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Profile
Open Options is a US access company offering a range of platforms from small systems to enterprise...
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ACRE-Acquired Open Options Access Company Profile
Brian Rhodes
Dec 13, 2018UI
Undisclosed Integrator #1
Dec 18, 2018Note for the Isonas 3rd party integration that a Mercury EP level controller must be at any/each site where Isonas IP reader integration into their software is desired.
Had a case where we had a large Isonas end user with readers spread throughout many sites, i.e lots of small-medium systems. We could not consider deploying the Open Options software without first going to every site and installing an OO Mercury controller first. This made the idea of converting to their software platform a non-starter.
Brian Rhodes
Dec 18, 2018BD
Brent Doherty
Dec 18, 2018This is inaccurate. The integration to the Isonas reader controllers is completely independent of Mercury hardware.
[Mod Note: Poster is from Open Options]
Brian Rhodes
Dec 18, 2018UI
Undisclosed Integrator #1
Dec 18, 2018Brent .. thank you for this clarification. When did this change? I wish I still had the email, but I have the one I sent to my customer right after talking to Open Options back in summer 2006, a gentleman named William Meekins. At that time, i was told in very specific terms that an Open Options controller would be required at every site that had existing Isonas PowerNet readers in order to use the integration features in Open Option's software. This was a pretty big deal and we searched for any and all new software options we could offer a good long standing customer that was unhappy with the Isonas shift to a hosted model for their new software at the time .. the early iteration of Pure Access. This is why I called Open Options and have a very specific recollection of the conversation.
BD
Brent Doherty
Dec 18, 2018I am assuming you meant 2016 as none of us here at OO knew who Isonas was in '06. There has never been any dependence on the Mercury hardware in the integration to the Isonas RC-03 and RC-04 reader controllers. The initial rollout of the integration was around Q3 2016. I can only assume that these conversations may have occurred pre-release and A) accurate information was not properly conveyed at the time or B) the only available option at the time was to connect the readers via a standard protocol such as Weigand which obviously would have to connect via the Mercury architecture. I'm happy to discuss further offline if you'd like and my contact info can be found on our company website at ooaccess.com. Thx
UI
Undisclosed Integrator #1
Dec 18, 2018Yes, it was August 2016. I was told at the time that there was a required part of the firmware in the Mercury EP controllers that established connection with the Isonas IP readers at a site and that was why they (a Merc controller) was required.
This sounded a bit odd to me at the time since I was thinking that it was the OO software that would establish the IP connection to each Isonas reader, since in essence the OO software was replacing the functionality of what was then called the CSUP, or controller supervisor, in the Isonas software.
Must have have been early enough in the rollout to have led to miscommunication/interpretation of how the integration piece was to be deployed. Thanks for the clarifications.
UI
Undisclosed Integrator #1
Dec 18, 2018Good question .... I don't know for sure, but I do know that a single EP would have supported at least 18 readers since one of the site had that many. Most of the other 14 sites had 2-6 readers each.
It was difficult to work with OO at all, since they only worked with their own dealers and any inquiries about the integration were not handled with much priority in my experience. When I looked for information on the OO website, there was nary a mention of any details of the Isonas integration (this is going back a year or two), which was odd since Isonas had a press release on their own website touting the integration, but there was not a corresponding press release on OO's website.
I never saw an actual project where the Isonas readers were used on a native OO project, but that's because we were not an OO dealer. It would be interesting if an OO dealer that did add the Isonas readers to one of the projects posted on their experiences of doing so.
Clint Hays
Dec 18, 2018I'm glad to see some new articles on the access side of the world. Open Options is a system I've never personally used so this is a good breakdown for me.
KH
Kevin Helms
Dec 19, 2018I wouldn't consider Axis Entry Manager, or the Avigilon Embedded Platform to be "similar" to the Open Options DNA platform.
DNA is a robust, server based, enterprise level access control platform. Neither Axis Entry Manager, or Avigilon Embedded Controller is on an enterprise level and is only good in a smaller system capacity. Don't get me wrong, they both are good options in their markets, just not a "similar" type to OO DNA Fusion.
Brian Rhodes
Dec 19, 2018That's a good comment. My counter is that typical OO systems are competing in applications where Entry Manager or AVO Embedded are positioned versus 'Enterprise' platforms.
KH
Kevin Helms
Dec 19, 2018I disagree on the premise that DNA is going to be more expensive than Entry Manager and AVO Embedded. It seems like the differentiating factor in these cases would be the embedded software vs the server based platform, and in return, cost. The server based software is going to be far more powerful than the embedded, and provide many additional features and integrations than embedded platforms.
That being said, while DNA can run enterprise wide, they don't have an Enterprise Architecture as far as master and regional servers.
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