Deploying in a Hybrid, Cloud Environment

• By Kris Houle
• May 19, 2025

The way organizations manage access control is evolving. Traditional on-premises systems come with high IT and server requirements. At the same time, fully cloud-based solutions may not meet the needs of every facility.

Hybrid-cloud access control bridges the gap, giving businesses the best of both worlds—combining on-prem infrastructure with the flexibility of cloud-based management. As companies embrace multi-site security management and cost-saving initiatives, hybrid-cloud access control is becoming the model of choice.

Many businesses are shifting toward subscription-based models for cloud services, reducing the financial strain of major server and IT infrastructure investments. Hybrid-cloud access control enables businesses to modernize security systems at their own pace. While cloud services follow an operational expense (OpEx) model, hybrid solutions often retain a mix of OpEx and capital expense (CapEx), allowing organizations to balance upfront investments with recurring costs based on their financial strategy.

For security, flexibility, and scalability, hybrid-cloud access control is the ideal solution for most organizations. By combining on-prem security with cloud capabilities, businesses can modernize systems at their own pace.

Adapting to a Changing World
Cloud options for video management began years ago. Security and IT teams who experienced the flexibility and ease of remote management for video began to want the same benefits for access control. However, there was not a strong drive to invest in replacing legacy systems. Access control is capital-heavy, with a lot of hardware.

A hybrid-cloud model changes that equation. It allows businesses to modernize security infrastructure to take advantage of the most important benefits of cloud technologies without having to rip and replace an entire existing system.

Leveraging cloud services can also reduce the burden on IT teams to maintain infrastructure. In a traditional on-prem system, troubleshooting, system setup and commissioning needs to be done at a local level. This is especially the case when managing multiple locations and multiple systems with a complex architecture. Cloud solutions simplify this.

With hybrid-cloud, security teams can update access permissions across multiple locations from anywhere, reducing response times and improving efficiency. Automatic updates are pushed to the system to keep it secure and compliant with evolving industry standards, which frees IT teams to focus on more important tasks.

There’s a common perception that cloud security is weaker than on-prem, but in reality, leading cloud providers invest heavily in cybersecurity, offering real-time monitoring, encryption and automated patching. In highly regulated industries, a hybrid-cloud model can provide enhanced security by allowing businesses to retain local control over sensitive data while leveraging cloud-based analytics and automation.

Best Practices for Deployment
On-prem, cloud, and hybrid deployment models each have their place. None is intrinsically ‘better’ than another. Work with your systems integrator to consider factors like compliance requirements, remote access needs, and availability of resources. Then choose the model that is best suited to your situation.

A hybrid-cloud access control model is practical for most organizations because it provides the flexibility to choose what stays on-prem and what moves to the cloud. For example, many organizations manage critical security devices, such as door controllers and badge readers, locally. User management, monitoring, and analytics may be moved to the cloud for efficiency.

Here are a few things to consider when selecting deployment options.

Easy of use and remote management. When choosing a hybrid-cloud access control system, ease of use and remote management should be top priorities. With the latest cloud-managed solutions, IT teams no longer need to be on-site for every update or maintenance task.

Difference between IaaS and SaaS. When evaluating cloud access control solutions, it is important to distinguish between infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and software as a service (SaaS). IaaS solutions host access control software in the cloud, but businesses remain responsible for managing configurations, updates and security. SaaS, on the other hand, eliminates much of this burden by providing a fully managed service where the provider handles updates, security and maintenance. Hybrid-cloud solutions can combine elements of both, allowing businesses to customize their level of control.

Cybersecurity prioritization. Whether you choose an on-prem or cloud solution, ensuring strong cybersecurity practices is imperative. Choose a provider that prioritizes security from the start, not as an afterthought. Every deployment type should include encryption, network segmentation, and proactive security monitoring.

Scalability and flexibility. Considering the scalability of the system is key. Some access control providers require proprietary hardware that locks customers within their ecosystem. Selecting an open architecture solution gives you much more flexibility to gradually upgrade your hardware and software as your business changes, without the expense of having to rip out and replace legacy systems.

Businesses should carefully evaluate whether their chosen provider allows for open integrations and data portability. Even if a system supports existing hardware, some cloud providers limit interoperability through restricted APIs, proprietary data formats, or costly migration fees, making it difficult to switch providers in the future.

Hybrid-cloud access control isn’t just a compromise between on-prem and cloud—it’s a strategic choice for businesses that need flexibility, scalability, and security. By blending the reliability of on-prem infrastructure with the agility of cloud management, organizations can modernize access control at their own pace without sacrificing control or compliance.

This article originally appeared in the May / June 2025 issue of Security Today.