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Twilio > Case Studies > Freespace and KORE: A Partnership for Safe Return to Office Spaces

Freespace and KORE: A Partnership for Safe Return to Office Spaces

Technology Category

Networks & Connectivity - Cellular
Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms

Applicable Industries

Buildings
National Security & Defense

Applicable Functions

Facility Management

Use Cases

Occupancy Monitoring
Tamper Detection

Services

Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services
System Integration

The Challenge

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced businesses to rethink their operations, particularly the return of employees to the office while adhering to government-issued safety requirements. In countries where the virus is still uncontrolled, only 10 to 15 percent of employees are working on-site. The challenge lies in creating a safe environment for employees to return to work. Freespace, a company that specializes in making workspaces intelligent, had been helping businesses optimize office occupancy and reduce operating costs before the pandemic. However, the onset of COVID-19 meant that Freespace had to pivot its services to help businesses keep their employees safe. The company needed to make occupancy data available to everyone in the building, which required the installation of sensors on desks and in meeting rooms to collect occupancy data. However, this solution presented technical challenges, including the need for security, reliability, and scalability.

About The Customer

Freespace, by Workplace Fabric, is a company that specializes in making workspaces intelligent. They have been helping businesses optimize office occupancy and reduce operating costs for years. Their solution works by using sensors installed on desks and in meeting rooms to collect occupancy data. This data is then analyzed in real-time to provide facility managers with the information they need to ensure social distancing, occupancy-based cleaning, COVID-19 guidance compliance, and employee reassurance. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Freespace pivoted its services to help businesses keep their employees safe by making occupancy data available to everyone in the building.

The Solution

Freespace partnered with KORE, a provider of scalable IoT connectivity platforms, to address their technical challenges. KORE's platform allowed Freespace to handle all critical IoT connectivity functions, freeing up engineers to focus on core product features. It also provided robust security features to meet the requirements of enterprise customers' IT departments. The platform enabled Freespace to reliably send sensor data over Wi-Fi or cellular to the cloud for analysis. This solution allowed Freespace to avoid building the required infrastructure themselves, which would have slowed them down and not differentiated them in their market. With KORE's platform, Freespace was able to quickly roll out its solution in 72 cities worldwide. The platform's embedded operating system on Freespace sensor devices provided secure Wi-Fi or cellular connectivity, allowing Freespace to deploy 30,000 sensors within 12 months, even during the pandemic.

Operational Impact

The partnership between Freespace and KORE resulted in a robust, secure, and scalable solution that helped businesses navigate the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The solution allowed businesses to understand what's happening within their office spaces, ensuring social distancing, occupancy-based cleaning, COVID-19 guidance compliance, and employee reassurance. Freespace was able to display socially-distanced spaces on large screens visible on each floor, and employees and cleaning staff could use a mobile app for more flexibility. The solution also provided comprehensive security features to prevent hackers from compromising the system. The partnership with KORE allowed Freespace to focus on their core product features, while KORE handled the critical IoT connectivity functions. This resulted in a rapid deployment of the solution, even during the pandemic, helping businesses bring their employees back to the office safely.

Quantitative Benefit