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What is
open architecture as it relates to access control?
This
question is often asked and most people in the industry have a
slightly different view of the true meaning of open architecture.
The explanation below illustrates what open architecture means to
Open Options as it relates to providing the best possible service
and solutions to our customers.
Keeping up with advancing technology
Most
will agree that one of the more annoying side effects of advancing
technology is the rate at which various systems become obsolete.
Security managers often want to use the added features provided by
new technology but are frustrated by the fact that using new
technology with an existing security system is often impossible
without re-installing the system all over again.
This
forces some hard budget decisions as building managers are forced to
choose between using an obsolete existing system or spending a major
portion of their budget on an entirely new security system. Not to
even mention the hassles caused as the facility makes the transition
from the old system to the new one.
Breaking free of proprietary systems
In the
past, this approach has guaranteed re-occurring revenue for the
manufacturers of access control systems. Any significant upgrade in
capability resulted in a large sale since everything from the card
readers, access control hardware, special proprietary software, and
even cabling might need to be replaced in order to use the new
system's features.
Recently though, several manufacturers have broken away from this
line of thought and are challenging the way the security industry
does business. These manufacturers believe that the road to success
lies in providing the customer more flexible systems and better
values for their budget dollar. They are the proponents of "open
architecture" security systems.
Challenging the
model
The concept of "open architecture" in access control is based on
standardizing communications between devices throughout the security
industry. This allows a customer to buy card readers from one
manufacturer, control hardware from another, and software from a
third and still put all of them together to form a cohesive security
system. This also does away with the need for massive system
replacements to utilize new technology. Since all devices use a
common standard of communication, newer devices are able to
communicate with older security hardware effectively. This adds up
to a much longer lifespan for the facility security system.
The benefits here for the customer are obvious. They are no longer
tied to the product line of a specific security manufacturer. Being
able to shop among various security manufacturers, the customer is
able to get more competitive pricing for their system. In addition,
as a system grows or expands, individual components can be added one
by one. This helps reduce the need to massively overhaul the
facility's security system every 3-5 years. As new software and
hardware becomes available, the communication standard ensures that
these products will interface with the older products.
There are also benefits for the manufacturer. In today's highly
competitive, global marketplace, this kind of extra flexibility and
price-consciousness gives them the edge they need to expand their
market.
Leading the way in open architecture systems
There are
currently several manufacturers that embrace open architecture
security systems; one of the foremost is Open Options of Carrollton,
TX. Open Options uses the Mercury standard for it's security
hardware and as a Microsoft-certified Partner uses Microsoft's open
technology standards for its software. Open Options has been in the
forefront of the open architecture movement in the security
industry. While some security manufacturers are taking smaller
steps towards open architecture hardware by tying the software
specifically to their hardware line. Open Options has taken the
radical step of promoting complete acceptance of open architecture.
Our Policy: We believe it is
time the security industry as a whole align themselves in both a
product delivery perspective and philosophical approach with the
rest of the main stream computing and software industries.
Proprietary security systems are no longer the standard, open
architecture is.
Open Options has also led the way in promoting Microsoft's new
Universal Data Access (UDA) technology. Open Options NPower
Security Management software uses Microsoft's ActiveX Data Objects
(ADO) data access tools. This means that the NPower application is
capable of running on all relational database engines including
Access, Microsoft SQL Server, and others. Additionally the
application will be able to run on any future database engines that
comply with the ADO standards. This is an excellent example of the
flexibility provided by open architecture software. A company can
still use the database that their organization has designated as
standard without expensive data-conversion or customized modules
added to the software. Once again, the common standard also means
that upgrading your software doesn't mean trashing the old system
entirely. Because existing and future versions of the NPower
software will use the ADO standard, existing security databases can
be used with newer, high technology programs. Not only that, but
your security software can be tied in with other programs and other
databases to multiply the possibilities.
Time
for a change
It wasn't that long ago that security software and hardware was
proprietary. Whatever system you bought, you were tied to that
manufacturer and the costs of future expansions and upgrades were
now in the hands of the manufacturer. Specialized software that
didn't talk with other software applications was the standard, and
you could expect to devote several expensive PCs to nothing but
security management. Open Architecture stands ready to make this
type of security system obsolete. Powerful new security management
software that can tie into other software applications and run off
of any standard PC will connect with advanced hardware, all sharing
a common communication standard. This will bring facility managers
improved security systems, featuring central control over a
wide-area network, better prices through competition, and hardware
and software that has a greatly improved flexibility and capability. |
