The far-reaching benefits of a best-of-breed approach for physical access control

There’s often a lot of talk about best-of-breed technology – but what does it mean in practice when it comes to physical access control? And is it best to invest in one single security system that fulfils all your needs now…but may leave you locked in with no options for improvements or adaptations in the future? Or should you look for an
access control system with an open architecture that allows you to easily configure it to your exact needs, and add, remove or replace integrations as you choose?

What do we mean by best-of-breed?

Let’s first look at the term best of breed and what it means to us. Within the field of security there is a multitude of different solutions: access control, video management, intrusion detection, PSIM, biometrics, and many more. To build these solutions, unique know-how and expertise is required as the differences between each type of solution are enormous.

It’s also very challenging to keep pace with the latest technological developments, standards and trends. So if you want to excel at something, we believe you should not try to do everything but choose your niche. This is why Usain Bolt only focusses on one thing: sprinting. How would he fare if he also tried to do tennis? Similarly to sports, we believe that truly outstanding technology is only created when companies focus on what they do best.

Many manufacturers within the security industry, however, develop a wide range of security solutions themselves. Essentially, they want to become a one-stop-shop and offer a complete portfolio. More often than not, this results in an inferior security system for the end user and (potentially) costly replacements. And in the end, these solutions still need to be integrated either way as no manufacturer can offer a complete system that covers all needs.

So here’s what we do; we stay focused on developing and updating our open-platform physical access control system, AEOS. We want to ensure it’s the very best in the market and integrates easily with existing and future technologies.

Bringing best-of-breed security technologies together

As a security manager, you know that the organization that you are trying to protect is unique. And so are its security requirements. Moreover, the security requirements of today are not the same as those of tomorrow.  This is why it is essential to choose a security system that is based on open standards and is ready to integrate. This way, you can build a comprehensive, high-quality security system that’s fully tailored to the people using it and their needs. To achieve this with AEOS, we collaborate with other security specialists who also focus on creating best-of-breed security solutions, through our Technology Partner Programme. These technologies, developed by our technology partners, integrate seamlessly with our AEOS access control system. Together with our partners, we can provide a solution to every specific situation.

Besides open architecture and integrations, it is also important to choose a solution that offers you a wide range of choice in system integrators. You do not want to be locked in with one system integrator, but want to have the choice to pick the organization that can best serve your needs. We ensure that our network of certified channel partners always has access to these integrated solutions. This way, they can provide our end customers with expert integrated solutions and support.

Ultimately, for us, providing best-of-breed technology is about:

1. Focusing on people and their challenges first, and then the technology to meet their needs.
2. Building strong partnerships with other industry specialists
3. Realise high-quality integrations that are available globally

Wide-ranging benefits for end users

Now we’re clear on what we mean by a best-of-breed approach, let’s look at the benefits it brings for end users. Why is it preferable to invest in an open platform and integrations, rather than one single standalone security system?

1. Quality and value
   When you buy your security system’s components separately, you can choose the quality level for each element. For some elements you may want to invest in the very best, and for others you may prefer to economise and buy basic versions. A benefit of buying from specialists is that you’re more likely to get high-quality products at a good value price. You will also get more value by combining specialist products handpicked for your specific needs than buying a standalone system that’s of inferior quality or offers functionalities you don’t need.
2. Freedom of an open platform
   You have the freedom to choose which technologies to use for each function. We ensure this freedom by teaming with more than one partner per technology. This means you will never be locked in to one vendor and are free to build your system however you like.
3. Flexibility and futureproofing
   Your organisation will change and so will the world around you. An open platform gives the flexibility to adapt your system quickly, without compromising on security or the user experience. You can respond to new risks, adopt new technologies and functionalities and (if required) replace individual technologies rather than your entire system. Do you want to start welcoming- and providing access to visitors in a more professional way than you did before? With an open system, you can choose the visitor management solution that fits your needs. As you can adapt and update an open platform so easily, you have the reassurance your system is futureproof and always up to date.
4. Scalability
   As your organisation grows, it’s easy to grow your system with an open platform and integrations. You can quickly and easily add new locations around the world and implement the specific integrations you need for each location. All while maintaining a unified system and keeping central control.
5. Efficiency
   A best-of-breed approach enables you to streamline your operations and increase convenience. It makes it easy to maintain full control of protecting and monitoring each of your premises, while also providing welcoming, efficient environments.