Unification and Access Control

An access control system is no more used as an access to a premise, and there has been a massive shift due to customer demand and need for better access control experience. The industry has been racing that touchless access control has become a new requirement post-COVID- 19. The movement over the years is from Keypads to Card Readers then to IP Door Readers. And now, the current trend is through smartphone access.

With the recent advancements in software technologies and the ongoing partnership between security manufacturers integration has become a popular substitute for traditional interfacing. Nowadays, a single platform is available that can manage access control, intrusion, video devices and public addressing systems giving the advantage of a unified interface to monitor the entire system.

Such an approach goes above and beyond the basic functionalities of interfacing and integration while offering end-users, an efficient, flexible and cost-effective option to system unification. A unified platform is a comprehensive software solution that manages access control, intrusion, video functionalities, public addressing system and even power fencing through non-proprietary security equipment or appliances. It is a unified interface that offers seamless integration between access control, video, intrusion, public addressing systems with built-in reporting and alarm management functionalities.

Open platform products, as referred to in the security industry, integrate with different hardware manufacturers without necessarily using industry standards like open-architecture systems. These types of systems offer a substantial benefit to end-user because they now have the freedom to change software or hardware vendors without having to discard all invested equipment. An open-unified solution protects the end user’s investment through interoperability, meets the user’s security needs and is affordable to buy and maintain.

Take the case of a pharma industry wherein the audit requirements necessitate evidence of an employee participated in the manufacture through the access control and video monitoring. Similarly, a software company would like to have a back-up for the billing to their clients which needs the time spent by the team from start to finish.