In this article, the team at ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions explores how embracing digital solutions can revolutionize critical infrastructure companies’ access management, streamline operations, and drive business success with a return on investment.
As the business landscape evolves at an unprecedented pace, the migration to digital solutions becomes an enticing prospect for critical infrastructure companies seeking enhanced security, operational efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. The transition from traditional mechanical legacy systems to cutting-edge digital technology is a strategic move that requires careful consideration and preparation.
The digital revolution: Unleashing operational excellence
The shift towards digital solutions marks a pivotal turning point in overcoming the limitations of legacy systems. Advanced digital technologies empower organisations to establish a comprehensive digital ecosystem that seamlessly integrates locks, keys, and access management.
This ecosystem, managed remotely through a browser-based web interface, facilitates remote key and access control. Whether through electromechanical or keyless solutions, businesses can attain both simplicity and heightened security in access management.
A standout feature of digital systems is their ability to provide an audit trail for every access event. This functionality ensures transparency and accountability, making it easier to monitor and review access activities by various stakeholders visiting the sites.
Benefits at a glance
- Enhanced Security: Digital solutions offer heightened security measures by enabling remote access control and monitoring of access events at critical infrastructure sites.
- Operational Efficiency: The elimination of manual key management processes streamlines operations, significantly reducing errors and time consumption.
- Flexibility: Digital solutions can be tailored to meet industry-specific and organisational standards, ensuring compliance with security and safety policies.
- Futureproof: Investing in digital solutions grants you access to future developments that may never become available with traditional access solutions.
- Return on Investment: Implementing digital access solutions translates to substantial cost savings by streamlining logistics and management expenses. This results in improved ROI through enhanced security, reduced operational costs, and increased productivity.
ROI optimisation: Balancing investment costs and returns
In budget planning, it is crucial for companies to balance investment costs against potential returns. While opting for a low-cost investment might seem frugal initially, it could result in a misleading economy if the security system lacks robust technical support and only meets minimum security standards.
Neglecting factors such as automation, integrations, and cyber security could lead to the underutilisation of the security system’s capabilities. Consequently, this may maintain or even increase operational costs, counteracting the budgetary benefits.
Preparing for the transition: 5 key considerations
Before embarking on the journey towards a digital access management solution, critical infrastructure companies must address crucial aspects to ensure a seamless transition:
- Policies: Understand how your current site security is governed and managed. Align your goals with your operational requirements to lay the groundwork for a successful transition.
- Standards: Identify industry and organisational standards that align with your security and safety compliance policies. Flexibility in adapting to unique needs is paramount.
- Processes: Define ownership, roles, and responsibilities to establish adherence to security and safety compliance requirements. Clearly outlined processes pave the way for effective implementation.
- Technology: Assess your existing integration capacity and capabilities to identify the most suitable digital solution partner. A compatible cloud-based setup can optimise the effectiveness of the transition.
- Evaluating ROI: Delve into the assessment of ROI. Study the potential gains against the investment costs associated with the transition. A comprehensive evaluation will help determine the financial viability and long-term benefits of adopting the digital access management solution.
Conclusions
In preparing for the transition to a digital access management solution, critical infrastructure companies should consider five key factors. Understanding site security policies, aligning with standards, clarifying processes, assessing technology, and evaluating ROI are all vital steps.
These considerations collectively pave the way for a smooth transition that enhances security, efficiency, and long-term benefits.
If you need guidance and support in navigating this transition, feel free to directly contact our experts on ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions website. We’re here to assist you in smoothly transitioning to a digital access solution tailored to the specific needs of the critical infrastructure industry.
How to evaluate your ROI
Discover the nuances of ROI evaluation in our enlightening whitepaper.