Access Control – How to Determine the ROI of Your Security Solutions

As a consumer, we usually make decisions on purchases by determining what product has the best features for the best value and the same can be said about business purchases. Though the decision to purchase a YETI 110 may be a cause for discussion in your household, the difference between regular consumer purchases and business purchases is that return on investment (ROI) matters slightly more in business.  

The higher the decision maker, the more they care about how something will affect their bottom line. In many companies, the decision to implement, upgrade or extend electronic access control is driven by budget so being able to demonstrate a reliable return on investment is critical. The impact on your bottom line—can be found by subtracting the product purchase price from the dollarized economic value. What remains is the true net customer cost. 

Securing the safety and security of employees and visitors is likely your top priority—right along with managing the financial facts of the business. Finding the best security solutions is just as important as the impact the investment will have for years to come.  

Ways to increase the ROI of your security solution: 

Design an open platform system.  

This will give your organization options to expand in the future instead of being limited by proprietary technology that will require a significant investment in the future if changes need to be made (no bueno).   

Wireless solution 

Wireless access control solutions often allow customers to have the same number of openings around the same cost as a wired solution but can reduce labor costs. Choosing a combined locking system simplifies installation as well as the connection to the panel. There are options that incorporate the electrified lock, reader, door position and REX switches together into one device.  

Smart credentials  

Smart credentials provide a higher level of security, more convenience, and far better functionality. Smart cards access not only physical locations but also an organization’s computer networks and logical access control system making them convenient for multiple uses inside an organization’s security plan and operational processes.   

Broader coverage, elimination of key and lock replacements, and centralized equipment are all examples of direct benefits. Consolidating or automating your system into a single workstation can create savings in communication infrastructure and wiring, streamline upgrades and maintenance, and may even reduce overall needs (work smarter, not harder).  

The addition of surveillance cameras deters illegal actions and reassures personnel that security measures are in place—in turn, upping productivity as employees can focus on value-added work. Upgrading to a networked security system can result in many indirect benefits, such as reducing the manual labor involved with replacing or re-keying locks and assigning new keys, assigning access privileges, revoking access privileges, preparing compliance and regulatory reports, maintenance and emergency communication, and notification.  

ROI: Showing your decision maker how you can provide a system that safeguards their people and property is certainly a first step when deciding on a security solution. But demonstrating the long-term return on investment—the real value of a security solution—will guarantee you acquire the most valuable system for your organization. 

The security experts at scDataCom are available to help you find the best solution for your organization that adds value to your processes and ROI.