Latin America. Security system integrators play a critical role as advisors to corporations that want to install systems to protect people and assets within a building.
However, the recommendation of a security system, such as entry control equipment, are not suggestions that should be made lightly.
If an integrator wants to provide the best advice to its customers, it is best to consider the flow of people, the degree of safety required by the client, knowledge of the technical characteristics of the product being installed, knowledge of the operation of the same equipment and that it is open to offer after-sales service to extend the useful life of the equipment.
The aspects described below are fundamental areas in which an integrator must focus to offer the best advice to his client in the recommendation of an income control solution. They are also areas where we have observed failures that have led to dissatisfaction in the end customer.
Analysis of the flow of people
Access control solutions are classified into low, medium and high traffic. Before implementing an access control system, consider the daily inflow so that you can determine the type of reading to apply to the barrier, the number of passes, and the type of turnstile to be used.
In this way you can define -for example- a half-height tourniquet, with proximity card reading to control the entry and / or exit of an X number of people per minute. Not taking into account the maximum capacity of users who can circulate through each access point can create a bottleneck.
Degree of security required by the customer
Security is one of the important parameters to consider when choosing an access control solution and security indices in countries, industries or customers vary according to internal policies and current legislation, among others.
Before proposing a solution to the customer, it is vital to review the installation site. It is often the case that the security conditions described by the client are different from those observed during the field visit. Uneven floors, exterior protections or old wiring are some causes why a project does not work 100%, causing complaints and customer dissatisfaction with the installed access control solution.
Knowledge of the technical characteristics of the product
The access control solutions required by industrial customers are similar in integration capabilities. The differences basically lie in the security, robustness of the equipment, flows of entry and exit, and the types of identification related to the barrier.
With all this in mind, the importance of integrators fully knowing the technical characteristics of the tools in question cannot be ignored, since a good installation guarantees a good installation guarantees a good solution for a client.
Knowledge of the operation and operation of the equipment
It is important to remember that an access control solution includes hardware and software, and for these two parts to work properly it is necessary that the integrator is able to master them and that he becomes an expert in both factors. It cannot be ignored that for the customer, the product is one, and that is why the skills of the integrator must cover these two aspects.
After-sales operation – extension of the useful life of the equipment
Finally, a fundamental point is the extension of the useful life of an access control system. We have seen how those facilities that have periodic maintenance contracts have increased the useful life of the equipment exponentially and have decreased failures by 80% guaranteeing much less complications for users.
*By Jeannette Sweatt, who is Boon Edam's Business Development Manager for Latin America. It can be located in [email protected].
