Health Security Check - Tip #5
"Think about modernising your access control before you’re forced to."
Ralf Laufer, Deputy Vice President Segment Business Owner EMEA, DACH, GBO EAD
Security Tips Operational reliability
It regularly happens that customers contact us after many years because “all of a sudden” they have to modernise their access control or attendance recording and production data acquisition. The reasons for this are very different – new regulations or laws, changed supplier requirements, discontinued systems, the threat of security breaches or system failures.
This is an extremely difficult situation for our customers. Suddenly, they’re under time pressure, often they can only react and are obliged to find a solution quickly. These are naturally not ideal conditions for making investment decisions. In addition, undertaking comprehensive modernisation during ongoing operations presents many other problems.
Recommendations regarding modernisation
My colleague Daniel Fischer, Team Leader New Business/Digital Solutions Switzerland, has years of experience of helping our customers implement ambitious modernisation projects. That’s why I’ve asked him to share with you his experience and some recommendations regarding modernising access solutions in this Security Tip.
Open communication, timely information
Ongoing dialogue is important. That way, we’re aware of the status of the system at all times. If there are any questions or problems, we can provide help swiftly and effectively. Even more valuable for the customer, however, is the fact that we can approach them in advance if we discover that their installation may, for example, be affected by the discontinuation of a software or operating system or a possible vulnerability.
Perform regular checks, plan ahead
It also makes sense to check the systems at regular intervals – always with the company’s IT strategy in mind. Such checks provide customers with transparency as to what is in store for them in the coming years. Which components need to be urgently renewed or updated to ensure they will continue to meet existing or new requirements? And what could be modernised in order to benefit from new functionalities, for example, or make processes more efficient?
Individual suggestions for individual needs
The answers to these questions will very much depend on the individual needs of the customer: How critical to security are the applications? Are there any adjustments to the security guidelines? What are the potential benefits of modernisation? Could the visitor management or the management and handling of access media be better organised?
Combining modernisation with conversions and new buildings
The question of whether further investments are planned in the near future is also important. For example, planning the refurbishment of a building is an opportunity to convert to a new access control system without disrupting ongoing operations. In this case, it may be more economical to replace an older system at an earlier stage.
Be on the safe side with a maintenance contract
Open, continuous exchange means you, the customer, are able to make your own decisions. You find out about potential risks at an early stage, have time to weigh your options and then make your own, informed choice. A good basis for this is a tailor-made maintenance contract that includes annual system checks and the latest updates. More information about the benefits can be found in our Security Tip #5. By the way: through dialogue with our customers, we often find out about new and interesting requirements. This provides us with an opportunity to fulfil these requirements in subsequent releases.