Leveraging Cloud-Based IoT for Enhanced Security and Efficiency

Traditionally, Dormakaba relied on physical credentials such as smart keys for access control, a method inherently prone to security risks like theft or loss. Physical card keys created a persistent vulnerability — once lost or duplicated, they offered no way to revoke access remotely or track who had used them, leaving both residential and commercial properties exposed to unauthorized entry.

Recognizing the need to adapt to modern technological trends and enhance user convenience, Dormakaba sought to revolutionize its approach by introducing a digital key accessible directly through smartphones. Achieving this required more than a simple app — it demanded a robust cloud based software solutions architecture capable of securely managing digital credentials at scale across millions of potential end users and properties.

Dormakaba's goal was to streamline access control by leveraging the built-in security features of smartphones, including biometric authentication and device-level encryption. This meant re-architecting how access control functioned at a fundamental level, rather than simply digitizing the existing card-key model.

Dormakaba's existing microservices architecture presented additional complexity, requiring multi-factor identification, authentication, event monitoring, and runtime management to be woven into a system that could scale reliably without introducing new points of failure or security gaps. Any software ag cumulocity implementation would need to integrate cleanly with this architecture rather than forcing a disruptive rebuild of systems already in production across Dormakaba's global operations.

Dormakaba also needed to optimize its cloud infrastructure to reduce operational costs. Running security infrastructure at global scale — across 50 countries and millions of connected devices — meant that even small inefficiencies in cloud resource allocation translated into significant recurring costs, making infrastructure optimization a business priority alongside the core security transformation.