In similar respects to VSaaS, integrators can also propose an access control hardware leasing program in cases where the end user really wants to forgo all equipment investment. Without necessarily being limited to these examples, temporary installations that still require a few doors to be secured, like a blood drive clinic or a short-term event with backstage areas, could benefit from this type of service. Integrators can also choose to bundle the cost of the hardware into the monthly fee, offering a financing option, and ultimately making it easier for the customer to manage cash flow and risk when adopting a new IP security solution.
Considering the Platform Risks
Regardless of all the benefits, privacy issues and security risks may be of concern to some end users. But this is where choosing to offer a cloud-based solution with advanced security features comes into play. Encrypted communications, data protection capabilities, and strong user authentication and password protection are key features for any cloud-based system.
In the case of a breach, the end user relies on full audit trails to verify who had access to the system and see what changes were made. Properly investigating the cloud platform’s inherent security functionalities and policies, and checking out their certifications can also help confirm the reliability and security of your cloud-based deployments.
Looking at the Cloud’s Forecast
As the demand for extending mobility into the field continues to rise, and more and more end users, as well as integrators, consider the benefits of hosted security systems, VSaaS and ACaaS will gain tremendous traction in the industry. At that point, it will be interesting to see what other types of systems come into the cloud and how information from all these systems will be managed.
A unified cloud-based platform might be beneficial to those end users who seek to merge information and functionality, but for now integrators wanting to explore new potential revenue streams or spread into untapped markets can rely on fully-hosted VSaaS or ACaaS to get the job done.
Christian Morin is Director of the Stratocast Product Group at Genetec (genetec.com).
The Outlook for Access in the Cloud
- Hosted access control was estimated to be the second-largest market opportunity for ACaaS for North America and Europe in 2011, and was also estimated to be the fastest growing market from 2011 through 2016.
- Small contract sizes were estimated to be the largest market in 2011 and are forecast to remain the largest market in 2016, representing about 59% of the contract size market.
- Small and medium-sized businesses are forecast to remain the largest end-user customer type through the forecast period. Enterprise and government is anticipated to see strong growth and is predicated to represent about 13% of the market in 2016.
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