The importance of access control integration to the BMS platform

A recent IHS report pointed out that the electronic access control system is currently the leading security system integrated into the building management system (BMS). According to statistics, in 2017, 29.6% of access control devices (card readers, access controllers, electronic locks, etc.) have been connected to the BMS platform.

In addition, the unit shipments of access control equipment connected to the BMS platform are expected to significantly exceed other market categories, and the compound growth rate in the next five years will increase by 12.5%, while the total market shipments of access control equipment will only reach a compound of 8.8%. The annual growth rate has risen.

IHS believes that this should arouse the vigilance of leading access control providers, because a complete command and control style BMS seems to be more popular in the market, but it can effectively protect some access control providers who choose it as a proprietary solution. Protect yourself from this threat. However, with the exception of the mainstream access control service providers in the market, there are no companies in the market that have both financial resources and existing product portfolios that can compete with mainstream manufacturers in the BMS market.

One of the main factors that lead to BMS platform integration becoming universally accepted is its strong interoperability. The BMS platform can aggregate large amounts of data from different devices across multiple domains, allowing end users to manage a variety of different building systems, centralized and simplified operation procedures, and directly allow users to complete all their needs with the least cost.

Another important factor is that the demand for data visualization is increasing. BMS can classify data from multiple domains through a series of charts, graphs or other visualization tools, and finally present structured information to the end user, simplifying all complex information. And this demand will also directly affect the experience of the BMS platform, and the differentiation around visualization tools is believed to become the key to market competition.

At the same time, the group of suppliers is also changing. Many leading security manufacturers are investing heavily in the development of more comprehensive solutions for building management to ensure that their competitive advantages can continue to be maintained. Access control is regarded as an important part of the overall plan of Zhinuo Building. The system can provide the BMS platform with the specific information of relevant personnel entering and leaving the building. The BMS platform can also integrate information from other security or building management systems to make access control authentication methods more intelligent, such as using video surveillance to review access control personnel.

The integration of access control is essential to release higher-level BMS platform functions. As more and more BMS solutions transform command and control styles, the building management center can adjust each subsystem to respond to various special needs according to needs. This has also led to an exponential increase in the demand for access control integration. Physical access control systems and identity management platforms are the key to reshaping many BMS processes, because they provide start-up instructions and are the keys for users to start other system tasks after entering the building.

Although this looks wonderful, there are still many obstacles to the current program. One is the ownership of the program's right to speak. In a centralized architecture, BMS platform providers always hope to have the final say, because building intelligence and analysis will replace access control and software orders in other subordinate fields. However, access control companies are unwilling to give up this permission and transfer to a third-party BMS platform, because the functions of their software can make it stand out from the competition.

The second is the adaptability of users to new technologies. In the past ten years, the access control industry has continued to move closer to IT, and the acceptance by users has not reached expectations.