras of your choice See video footage from an access event in the Spot AI application Quickly investigate and resolve incidents

Unlock full visibility today

Slack integration: Direct Alert Policy notifications to specific channels​

The Kisi & Slack integration allows admins to receive real-time event updates and alert notifications directly in their Slack channels. Our latest update lets you match Alert Policies to specific Slack channels, ensuring the right team members stay fully informed and responsive.

Set it up

What's new in May 2024

· 2 min read

Explore the latest Kisi features and stay up-to-date with the most recent updates in the Kisi docs.

New features​

Streamlined, compliant access for employees, tenants and visitors​

To even better equip our customers for the complex access challenges of modern workplaces, we've launched the Kisi Terminal Pro, an all-in-one access solution with self-serve credential options.

The Terminal Pro enables streamlined, compliant access for anyone, in any situation via physical, mobile, or QR code credentials. Your organization can expect:

  • Frictionless access: Stress-free unlock experiences for your employees, tenants, and visitors
  • Efficient admin: Flexible over-the-air provisioning and remote management via Kisi’s cloud-based dashboard
  • Enhanced security: Guaranteed compliance and complete visibility into your access analytics

Get the details now

Stay compliant with Event retention policies​

To help our customers safeguard valuable information and maintain compliance, we've introduced Event Retention policies into Kisi. Admins can now set policies that will automatically delete or anonymize all Kisi events beyond the specified retention period. This enhancement improves data management efficiency, ensuring smooth operations and regulatory adherence.

See how to set up your policies

Remotely reboot your Kisi devices​

We understand the inconvenience of rebooting Kisi devices onsite to address issues like Bluetooth connectivity problems. That's why we're excited to announce the rollout of remote reboot capability. This enhancement allows admins to resolve issues from anywhere, reducing downtime and travel costs while enhancing system reliability.

What's new in April 2024

· 2 min read

Explore the latest Kisi features and stay up-to-date with the most recent updates in the Kisi docs.

New features​

Integrate Kisi with Splunk for enhanced access control analytics​

Facility usage data and user behavior insights are crucial to get a full picture of your space. Now, alongside access control events, you can tap into comprehensive analytics with Splunk. The Kisi x Splunk integration allows security administrators to:

  • Enhance security measures by identifying vulnerabilities such as forced or held doors and incidents of hardware tampering.
  • Assess entry traffic patterns by aggregating access events and monitoring door usage.
  • Make informed decisions regarding optimum space utilization by monitoring space occupancy.

Read the docs

First to arrive schedules now available on mobile​

With First to arrive schedules, you ensure that Unlock schedules activate only when at least one authorized user is physically present. Use them to:

  • Postpone a planned Unlock schedule until the first authorized unlock at the Kisi reader
  • Terminate an active Unlock schedule earlier as the last person departs the facility.

Read the docs

New integration partnership: VORTEX by VIVOTEK​

We are thrilled to announce our new partnership with VORTEX by VIVOTEK. The integration between Kisi and VIVOTEK’s VORTEX enables customers to intuitively monitor access and identity on the VORTEX portal in real-time. It also supports the detection of unusual activities with video analytics, providing instant notifications.

Read the more

Case study: KAYAK​

Read how KAYAK, the world’s leading travel search engine, enhances employee experience and bolsters security with Kisi.

Read the case study

Docs changelog​

Hardware​

Web​

Mobile​

What's new in March 2024

· 2 min read

Explore the latest Kisi features and stay up-to-date with the most recent updates in the Kisi docs.

New features​

Zoom: Automatically share and revoke access to booked rooms​

As an admin, ensuring seamless access to scheduled rooms is a top priority. With Kisi, you can efficiently tackle this task with two straightforward options:

  • Group links: Allow participants to unlock doors with a simple tap on their device. These links remain active for the duration of the meeting, allowing seamless access for all attendees.

  • Check-Ins: Automatically unlock doors as soon as one participant checks into the room. And for added security, the door locks itself upon check-out or when the meeting concludes, ensuring only authorized individuals have access. Read the docs

Read the docs

Easily manage access for guests with our new Visitor Management feature​

As an organization admin, now you can easily share access, keep tabs on past and upcoming visitors, and revoke access as needed—all in one convenient location within our web app. Our brand-new Visitor Management feature is currently in beta, and we're eager to hear your feedback!

Read the docs

Introducing our revamped web app navigation​

We've revamped our navigation design to enhance convenience and streamline everyday tasks, ensuring you never feel lost again in the Kisi web app. With a sleek new sidebar, you can swiftly navigate between organizations and places. Plus, enjoy updated menus for both organizations and places, along with a convenient new settings menu.

Check it out

Docs changelog​

Web​

API docs​

Mobile​

You're invited to Kisi Connect

· One min read

Kisi Connect is an exclusive event bringing together the Kisi ecosystem for a day of networking and learning, with some fun mixed in. A community of CIOs, admins, IT, and workplace experts will connect to discuss and analyze the latest trends and best practices in modern security.

We have some great sessions lined up, including industry leaders from companies like Accenture, Kayak and Envoy.

From cozy fireside chats to momentous keynote sessions, we'll dive into the ever-evolving security landscape and the workplace of the future.

Check out our blog to learn more about the event and how to register.

What's new in February 2024

· 3 min read

Explore the latest Kisi features and stay up-to-date with the most recent updates in the Kisi docs.

New features​

Auto-refresh for your Kisi events history​

We made some big improvements to the Event history screen to make things easier for you and save you time.

  • Auto-refresh option. When enabled, the event list will automatically refresh every 10 seconds, allowing you to view the latest events without manual intervention. This guarantees you never miss a beat and stay up-to-date with the latest access control events at your facility.
  • All events tab: In addition to the Access and Audit events tabs, you can now access the All events tab, which displays both access and audit events.

Read the docs and start using them right away!

Integrate Kisi with Duo in less than 2 minutes 🔒​

Now, you can seamlessly connect Kisi with Duo by Cisco to enable Duo’s multi-factor authentication solutions for your users’ Kisi logins. Duo verifies user identities and establishes device trust before granting access, ensuring that only authorized users with trusted devices can log in to Kisi.

Using third-party NFC cards with Kisi just got easier​

If your organization is transitioning from a legacy system to Kisi, you may want to continue using your third-party NFC cards. You can do this by simply entering the card's UID number through the web dashboard. This enhancement further streamlines the migration process from legacy systems to full Kisi access for our customers.

From insight to action: How our Data team has operationalized business intelligence​

Occasionally, we will share behind-the-scenes blogs so you can explore how cutting-edge software and hardware are made. In this first blog, delve into how we've brought a DevOps approach to business intelligence, transforming our data warehouse into a streamlined, manageable structure.

Customer spotlight: Peachtree Corners, Georgia​

Read how the city of Peachtree Corners is leveraging Kisi’s mobile and cloud-based access control to push their smart city agenda closer to reality.

Docs changelog​

Hardware​

Web​

API docs​

Operationalizing Business Intelligence

· 4 min read

This article was written by Kisi's data analyst Roman Vakhrenev.

In July 2022, upon joining Kisi as a data analyst, our data infrastructure consisted of BigQuery as the data warehouse and LookerStudio (formerly Data Studio) as our reliable BI tool. Initially, our dashboard setup was fairly simple – fewer than a dozen dashboards, lacking clear guidelines for development, and utilizing a single dataset for various dashboards' views and tables. It was manageable at first, but complexities arose as the number of dashboards increased.

Growing out of our first pair of BI shoes​

  • Chores: Making changes to data replication settings necessitated manual updates to all queries. For instance, replacing instances of "properties." with "property_" in different views and scheduled queries required tedious manual effort, proving highly impractical for scalability.
  • Dashboard isolation: Reusing views across multiple dashboards became problematic when modifications were needed, leading to discrepancies in other dashboards.
  • Maintenance barriers: Absence of a system to track views and tables used in specific dashboards made cleanup daunting, resulting in unnecessary accumulation that was difficult to delete.
  • Unclear cost attribution: Our use of hardware logs as a data source led to unexpectedly high costs, which went unnoticed until later. Implementing cost tracking per dashboard would have helped identify and rectify the issue earlier.
  • Query performance: Dashboards using BigQuery views experienced frustratingly slow performance due to the need for query execution each time they were accessed.
  • Service credentials: Upon a data analyst's departure from Kisi, several dashboards lost functionality because multiple data sources in LookerStudio were linked to the departing analyst's credentials. Manual reassignment of permissions became necessary after her account was deleted.

Bringing a DevOps approach to BI​

Following team brainstorming sessions, we implemented the following strategies:

  • Isolated datasets: We created distinct datasets for each dashboard, preventing the use of tables from one dataset in others. This approach effectively resolved issues 2 and 3.
  • Scheduled queries: Instead of views, we now rely on scheduled queries, running at regular intervals and storing results in physical tables. This shift tackled problems 4 and 5 and enabled better cost monitoring by easily identifying these tables in billing logs.
  • Terraform: Terraform played a crucial role in addressing problem 1. We utilized Terraform to create scheduled queries and datasets, streamlining our processes. Terraform, an open-source infrastructure as code tool, facilitated easy query updates with a single click. Additionally, it served as a robust disaster recovery plan, storing queries and datasets externally on GitHub for swift restoration in case of data warehouse issues.
  • Service accounts: Implementing service account credentials for dashboards and scheduled queries resolved problem 6, ensuring uninterrupted data source access.

The results​

These strategic measures transformed our data warehouse into a manageable structure, allowing meticulous cost tracking at the data source level. We can now independently monitor the cost and usage of each dashboard, and access to dashboards remains unaffected by changes in our BI team.

Despite the substantial size of our Terraform file (approximately 15,000 lines, mainly SQL queries), it remains easily manageable. Queries can be located using specific names (such as "Sales Dashboard: Main Query" in the BigQuery UI or the internal name "sales_dashboard_main_query" in Terraform) and corrected as needed.

Stored in our GitHub repository, Terraform files enable tracking changes in queries through commit history and facilitate rollbacks if necessary. This adaptability will persist even with hundreds of dashboards; the Terraform file may grow larger, but its complexity will remain manageable. We also have the option to divide the file into smaller ones in the future if required.

Furthermore, precomputation significantly reduced our monthly expenses for scheduled queries and dashboard data usage, often lowering costs to as little as $10 per month while enhancing dashboard loading speeds.

Interested in what we do at Kisi?​

Check out our open positions.

We don't just operationalize BI - we also transform physical security into an IT topic. Learn more about Kisi here.

About the author​

Roman excels as a Data Analyst, transforming complex datasets into clear, actionable insights. With a talent for demystifying intricate information, he empowers decision-makers with data-driven clarity.

What's new in January 2024

· 2 min read

Explore the latest Kisi features and stay up-to-date with the most recent updates in the Kisi docs.

New features​

Push Kisi alerts and events into your Slack channels​

Connect Kisi and Slack in less than 2 minutes to automatically receive Kisi events and alert policy notifications directly in your Slack channels.

  • Collaborate on all crucial access control events without leaving the Slack app
  • Keep all stakeholders in the loop by adding team members to the Slack channel, even if they don’t have Kisi admin access
  • Set it up in less than 2 minutes

Easily delay or end an active Unlock schedule based on staff presence​

With First to Arrive schedules, you ensure that Unlock schedules activate only when at least one authorized user is physically present. Use them to:

  • Postpone a planned Unlock schedule until the first authorized unlock at the Kisi reader
  • Terminate an active Unlock schedule earlier as the last person departs the facility.

Configure your First to arrive schedule now!

Docs changelog​

Hardware​

Added videos to the following articles:

Web​

  • New integration guide: Slack
  • New integration guide: YOGO

API docs​

What's new in December 2023

· 3 min read

Explore the latest Kisi features and stay up-to-date with the most recent updates in the Kisi docs.

New features​

Unlock doors directly from Apple CarPlay​

How convenient would it be to unlock the garage door straight from your car? With Kisi's new integration with Apple CarPlay you can do just that.

  • Effortlessly unlock doors straight from your car display, enhancing safety on the fly.
  • Once logged into Kisi on mobile, the Kisi icon automatically appears in CarPlay.
  • Easily access a list of doors and tap to unlock, all without the need for remote controls or reaching for the iPhone.

Easily follow every action in your organization with improved Event History​

To help Kisi admins quickly and clearly understand what’s going on in their Kisi environment, we enhanced the Event History view. The updated view categorizes events into Access events (e.g., a door unlock) and Audit events (e.g., a door creation). Admins can now:

  • Group related access events to see them in sequences
  • Seamlessly switch place to view events for another site
  • Effortlessly filter events and share filtered views with team members using the URL

Docs changelog​

Hardware​

Web​

  • Added docs for the new Slack marketplace integration
  • Updated docs for Event history to reflect the newest changes (Access and Audit events)
  • Added a section to explain Kisi event retention and limitations
  • Intrusion Detection (Kisi-native and third-party): Added a table with possible scenarios based on alarm mode
  • Fixed role permissions for the Observer role
  • Camera integration guides: added a Prerequisites section, including that a camera must be set up in the location before starting the integration process
  • Updated Send access links to explain that Geofence and Kisi Reader restrictions don't limit access links, meaning, users with an access link can remotely unlock doors

Mobile​

What's new in November 2023

· 2 min read

Explore the latest Kisi features and stay up-to-date with the most recent updates in the Kisi docs.

New features​

Quickly review user access patterns with enhanced analytics​

We enhanced the user analytics view to provide admins with an even more detailed overview of user access behavior. Admins can now:

  • Track the typical arrival times of individual users
  • Monitor the number of days they've been present in the last 90 days
  • See a detailed breakdown of the user's daily attendance

Easily monitor primary device changes​

Alert policies help you spot specific issues in your system and make sure the right team members are notified about them. Recently, we added an alert possibility when a user changes their Primary device within the same Kisi account. This helps you to swiftly address potential security concerns by identifying when a user is using an unusual mobile device to unlock Kisi-secured doors.

Docs changelog​

Hardware​

Web​

Mobile​