Installing Smart Systems

Installing Smart Systems

Creating new opportunities for security integrators

  • By Jenny Lytle
  • Jun 02, 2022

Many multi-family communities and single building owners are still using traditional telephone entry systems where information lives on localized hardware. This makes it more difficult for owners and managers to satisfy basic security needs when they are struggling to keep up with the entry/exit of permanent or part-time residents, renters, visitors, guests, deliveries and service providers.

Legacy entry systems will soon be obsolete as telecom companies begin to phase out the use of copper wiring. Security integrators who are serious about building their businesses should get in front of this inevitable transition to smart access control systems.

The Challenges of Community Access Management Using Legacy Technology
Community access management is a complex, time-consuming process. Regardless of the property type, there are multiple points of access to control and an ever-changing database of resident information to manage.

With legacy analog technologies, databases are kept at the entry unit itself. In some cases, the community manager/owner must be on site at the unit to make updates. Since it is such a time-consuming experience, many community managers and MDU owners tend to update their databases less often. This means that active access codes are available to former, unauthorized residents.

Smart Access Video Intercoms
Smart access video intercoms are rapidly replacing obsolete and unreliable telephone intercoms. Communities have two choices when faced with this inevitable change.

1. They can retrofit their existing hardware with a smart hub that connects their current set up to cloud-based access control software.

2. They can transition to smart video intercoms which come with embedded controllers that automatically connect with cloud access control software. It is the connectivity of the cloud that gives property owners and managers the flexibility to manage access from anywhere at any time. And a smart video intercom system supports both security, efficiency, and convenience.

Also, a smart video intercom system enables real-time, remote monitoring of access status. This is an opportunity for security professionals to offer monitoring services to owners/ managers, adding recurring monthly revenue as part of their service contracts.

What to Look for in a Smart Access Control System
The cloud and the connectivity of the Internet of Things has created the smart access control market and introduced a host of new products. Security integrators will be well served to partner with best-in-class access solution providers—providers who offer robust and scalable systems with seamless integration capabilities. Here are some things to consider when looking for a trusted partner.

Ease of use. This is typically the most important factor to take into consideration when looking to implement an access control system. A reliable cloud-based access control system should come with an intuitive interface for residents as well as easy programming capabilities that allow system integrators to add or update data from anywhere. Additionally, a system that installs software updates automatically ends the management of multiple software licenses running on different versions of the software. And the integrator doesn’t need to be onsite to download or install cloud software.

Customizable. It is important to select an access control system that aligns with a community’s needs. The system should be scalable and flexible to allow users to specify the level of control they need now and with the ability to add-on features later. Features like access control for elevators, parking structures and garages. The access control system should also come with robust diagnostics that can be customized to issue alerts and notifications that are relevant to the community’s needs.

Versatile. Selecting an access control system that plays nicely with other security systems allows dealers to enhance a community’s safety through a seamless over-arching solution tailored to specific needs. Also, security professionals who can integrate smart access control with other security solutions can build a stronger and proactive service relationship with customers.

The Future of Smart Access Control
Smart access control plays a big role in how secure a community is. And the need to control access points is a fundamental part of a community’s overall security solution.

Integrators who want to improve and expand their service offerings should consider the benefits of replacing a legacy system with a robust, a full-featured cloud access solution that delivers enhanced functionality and easy integration with other security solutions.

This article originally appeared in the May / June 2022 issue of Security Today.

About the Author

Jenny Lytle is the general manager, Commercial Emerging Business at Chamberlain Group

Featured

  • Report: 47 Percent of Security Service Providers Are Not Yet Using AI or Automation Tools

    Trackforce, a provider of security workforce management platforms, today announced the launch of its 2025 Physical Security Operations Benchmark Report, an industry-first study that benchmarks both private security service providers and corporate security teams side by side. Based on a survey of over 300 security professionals across the globe, the report provides a comprehensive look at the state of physical security operations. Read Now

    • Guard Services

  • Identity Governance at the Crossroads of Complexity and Scale

    Modern enterprises are grappling with an increasing number of identities, both human and machine, across an ever-growing number of systems. They must also deal with increased operational demands, including faster onboarding, more scalable models, and tighter security enforcement. Navigating these ever-growing challenges with speed and accuracy requires a new approach to identity governance that is built for the future enterprise. Read Now

  • Eagle Eye Networks Launches AI Camera Gun Detection

    Eagle Eye Networks, a provider of cloud video surveillance, recently introduced Eagle Eye Gun Detection, a new layer of protection for schools and businesses that works with existing security cameras and infrastructure. Eagle Eye Networks is the first to build gun detection into its platform. Read Now

  • Report: AI is Supercharging Old-School Cybercriminal Tactics

    AI isn’t just transforming how we work. It’s reshaping how cybercriminals attack, with threat actors exploiting AI to mass produce malicious code loaders, steal browser credentials and accelerate cloud attacks, according to a new report from Elastic. Read Now

  • Pragmatism, Productivity, and the Push for Accountability in 2025-2026

    Every year, the security industry debates whether artificial intelligence is a disruption, an enabler, or a distraction. By 2025, that conversation matured, where AI became a working dimension in physical identity and access management (PIAM) programs. Observations from 2025 highlight this turning point in AI’s role in access control and define how security leaders are being distinguished based on how they apply it. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols.

  • Unified VMS

    AxxonSoft introduces version 2.0 of the Axxon One VMS. The new release features integrations with various physical security systems, making Axxon One a unified VMS. Other enhancements include new AI video analytics and intelligent search functions, hardened cybersecurity, usability and performance improvements, and expanded cloud capabilities

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge.