Access Control Provider Got You Tied Down?

This is tough! The 'wall-to-wall' systems common to access are especially hard to depreciate enough to replace.

Really, the only strategy to enact changes most time is system cost documentation:

• Repair/Service Costs
• Software Maintenance Cost
• Cost of Upgrade when Existing System is Obsoleted
• Direct Overhead devoted to Operate System

If the total number is large enough, then you might get the nod to start looking at replacement offerings. If that number is rather small, you might be fighting a losing battle.

Our proprietary ACS is backing us into a corner. Some vendors advertise open source, but the open source functions are very limited, just enough to work at a bare minimum with a legacy system (getting the foot in the door), but not enough to provide full functionality. A new vendor doesn’t want to integrate with existing systems; a new vendor wants to take over the existing system. Hence, the existing system vendor does not want to provide integration with a competitive vendor. It’s even worse when a vendor releases its own new line of products and discontinues support for its existing systems.

Mike

Equally hard is the "license" or "seat" arrangements with some vendors and when trying to amalgamate multiple sites into the one network.......What a headache of version incompatiblity and seat upgrades just to get the system communicating!....... let alone the firmware version issues and hardware problems when NONE of it matches and all the client sees (or wants to see!) is a HUGELY expensive service call to undertakes works of a software nature......... The comments like "i think the upgrades should be included in the original pricing!........

All in all, I shy away from the larger vendors due to this "proprietary" perspective and focus on the few more "open source" than others, so that the client sees a fair days work for a fair days charge".

I'm learning that some systems are much easier to work with than others.

The proprietary systems have driven a fair bit of business to our company. Some of our customers have hired us specifically to rip them out, despite us sometimes making recommendations that we can work with them.

Tim,

I have an integrator, who at one time was our preferred vendor, that continuously makes sales calls to tell us about all the flaws we currently have with our access control system. Since the system we currently use was recommended and installed by the same vendor, we are reluctant to do additional business with the vendor. The vendor often points out that the previous security manager was not qualified for the job. I'm sure when I depart, I will become the vendor's patsy

It's definitely been a buzz-kill to find out our preferred vendor is a sellout. We are glad this is not indicative of the mainstream integrator community.

Mike

As far as specifing equipment and seperating you from other integrators and really a good thing to keep in mind in living your life well is; "You will never build yourself up by tearing others down!"

That be said tell your customers your systems atributes, about your security firm reputation, never even mention the competition and that way you will never have any competition.

Yes we have several customers that are tied into certain systems because of a previous managers decision. Have not found a good solution.