There are two things we never seem to have enough of — time and money. Thus, when the opportunity presents itself to save both, wouldn’t we jump at the chance?

The move to a unified security platform is designed to address both of those sweet spots for end users and integrators. Rather than relying on separate servers to run access control and video surveillance systems, under unification, a single server handles both operations.

You can see where the cost savings can come in. Rather than investing in dual servers, you can operate with just one. And one server also means fewer licenses, easier licensing management, improved maintenance through a single health monitoring system, reduced installation time…and the list goes on.

But investing in a security solution isn’t just about saving money. It’s also about product performance and ensuring that you get the critical information as quickly and accurately as possible.

Unification addresses that piece as well. Bringing access control and video together into one server means bypassing the middleware and extensions that typically are relied upon so one system can communicate with the other.

When time is of the essence, and when it comes to security it is, the ability to retrieve video or access data as quickly as possible is critical.

Under a unified server scenario, while video and access control are tied together, you still have the opportunity to leverage the power of integration. Information from other related peripherals such as smoke alarms, intercoms, motion detectors, building systems, etc. can still be brought into the system for monitoring.

This allows security personnel to have the best of both worlds: unified access and video AND the ability to respond to and provide better information when an event is underway through data from integrated systems.

Additionally, when conducting an investigation after an event, you’re able to reduce the number of steps you would have had to take in a two-server environment. Take for example, someone who is experiencing multiple card rejects, who tries to damage a card reader on the wall and cameras in that area capture the incident. In an unified system, the time it would have taken to match the card reader data with the video is reduced by tools available through unification. Using functions such as data visualization, security personnel can find a high number of card rejects and then go to the corresponding video more quickly than if they were still operating in a two server, two client environment.

In a word, unification comes down to simplification — fewer steps, lower costs, more results.

Learn more about how unified solutions helped Rush University Medical Center in Chicago simplify and secure its security operations in this video.

With everything that is involved in managing a business – human resources, facilities maintenance, finance — it’s no wonder that small to medium sized organizations can get distracted with running their business and, as a result, have less time to spend actually growing it. To combat this, companies are finding creative ways to be able to concentrate on their core competencies and outsource non-core services such as payroll, IT services, as well as building security and access control.

It used to be that access control or other security processes had to be handled in-house – often requiring current employees to take on these important responsibilities as a part-time job. This sometimes resulted in continual training on the system, which in turn created maintenance inefficiencies and security breaches.  When employees take on security as a part-time role, their primary job suffers and so does the access control system. 

The advent of cloud based access control is allowing companies to refocus their time and energy back to their core business. Whether a company has a few doors and a couple hundred people to manage or it needs coverage for thousands of people and entry points, the scalability of cloud based access control makes it easy for businesses to meet their ever-changing access needs.

Outsourcing security also reduces capital and operating expenses by eliminating the need to hire and train specialized staff and commit dedicated resources, such as PCs, software, OS updates and IT involvement.  By migrating to a cloud based access control system, companies can return some of the funds that would have paid for infrastructure or IT involvement to their core business. The total annual cost of a cloud based access control system is less than that of a traditional access control system. 

Managed services can also offer businesses an à la carte choice of security services tailored to the unique needs of the enterprise, where organizations can choose how much of the access control system functions they would like to retain inhouse — such as creating a photo ID card — or what functions are better outsourced.  The rise of mobile and web-delivered applications also allows security managers on the go to easily control many of these common security functions. In a managed service environment, business can not only choose their own level of involvement in their system but can also choose when, where and how they can use the system with mobile and browser based system interfaces.

Managed services is the sum of all that’s good:  cost savings, improved security, an unparalleled experience and the peace of mind that comes with knowing that your security solution is being professionally managed.

Leave us a comment below to tell us what you think about Managed Services: The Future of Access Control.