• Traditionally, physical access control decisions have been limited to the Properties General Manager or Facilities Manager, resulting in long-term costs due to lack of consideration of IT architecture and integration with other business services and strategies.
• The access control market is evolving and there is no leading indicator that a specific card reader standard or contactless technology will dominate the marketplace and user preference. Future-proofing for multiple possibilities is essential to manage risk.

Our Advice

Critical Insight

• The ubiquity of cellphones and IT consumerization has disrupted the access control space. Personal devices provide opportunities to enhance the customer experience, but also introduce new layers of risk that must be considered during vendor selection.
• IT needs to be involved in access control decisions early. Focus is often placed on the features important to building or facilities operations, leading to long-term risk and costs as IT tries to protect, maintain, and integrate the solution.
• Size matters. The access control market has been characterized by a high degree of consolidation by three vendors: ASSA ABLOY Hospitality, SALTO Systems, and Saflok. Be aware that some of the smaller organizations are at risk of being acquired by the big three and this can result in changes in functionality, support, etc.

Impact and Result

• Provide an enhanced customer experience and increase customer engagement by streamlining door entry and credential distribution.
• Reduce management and operational costs and maximize existing investments in technology and operational efficiencies by choosing the right solution that can leverage existing capabilities and infrastructure.
• Reduce enterprise risk by selecting a solution that will provide a high level of adaptability to future changes and innovations in contactless reader technology.