Key Benefits of Access Control as a Subscription Service

Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, we’ve seen an acceleration in the adoption of cloud-based access control solutions. When lockdowns began and remote work became the norm, many businesses were challenged with their on-site server solution. On-prem systems did not allow them to manage their properties remotely. They could not integrate access control with other critical business systems to ensure the cyber and physical security of the organization. This left security professionals with only one option: to go onsite to reset servers or check on systems. 

Businesses that already modernized their access control solution from on-premise to cloud immediately saw the benefits of remote access management. Security managers were able to secure buildings, monitor employee access, and grant access to credentialled employees as needed without being onsite. This was clearly a situation where migrating to the cloud has been the right business strategy.

The cloud benefits more than your security strategy. Adopting access control as a subscription service, commonly known as software as a service or SaaS, has its own set of benefits for the business. 

A 2019 survey from LendingTree revealed that 76% of consumers have at least one subscription. We use video streaming services, music services, email, cell phones, fitness apps, and many others in our personal lives. If so much of our personal lives depend on subscriptions, shouldn’t businesses take advantage of the benefits of SaaS too?

The pandemic has forced many businesses to rethink their current strategy on security. Moving to an access control subscription model is a key business decision that needs to be considered in a post-pandemic world. Access Control as a Subscription (ACaaS) offers remote management, integrated video surveillance and identity management (IAM), and mobile access.  

One of the most overlooked and important benefits of ACaaS is that you are always on the latest version of the software. This is the real benefit of the software as a service model. As new features are added, like the latest health, safety tools to reopen offices, bug fixes, cybersecurity updates, etc. The software itself is always maintained by the professionals that built it. 

There are many advantages to security as a subscription. Here are the top four: 

1-Increased Security 

Maintenance responsibilities that traditionally fell on the IT department are off-loaded to the software vendor. That means the security team can now focus on the actual security work. With more sophisticated security tools, you can monitor security events, detect anomalies, and monitor activities with video across the property. Your security team becomes a more valuable resource in keeping physical spaces, employees, and other assets safe. 

Continuous upgrades from the provider eliminate the need for extra work and downtime that are necessary with conventional software. Good providers are constantly evaluating software development best practices to ensure secure applications. They also update software as vulnerabilities are identified (their own or third party). This practice of continuously building cybersecurity and resilience into their solutions help protect you against evolving cyber threats.

2-Save Money

Buying access control as a subscription has financial benefits. It eliminates the large up-front expenditure related to purchasing and expensive maintenance. Subscription services offer ongoing upgrades and improvements and provide access to robust, enterprise-ready software on a small business budget. SaaS can be a real money-saver over time.

3-Solutions That Grow With You

SaaS platforms have the ability to scale on-demand, whether to add more users or add more sites. Security software as a service allows the business to be more nimble and scale faster to meet the demands for business growth. For enterprise companies, delivering scalable computing capacity and advanced services can give you an edge over the competition as well. 

4-Increase Speed and Integration

On-premise software system updates can require enormous amounts of time, money, and staff resources. Enterprise businesses may require large or multisite upgrades. A system upgrade or integration could result in version discrepancies between sites and potential compatibility issues. The potential for problems is a drag on the business and can endanger not only future revenue but turn into more tangible costs in the immediate short-term. 

SaaS software allows you to integrate once and deploy everywhere. That way you ensure consistency across the enterprise while accelerating your ability to scale and grow without the costly human and physical overhead.

Software as a service can save money, time, and human resources across any business discipline. Cloud-based SaaS infrastructure for physical security signals to customers, employees, and investors that you are investing in critical solutions to help the business succeed. By eliminating problems like software maintenance and incompatibility, access control as a service can lead to more integrated security solutions overall. It can also deliver needed remote management, provide better insight for your business, and integrate into the greater cybersecurity and IT infrastructure and greater productivity.