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Access control has long been considered a core component of physical security, but many security manufacturers and integrators say its true value has yet to be fully realized. As organizations modernize infrastructure, adopt cloud-based tools and rethink how people interact with buildings, access control is increasingly viewed as a foundational operational platform, not just a traditional security measure.
“The industry itself has matured,” says David Benson, CEO, Pro-Tec Design, Minnetonka, Minn. “It’s less about basic door control than it historically has been and more about risk mitigation and enterprise integrations.”
That shift in perception, combined with rapid advances in mobile credentials, biometrics, AI and integrated security ecosystems, is creating new opportunities for integrators, manufacturers and end users alike.
The overall perception of the access control market is positive. Over 90% of respondents to SDM’s 2026 Industry Forecast believe the state of the access control market is good or very good (58% responded very good/excellent, and 36% responded good). Only 6% of respondents rated the market as fair/poor.
“Last year, growth was driven especially by the continued market demand for mechanical and electromechanical product lines within the critical infrastructure sector,” says Jeff Slaughter, who recently joined ALCEA, Plano, Texas, as head of business development. “In 2026, we believe the global access control market will continue to show strong growth, likely driven by the rapid adoption of cloud-based solutions and expanding the use of mobile credentials as organizations modernize their security infrastructures.”
Slaughter’s predictions align with other security leaders’ that access control is in a great spot, and growth, while not booming, will be steady and transformative. “Access control is now positioned as part of a 360-degree security approach, integrated with video, alarms, building automation and other systems. This allows us to provide a complete solution that meets the customers’ overall security,” says Christine Lanning, president, Integrated Security Technologies Inc., Waipahu, Hawaii, who is featured on this month’s cover.
Let’s dive into a recap of the 2025 market, winning strategies for integrators, new products from manufacturers and a prediction of how 2026 will shape up to be a growth year.
The industry itself has matured. It’s less about basic door control than it historically has been and more about risk mitigation and enterprise integrations.
Riding the Wave
The steady but notable growth in access control, a reliable source of both the physical protection and the measurable operational value that clients need, was due, in large part, to an evolution of the very definition of the solution.
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“Access control is a part of a broader access solutions ecosystem that includes door hardware, entrance systems and complementary components,” says Bret Holbrook, senior vice president, access control and identity management, dormakaba North America, Indianapolis. This is unlike the traditional definition of access control, which had everything to do with locking solutions and less to do with businesses’ operational needs.
Today, the value proposition of access control is shifting. “Organizations increasingly see access control as a foundational part of broader operations and security strategies,” says Ewa Pigna, chief technology officer of access solutions, Honeywell, Charlotte, N.C. “Demand has remained strong for solutions that balance reliability, scalability and long-term value.”
Kelsey Kerling, director of national sales and strategic initiatives, LVC, Minneapolis, says these business use cases include enabling secure but self-service access experiences, supporting hybrid workforce models, automating contractor and vendor management, integrating credential activity with workforce time tracking, improving visitor management workflows and delivering real-time occupancy and space utilization visibility.
Access control systems were historically often proprietary, fairly complex and difficult to change. They worked well, so end users didn’t see the need to upgrade, which is why many companies still have decades-old systems. That is changing now, and upgrades were a notable contributor of growth in 2025.
The increased value of access control is so palpable that end users are no longer asking whether they need a modern access control system. Rather, they are looking to see how quickly they can modernize. “There’s a drive for people wanting to move to newer integrations with newer technologies, and a lot of those legacy systems don’t support those integrations,” says Rob Druktenis, program manager, access control, Axis Communications, Chelmsford, Mass.
Why now? Jon Adams, vice president of sales, Digital Monitoring Products (DMP), Springfield, Mo., thinks it’s because technology is getting more affordable now that newer solutions (AI, cloud, mobile credentials, etc.) have remained steady on the market for a few years. “Plus, the user experience has grown leaps and bounds,” he says. “Access control is not necessarily some complex thing that has to be managed by your IT person or a trained security director. The ability to issue a variety of credentials in the hands of someone on an app … makes it easier to sell and easier to implement.”
Demand for upgraded access control systems spanned countless markets: corporate campuses, critical infrastructure, data centers, education, healthcare facilities, industrial sites and distributed enterprise portfolios, military, multifamily properties, retail environments, state and local government, and utility. Even small- and medium-sized businesses were taking a deeper look at the market in 2025. “Historically, access control was either too expensive or too complex for many small building owners,” says Angelo Faenza, head of digital access solutions, ASSA ABLOY U.S., New Haven, Conn. “That barrier has now been removed, creating a clear path forward for organizations that previously viewed access control as out of reach.”
Certain markets did experience a softening of sales and new project activity. “New commercial construction, especially in downtown Chicago, remained slow due to reduced office occupancy, and many end users became more budget conscious compared to prior years,” says Rick LaPorte, director of sales, Sound Inc., Naperville, Ill. “The reduction of COVID-era funding also created a slowdown that many anticipated.”
Despite this, security-related sales accounting was a significant portion of overall revenue for the integrator, which, to LaPorte, reinforces a strong market foundation for 2026.
Other market challenges also turned into opportunities that will stretch into 2026. Budgets, for example, were an issue. “Everything’s more expensive nowadays,” says Rob Etmans, director of sales, Napco Access Pro, Amityville, N.Y. “Something I bought 12 months ago doubled in price. That goes the same for the security market.”
These budget constraints presented an opportunity for security integrators to partner with end users and building customized, upgraded solutions that weren’t as cost-prohibitive as rip-and-replace projects. Additionally, with the increased amount of technology on the market, some of it is becoming more affordable. Integrators who are well-versed in available technologies will differentiate themselves by building affordable solutions that solve clients’ primary concerns around both costs and control.
Headwinds also include hardware margin compression, technician shortages, heightened capital scrutiny and tariff uncertainty. On the positive side, security remains an essential part of business. “Security isn’t something most facilities can cut out, so access control stays a priority regardless of the economy,” Lanning says. “Regular replacement and upgrade cycles help keep things moving, and compliance requirements like CMMC [Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification] also continue to drive demand.”
Organizations increasingly see access control as a foundational part of broader operations and security strategies. Demand has remained strong for solutions that balance reliability, scalability and long-term value.
What’s New in Access Control?
SDM asked manufacturers, “What was the biggest year-over-year change for your company in terms of access control sales?” Here are some highlights from the access control product world in 2025:
AMAG Technology launched new OSDP-enabled panels. “That was significant because we started to see some of our legacy customers … look towards OSDP migration in their infrastructure,” Kyle Gordon says. He expects OSDP will continue to be a focus for partners and customers. “When you’re talking about upgrading legacy install base and that infrastructure, it’s not only about upgrading to newer stuff; it’s about upgrading things to a more secure communication protocol,” he says. “Our customers, especially in the high security space, are looking for answers from a secure comms perspective. Most of them are looking to migrate from traditional Wiegand communication to OSDP.”
ASSA ABLOY introduced its first dedicated, purpose-built solution for small businesses within Centrios. This initiative was designed for customers who previously had limited or imperfect options. “Historically, small businesses have had to choose between mechanical locks, intrusion systems adapted for access control or scaled-down enterprise solutions that were never truly designed for their needs,” Peter Boriskin says. “By introducing a bespoke access control platform tailored specifically for small businesses, we helped unlock new demand in that segment.”
Axis Communications launched a multi-door controller that brought the company into another market of enterprise installations. The company also focused on cloud initiatives with its partners, taking the approach of putting its devices out on the edge and connecting them directly to the cloud. Axis also launched a new Bluetooth credentialing application within its solution so that customers could take advantage of free Bluetooth credentials.
Brivo launched Brivo Security Suite, allowing its customers to get all of their core services from Brivo in a single pane of glass with single identities and a single data stream. Additionally, the company expanded to six distinct AI features that are part of the fabric of the application.
Napco expanded into the cloud with its MVP Product. “We’ve historically stayed away from cloud because there are liabilities,” Rob Etmans says. Thus, the company studied the market and found out where other companies failed with cloud to ensure it did not repeat mistakes that other manufacturers had made. “Everything we do is ground up, meaning, if our dealers ask for it, and that’s something that they’re wanting, that’s what we develop,” Etmans adds. “More than just looking at trends, what we’re looking at is what the dealers really need.”
Prepare for (Some) More Growth
2026 is shaping up to be similar to 2025 in terms of growth. The general feeling isn’t that there will be a major uptick in net new and upgrade projects, but there will be plenty of opportunities spanning many verticals this year. A number of factors will contribute to this growth. As organizations across sectors seek unified credential strategies, centralized management across multiple locations, fewer technology silos, greater operational data visibility and predictable operating expense models, access control will become the go-to security and operational solution. “Growth will come not only from new construction, but from system upgrades, cloud migrations and operational redesign initiatives,” Kerling says.
Only 3% of respondents to SDM’s Industry Forecast aren’t expecting any revenue growth in access control systems (includes on-premises as well as cloud/web-based and hosted access control) in 2026. Thirty-seven percent expect revenue to stay the same, while 60% expect an increase.
Rob Senica, senior account executive, Sound Inc., adds, “Growth will be driven by increased adoption of AI-enabled video analytics, tighter integration between access control and video systems, and demand for unified platforms that provide a ‘single pane of glass’ view across multiple security technologies. Cloud hosting for access control will continue to expand, while cloud-based video remains more selective, often focused on smaller deployments or disaster recovery use cases.”
2026 will see especially strong interest in education, both K–12 and higher education, as well as healthcare. “Many organizations that delayed projects in 2025 due to state and federal funding uncertainty are expected to move forward as funding begins to release and aging infrastructure demands attention,” says Michael Banish, senior account executive – education, Sound Inc.
Building up and adding layers of automation will also be growth factors in 2026. “If you’ve got access control, then you’ve got people walking through your doors, and they were onboarded at some point in time,” says Kyle Gordon, executive vice president of global revenue and customer experience, AMAG Technology, Hawthorne, Calif. “How are you actually managing those people in a way that’s not time-consuming, so that you don’t have people wasting their time entering that information manually into databases? There are ways you can automate that. That’s where we see a lot of growth.”
Vertical-wise, the multi-tenant space is widely expected to see the most demand. “That is a completely different animal as far as security,” Etmans says. “In some cases, it’s more [about] convenience than true security.”
Building owners are demanding greater accountability from their security providers. “This means we need to be present, responsive and clear about how we deliver that value. It’s not just about where the market is going — it’s about how we get there,” Faenza of ASSA ABLOY says.
Access control can help building management platforms operate more efficiently. “Property management systems recognize the potential to deliver new services and better tenant experiences,” says Peter Boriskin, chief technology officer, ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions Americas. “Real estate and facilities platforms are exploring how insights into space usage — from parking garages to offices and amenities — can help them tailor offerings and optimize assets. This shift represents a broader awakening across adjacent verticals, where access control is increasingly recognized as a foundational data layer. We fully expect this trend to accelerate in 2026, bringing new partners, new use cases and sustained growth to the access control market.”
Boriskin’s emphasis on partnerships matches that of other leaders’ predictions: partnerships will drive increased expansion of access control. “We will continue to see the need for an interoperable ecosystem of components to play a large role in the security of our customers and partners,” Holbrook says. “Expect to see new partnerships in the access control market and the expansion of integrations to create as unified of an experience as possible.”
Take, for example, the recent launch of Aliro 1.0. This new communication protocol and credential standard, released by the Connectivity Standards Alliance, is designed to revolutionize how users interact with access points in every aspect of their lives. Aliro aims to streamline interoperability across varied access control use cases, including corporate offices, universities, hospitality venues and single and multi-family residential homes. This initiative unifies a global collective of over 220 member companies that are actively working together to pave the way for a better, more secure mobile access experience.
This is set to be the norm as access control evolves from a siloed security function into a foundational part of a unified platform. “I would say that about any of the core security disciplines, that they’re no longer going to be standalones,” says Steve Van Till, founder and CEO, Brivo, Bethesda, Md. “Even if the buyer only needs access control right now, they want to know that when they’re ready for the next upgrade or refresh to video, they can get it on the same platform.”
Van Till argues that standalone companies will eventually fade away or become absorbed by companies building platform solutions. “Think back to the early PC era, when there were dozens of word processing companies and five or six spreadsheet companies,” he says. “There are no standalone word processing companies anymore. It’s all part of other platforms. Eventually, we’ll end up with that same picture in the security industry.”
Expect to see new partnerships in the access control market and the expansion of integrations to create as unified of an experience as possible.
Top 5 Growth Drivers
The top trends in access control are shaped by end users’ demand for convenience and the most recent technology on the market. According to MarketsAndMarkets, the continuous adoption of access control as a service (ACaaS) are expected to provide growth opportunities to security professionals in access control. Currently, 63% of respondents to SDM’s Industry Forecast currently offer ACaaS, and 35% plan to offer it.
Across manufacturing and integration companies, security leaders identified the top growth drivers for access control in 2026: mobile credentials, biometrics, unification, cybersecurity and AI.
1. Mobile credentials are increasingly picking up speed in various markets, especially ones that serve younger generations (i.e. education, multifamily, etc.). “It doesn’t mean that people are eliminating physical access [cards],” says Ramesh Songukrishnasamy, senior vice president and chief technology officer, HID, Austin, Texas. “We are actually seeing both the mobile and the physical version of the access card coexisting.”
HID’s 2026 report showed that 75% of organizations have deployed or are actively planning to deploy mobile credentials, a 14-percentage-point increase from the 61% that reported the same the prior yet. “The big shift happened a couple years ago, but, since then, it is continuing upward,” Songukrishnasamy says.
Mobile credentials improve user experience, simplify provisioning and support dynamic credential management. Phones and digital wallets are becoming primary identity carriers in many environments. “People are convenience-based,” Etmans of Napco says. “They’ll leave the house without an access card, but when do you ever leave your house without your phone? You will walk out of your house without your keys long before you walk out of your house without your phone. That is the way of the future. It’s going to take some time, but physical access control cards will go away.
The rise of Bluetooth technology will continue to add to the capabilities of mobile credentials and wireless solutions. “Bluetooth 6 is coming out soon, and that may give you more functionality when it comes to offering free credentials,” Druktenis of Axis Communications says. “Customers are getting tired of all the subscriptions and all the monthly costs. Bluetooth 6 might push us into scenarios where we can offer free credentials and be more secure.”
2. Biometrics present an opportunity to continue improvement in access control. Kelsey Kerling of LVC says adoption will continue in higher-security and high-throughput environments, though use will remain targeted.
“We have a ton of customers who prefer multi-factor authentication to enter a facility. Biometric is a nice way to do that,” Gordon of AMAG Technology says. “You’re seeing biometric trends advance from fingerprint or palm reader now to retina and face. We see a lot of opportunity in facial recognition based on what’s being presented by our biometric partners as another form of authentication.”
Etmans positions biometrics as the future of access control. “After COVID, nobody wanted to touch anything. Believe it or not, that factor has not gone away,” he says. “We still have large end users that don’t want people touching doors, so we’ve added biometrics [facial recognition] and an auto-opener on that door.”
Cost, complexity and concerns around data privacy will be key hurdles to overcome when discussing and deploying biometric solutions. “At least 67% are expressing concerns about the data privacy as opposed to 31% last year,” Songukrishnasamy says. “We see that shift because there are more such use cases out there. People are a little bit more cautious about it. The good thing is there are regulations that are also changing with it — maybe not as fast, but I think they are providing enough guard rails, controls on data collection, data processing and getting consent from the users.”
3. People want flexibility, and what better way to provide this than by unifying access control with other security solutions? “Unified platforms that bring multiple technologies together in a single interface are increasingly valued by end users, as they simplify operations while enhancing security and scalability,” says Aaron Fisher, account executive, Sound Inc., Naperville, Ill.
Specifically, the unification of video and access control will continue to be a game changer. Integrated Security Technologies Inc., for example, has made a push to integrate with video surveillance, visitor management, building automation and even broader security platforms so everything works together in one ecosystem and creates more value for clients, Lanning says.
Customers want their systems to talk to each other. “High-profile breaches have demonstrated that weaknesses in physical security or operational systems can be exploited to compromise enterprise networks and data,” Boriskin of ASSA ABLOY says. “As a result, security has become a broader, integrated umbrella that spans physical security, IT and, increasingly, operational technology.”
Plus, as regulatory and legislative complexity continues to shape the market, the absence of uniform standards becomes more palpable. “This absence across states and jurisdictions forces organizations to adapt their security and compliance strategies region by region,” Boriskin says. “While this creates operational challenges, it also drives growth by increasing the need for knowledgeable partners who can help navigate differing requirements.”
4. Cybersecurity is one of the biggest macro trends in access control. “Integrating zero trust and cybersecurity measures with access control enhances data protection, threat detection and compliance,” the MarketsAndMarkets report reads. “Features such as multi-factor authentication, encrypted communication and real-time monitoring strengthen both physical and digital security. As organizations adopt hybrid workplaces, cloud services and loT-enabled infrastructure, cybersecurity and zero trust frameworks serve as essential adjacent technologies, ensuring that access control remains robust against evolving cyber and physical threats.”
Cybersecurity is driving demand for solutions that offer strong security postures and proactive monitoring. “Customers are also increasingly focused on gaining visibility across all devices on their networks, including cameras, access control, intercoms and duress systems, while maximizing the value of existing infrastructure through advanced analytics and automation,” Senica of Sound Inc. says.
The way security professionals are securing the information on someone’s credential is an important piece of the trend conversation. “It’s also important, especially with larger multinationals, to have a layer of health monitoring in place so that a centralized decision maker understands what’s going on all over their global footprint in a way that enables them to manage and make informed decisions,” Gordon says.
The modern organization cannot operate currently without a cybersecurity mindset. Think about the major outage of AWS in October 2025. “When everybody’s going hosted, how are you going to guarantee that your customer’s information isn’t accessed?” Etmans says. “How are they going to guarantee that their systems are still secure?” This needs to be a primary consideration for access control systems, especially as unification with video surveillance and other security solutions comes to fruition.
5. Artificial intelligence is making moves in access control. “AI is a buzzword,” Etman warns. “Does AI add anything for our customer, or are we just adding a cost?”
This is the question on many security professionals’ minds. In an access control incident, tying in video reveals whether or not someone followed an authorized person into a building, if a badge was stolen or copied or any other number of incidents. “If you use AI on a unified platform, you can create harmony, and you’re going to win” Adams of DMP says. “AI or analytics are going to be a big driver in our ability to unify on a single platform. … The question now is: ‘Can an event seen by a camera trigger a lockdown?’ For example, can the presence of a gun cause doors to lock?”
Brivo’s gun detection technology, launched through Eagle Eye prior to the companies’ merger, is evidence that this is already possible. “One of the ‘what now’s?’ that can be automated in our [gun detection] system is triggering a lockdown of all the doors,” Van Till of Brivo says.
Customers are already taking advantage of AI’s ability to simplify basic searches when they’re doing event investigations. “The ability to talk to it in simple language rather than having to know system-based commands or functions is at the top of the user preference list that we’ve been involved with,” Benson of Pro-Tech Design says.
“I see AI in two aspects,” Songukrishnasamy says. “One avenue is bringing AI and machine learning capabilities into the product itself. The second aspect of AI is addressing some of the integration challenges. Traditional integration happens using APIs’ and now, with MCPs [model context protocols] and agentic AI, we believe that ease of integration would significantly improve.”
So far, AI is being used in multiple ways in access control. The use cases aren’t as broad as they are with video, for example, but companies are likely to use some sort of AI to improve performance against presentation and attack detection when using biometrics. “More advanced use cases are yet to be seen in the market — for example, figuring out if there are any abnormalities in the building traffic and then triggering advanced alerts,” Songukrishnasamy says. “That’s still in the concept phase; we haven’t seen widespread adoption of these things yet. But those are the capabilities that I believe will come and make things a lot easier and more robust from a security operations perspective.”
Another way AI is coming into play is reporting and handling alarms and piggybacking. “I also see it working with analytics,” Druktenis says. “As we all know, in access control, the biggest weak point inside an access control system is when someone swipes their card and has three or four people follow behind them. Using analytics inside cameras to oversee something like that happening will prompt an alert and signal that too many people have come through the door.”
Analytics around occupancy patterns, anomaly detection and behavioral insights will become increasingly valuable beyond traditional security monitoring. There is an increasing need for high-quality data from the environments in which systems operate. “How do we get that data set into the right systems to create actionable insights for our customers and partners? That is the challenge many organizations are working through,” Holbrook of dormakaba says. “Enabling that flow of data is a key area of focus across the market. AI is also enabling more predictive capabilities, both for energy management and for identifying and mitigating potential security risks.”
AI is a buzzword. Does AI add anything for our customer, or are we just adding a cost?
Winning Strategies for Integrators
In 2025, integrators shifted their approach to be more consultative and start selling scalable programs versus isolated projects, which will be increasingly important as access control opportunities continue to accelerate in 2026.
In LVC’s case, the company now standardizes hardware and credential strategies, pre-engineers deployment templates, aligns systems with operational workflows and incorporates managed services from the beginning for multi-site and enterprise clients. “We also aligned compensation to reward recurring revenue and long-term relationships,” Kelsey Kerling says. “The result has been stronger executive engagement, faster multi-location rollouts and improved retention. When conversations focus on operational outcomes instead of door counts, the value proposition becomes clearer.”
LVC’s access control portfolio is approximately 85% RMR, which Kerling says is thanks to cloud hosting, credential subscriptions, managed service agreements, SSA/SUSP and remote support and lifecycle maintenance. “We intentionally embedded recurring services into our offerings because enterprise customers increasingly prefer predictable operating models over large capital spikes,” he says.
Pro-Tech Design reports a similar list of RMR opportunities. In 2025, the company adopted a more consultative sales approach to its access control business. “To generalize it, we’re better listeners,” David Benson says. He cites increasing education in end users as a reason for this. “When we show up, they have ideas of what they want. They’ll talk to us about specific manufacturers and capabilities and look for clarifying information that we, as subject matter experts, can provide.”
Last year, Sound Inc. engaged in opportunities to expand its approach, offering cloud, SaaS and on-premises options based on customer needs and feedback. This has helped the company grow RMR, particularly with SMB customers and organizations with small or geographically distributing locations.
In contrast, Integrated Security Technologies does not push recurring revenue models unless the solution truly meets the customer’s needs. “Our customers, primarily DOD and large enterprises, are generally very slow to adopt cloud-based solutions, so RMR for access control hasn’t been a focus this year,” Christine Lenning says. “Our RMR business comes from other sources like embedded personnel who are on-site to support and manage systems, preventative maintenance contracts to keep everything running smoothly and extended warranties that give customers long-term protection for their hardware.”
On the installation front, Integrated Security Technologies has been taking a stronger cybersecurity approach, including using encryption protocols like OSDP, securing computers, and following the manufacturers’ hardened installation guidelines. “The result has been a closer alignment with customer needs and a stronger, more effective overall solution,” Lanning says.
How Integrators Respond to Increased Complexity
Just as in 2025, many challenges security companies anticipate also fall under the umbrella of opportunity. Three key themes emerged as strategies for integrators to continue differentiating themselves in the access control market: creating strategies for combating labor shortages, educating themselves and their customers on the newest trends, and positioning access control as an operational solution.
1. Labor shortages are an ongoing challenge. “Our biggest challenge remains building a strong internal team, which involves hiring the right people and ensuring they receive the training and support needed to succeed,” Lanning of Integrated Security Technologies Inc. says.
Data centers are contributing to labor shortages in the security industry, even as they build more opportunities for security systems. “These centers need the same kind of labor that we need in our industry,” Van Till says. “There’s also an ongoing push to finish supplying broadband to every part of the country. That’s, again, a lot of the same skill sets with respect to physical installation: electrical know-how, other trade know-how, fiber optics, things like that.”
With labor stretched thin, integrators have a significant chance to grow revenue by maximizing the value of existing customer relationships rather than chasing new ones. “Every service call or maintenance visit is an opportunity to introduce additional technologies and solutions to building owners who already trust them,” Faenza of ASSA ABLOY says. “Whether it’s demonstrating a facial recognition biometric reader during a routine service visit or showing a multifamily property manager new smart locker solutions, integrators can uncover incremental projects without adding travel time, sales overhead or additional staff.”
2. Staying educated, and teaching clients about the latest advancements, is key. Even integrators that are adequately staffed will find themselves facing a major hurdle here. “The role of the integrator now spans an expanding set of disciplines — IT convergence, cybersecurity, physical security, cabling infrastructure, building controls and compliance with local, state and federal regulations,” Boriskin says. “Add to that the complexity of differing fire codes and legislative requirements across urban, rural and regional jurisdictions, and staying current becomes a significant burden. The pace of change across these domains means that maintaining expertise is an ongoing commitment.”
That challenge also points directly to a key opportunity. Integrators who align with knowledgeable partners can reduce the complexity their teams face while delivering greater value to end users. “Through targeted education, training programs and experienced field teams, these partnerships enable integrators to focus on execution and customer relationships while remaining confident that their solutions are code-compliant and forward-looking,” Boriskin says.
The education piece extends to the end users. “They may be using legacy systems, and it’s up to the integrator to show them why they should want to make a switch,” Druktenis says. “It will be costly, at first, but, over time, the TCO and ROI are going to be so much better for those customers, whether it’s moving to cloud, moving to mobile or finding a unified solution with a VMS solution.”
The speed of technology can make it difficult for integrators to stay apprised, vet options and keep teams trained. “With so many developers/manufacturers creating demand, integrators have to make a choice on where to put their training efforts and maintain their expertise due to the increasing number of potential partners,” Holbrook says. “At the same time, that education role is a major opportunity as customers modernize aging systems and move towards newer systems and technologies that solve their pain points.”
Step one is investing in certification and training. “I believe that integrators who win big will be those able to make good decisions about which products they offer and make sure that they’re extremely knowledgeable,” Adams says. “Their people need to be subject matter experts on this. They need to be able to go in, identify the customers’ needs and provide the right solution. Train your people, become subject matter experts, and I think you’ll see a higher close rate.”
3. Access control is a key piece of business and operational objectives. Integrators have a palpable opportunity to sell much more than security. Through access control, employees, students, visitors, etc. can manage all points of access from their mobile devices. They can get in the door, identify themselves at the front desk, get access to the printer — all from the convenience of their phone, which end users, especially younger generations, expect. “By enabling this type of ecosystem and then offering more value-added services than addressing the mundane, physical security aspect of it, they are now business enablers for their customers,” Songukrishnasamy says.
Because access control has the ability to influence workforce efficiency, space utilization, compliance documentation, user experience and portfolio standardization, integrators can help organizations align their security infrastructure with broader business and operational objectives. From an integrator’s perspective, Lanning says, “Our biggest opportunity this year is to keep delivering solutions as our customers’ security needs expand — both in scale and across more locations — helping them enhance their overall security posture.”
Gordon of AMAG Technology recounts being an integrator selling access control for 15 years, and he points to a critical mistake he made during that time. “I was so focused on securing a door, I didn’t really spend time thinking about the people walking through the door,” he says. “Now that I’ve been able to step back in the role of a manufacturer and really look at the entire impact to a customer, I’m realizing that what I missed was the bigger discussion.”
Understanding the client is key. How do they onboard employees? How do they treat visitors or guests? What does this process look like throughout their entire ecosystem? “If we help our integrators understand that a little bit better, they can be so much more impactful to that end user,” Gordon says. “Anyone can open and close a door or lock a door. Do you really understand how someone’s identity moves throughout an organization, how manual that is, how much wasted time, effort and resources go into that? If you can understand that, you can help that end user kind of reallocate those resources appropriately towards proactive security measures.”
Pigna of Honeywell says integrators also have a differentiation opportunity if they can help customers assess risk, modernize responsibly and maintain secure, resilient systems over time. “These integrators are well positioned to differentiate their value and build deeper, longer-term relationships as trusted advisors,” she says.