Commercial Integrator + Security Sales October 2024 - 52

SSI
ACCESS CONTROL
" At the end of the month on these takeovers,
people are saying, 'I can't believe
what this system has done for me. It has
alerted me to problems that I didn't know
I had!' And then, you go to the videotape,
and you tie it all together. Our access
control systems do a lot more than just
open a door, " says Capogna.
Customers are definitely becoming
more educated and sophisticated about
all things related to security and access
control, says Courduff.
" There is a lot more technology out
there, " he says. " The IT acceptance is now
good, especially on the access control
side. We're not big bandwidth hogs or
anything like that. We make people feel
better. We're definitely still sitting there in
a good spot and educating those who need
to be educated. "
Lantrip calls access control " a very
mature product " that most of Allied
Universal's customers understand and ask
for when they talk.
" I don't know when the last time I was
involved in an opportunity where the
customer did not understand what access
control was and wasn't seeking it out
actively, " he says.
Security Hunter's clients are about
evenly split in terms of knowing about
access control and needing to be educated
about it, says Peterson.
" Several of our contracts require us
to provide biannual updates on new
technologies, " he explains. " Generally,
we'll go maybe 90 days after ISC West or
after GSX. We'll have another update for
that. We'll have to [also provide] a brief
overview of what technology is coming
down the pike. What do we think will
make it not only through the new shiny
period, but what will actually provide
long term? "
" The U.S. government isn't guinea
pigs. Generally, products going out to the
main facilities have to have anywhere
from seven to 10 years of maintenance
history before the government will buy
it. They want to see that it's going to
hold up over time before they're willing
to put in tens of millions of dollars of
investment into that technology, " says
Peterson.
Future Growth Potential
Despite the exponential growth of the
access control market, Samek sees plenty
of room for it to continue its upward
trajectory.
" We're very fortunate to have a very
loyal customer base that's usually expanding
and growing, " he says. " Once they like
the system, and we can prove that it does
what we say it can do, and it helps them
manage their business - make something
with their side of things a little bit more
secure - then they see it as a convenience
and want to add this convenience to this
door...to that door. "
" We're very fortunate that a lot of our
existing customers drive a lot of our work,
just by trusting the system and seeing that
convenience. In the education market,
a lot of places want to get away from
unsecured doors and people propping
things open, so adding that card reader to
the majority of main entrances that staff
use frequently really drives a lot of that,
too, " says Samek.
While many customers are moving full
force into the technological age, whether
that means mobile access control or
biometrics, there are still some who enjoy
having a slightly more old-school key fob,
says Samek.
" We still see a lot of interest in the
physical key fobs, " he says. " The mobile
credentials are nice in small quantities
for your handful of end users. When you
have a school that's trying to deploy it out
to a couple hundred teachers that might
be more of a pain than just issuing a key
card to them and having them pick it up
and they also are using those for their ID
badges and stuff like that. "
" I don't see the physical credentials
going away anytime soon. We still have
a lot of interest in that. The number of
doors has certainly increased when we're
doing a building. We're not doing too
many one and two doors. We're doing all
of the doors in the facility, moving into
the interior doors, " says Samek.
Courduff sees plenty of potential for
growth in the access control space.
" I love that there's competition out
there, " he says. " I love that the competition
on the technology side is pushing
the manufacturers to another level and
coming up with different applications. "
TD SYNNEX's Comprehensive Access
Control Systems Offer Scalable Solutions
In today's evolving security landscape, flexibility in access control solutions
is key for users who seek streamlined, integrated management of building
security. TD SYNNEX's comprehensive access control systems, with
partnerships and APIs for leading VMS and building automation, offer scalable
solutions that address these needs effectively.
Cybersecurity remains a top concern, with IT departments tasked with protecting
network components from threats. High-trust products, regular firmware updates
and OSDP protocols between card readers and door controllers are crucial for
mitigating risks. Updating legacy access control systems is essential to enhance
cybersecurity.
Monitoring and awareness are central to effective access control, ensuring
that only authorized individuals access specific areas at designated times. Agile
systems that adapt and grow with user needs, offering real-time notifications and
programmable schedules, are vital for maintaining security.
Integration, however, presents challenges as each security layer - video
surveillance, access control, building management - adds complexity. Selecting
an access control system that provides end-to-end solutions can simplify
integration and reduce potential issues.
While AI has not yet significantly impacted access control, future
advancements may see AI-driven decision-making enhancing security and
efficiency in these systems.
52 Commercial Integrator+Security Sales & Integration | October 2024
Commercial Integrator + Security Sales October 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Commercial Integrator + Security Sales October 2024
