In an increasingly competitive environment, systems integrators need a differentiator. When they visit a prospect, they need differentiated services and a solid value-selling proposition. That is where cloud-platform-based security services come in.
Most integrators are familiar with cloud-hosted security management platforms. The Software as a Service (SaaS) model is accessible anywhere and anytime with a browser connection, providing convenience for customers and flexibility and scalability for integrators to be able to add many services serving multiple locations and employees. From intrusion detection to access control, video, gunshot detection, environmental monitoring, asset tracking and more, SaaS platforms enable them all to be controlled through a single interface.
The cloud vs. on-prem debate is ongoing (Editor’s note: Check out Paul Benne’s March Tech Trends column for the pros and cons of each at www.securityinfowatch.com/55268862), but the pros for the cloud include lower upfront cost, easier installation, less hardware needed, no onsite servers or IT infrastructure expertise required, and remote access and the ability to administer changes or maintain and monitor system status.
Solving Unique Challenges
When a customer chooses the cloud-based route, integrators can expand their suite of services as innovation occurs across the industry, enabling them to differentiate by providing thoughtful technology solutions to unique problems.
Here are a recent few cases in point:
Pandemic temperature checks: Dynamic Manufacturing, which runs a large, multi-building manufacturing campus in Illinois, turned to its integrator, Integrated Security Specialists (ISSI) for help in creating COVID monitoring stations during the height of the pandemic. Although temperature check stations were a relatively new concept at the time, ISSI leveraged a special module within a cloud platform to help ensure they were used by all employees. Users who failed to enter through the designated location were immediately flagged on their access credentials, alerting management that they did not satisfy COVID protocols, and entry was restricted.
Customized elevator access: Three multistory buildings in midtown Manhattan – two commercial and one residential – needed a way to manage and modify individual and specific floor access during the day and after hours. The goal was to provide reliable physical security 24/7 without being too restrictive to tenants, residents, and visitors. Integrator Alarm Specialists leveraged a cloud platform integration with the elevator and access control systems – using access expanders and relay modules – to control, restrict, and limit elevator access.
Emergency response: Jeff Kesterson, owner of Missouri-based Nightwatch Security & Telephone, partnered with several area police departments to provide a cloud-based emergency response platform. The cloud service integration enables first responders, 911 centers, and central monitoring stations to log into the platform and obtain real-time information on activity at the protected premises. Via an emergency response dashboard and user interface, first responders can view cameras, unlock doors and outputs, activate task functions, initiate lockdown, and view recent activity.
As part of the sales and site survey walkthrough, look around for different, unique services you can offer. If, for example, you walk past a freezer or walk-in cooler and don’t ask the customer if someone is managing it for low- or high-threshold temperatures, you could be missing out on an opportunity.
How to Choose a Cloud Management Platform
As illustrated, the possibilities for custom and traditional use-cases leveraging a cloud platform are vast. As an integrator, it is important to zero in on a particular cloud security management platform, but it is not always clear what to look for.
Choose a provider that offers a lot of options to easily bring new services onto the platform as a customer’s needs change. If a service only offers intrusion and access control, for example, that limits the opportunities for expanding capabilities. Remember, the more services you provide, the harder it will be for that customer to take their business elsewhere.
Part of using the cloud as a differentiator and revenue booster means being able to scale up quickly with the latest technologies. All potential services and integrations should be demonstrable through the interface and its training portal to the customer, so they understand the full potential of the solution.
A popular emerging use for cloud platforms is mobile credentials issued through smartphone and wallet apps. A cloud provider should be able to easily add that capability with little interaction from integrators. While the integrator must pay for the user credentials and the readers, this approach removes a lot of headaches from an installation perspective.
Also important is the usability of the platform’s dealer portal and the information it provides, especially from the technician’s point of view. It should be able to help an integrator support the customer and see how a system is operating so they can anticipate what tools or equipment might be needed for a service call to correct an issue.
