ASIS 2016: CA4K Marks NAPCO’s Entry Into Hosted Services
The enterprise class access and video software platform utilizes cloud-based computing to power recurring revenue options for security dealers and integrators.
The CA4K access/video platform is Continental Access Control's first foray into hosted services, says Rich Goldsobel, vice president and general manager.
ORLANDO, Calif. – The CA3000 access control software management system has been a staple of NAPCO’s Continental Access division for more than 10 years. Now comes the next generation CA4K, an enterprise-class access and security software platform.
Expected to be available within a couple of months, CA4K is intended to replace the CA3000, Judy Jones, vice president of marketing at NAPCO, explained from the company’s booth on the show floor. Following is more from our conversation about the platform, including details of how CA4K delivers opportunities for security dealers and integrators to offer hosted services
What would you like installing security contractors to know about CA4K right off the bat?
CA4K has a lot more integration partners for video. It also has more robust integration with NAPCO offerings, which include the Alarm Lock electronics locks, which are networked in real time. So what that gives you is a wireless access point right at the door. It has a reader built in. Currently we have an HID reader built on to our locks, but the new offering from Alarm Lock actually is a smart card reader. It could be multitechnology. We even have an iPhone and Android app, called EyeLock. We have the integration from Alarm Lock to Continental, and we also have the integration from NAPCO to Continental. NAPCO being commercial burg and commercial fire system.
With commercial fire you can’t really do too much controlling because that is a life-safety system. But commercial burg-wise, everybody that is authorized, for example, to use the alarm system and enter the building, could actually use their digital badge to enter the system and then disarm automatically when they present their card to the door. It can disarm their alarm system and set up a whole routine of things.
Does NAPCO handle the integration in-house?
So all of those things are very well integrated, partly because they come from NAPCO. A lot of companies do hardware or software. We actually do all of it. We have a strong, single-card solution. It is all coming from under one roof. That makes it a better system for an integrator and end user because there is no finger pointing as to when things go awry … what’s not working? Whose driver isn’t supported? What version of software do you want? All of that stuff is automatically integrated from us. Not to mention, as a company we have a very strong sense about not only the hardware and software, but we also have very long warranties and all of our hardware is upgradable.
It’s not like every two years you have to rip out all of the hardware because we merged with somebody and we want to use a different version of something. Our products are all upgradable from a software/firmware perspective. That is one of our points of differentiation, and that is really coming fully through CA4K’s launch.
What is unique about NAPCO engineering the new platform?
If you think about the offering that is all under the umbrella of CA4K, it’s basically taking all of the NAPCO products and putting it under the umbrella of that one enterprise system. It really makes things very clean, very clearly integrated. Whether you want to do wireless access or you don’t want conventional, traditional controllers all over and running expensive wire, you can do that with this system because now you are using those [Alarm Lock] Networx locks as a single door controller and they are wireless. You have an intelligent edge device and you don’t have to run wires. But you still have a powerhouse of a platform as your frontend, which is CA4K running the system.
When can we expect the official launch of CA4K? What recurring revenue opportunities will it bring to installing security contractors?
We debuted CA4K on a tablet at ISC West. It is actually coming out in about two months. We already have customers doing beta tests on it. We are very excited about CA4K. It also gives us hosted access control opportunities for the first time. Dealers and integrators can host various services. They can keep the server for their end user on their premises. More than saving the customer the expense of having the equipment at their location, but the dealers can do all of the upgrades. Some dealers and integrators are even managing the cards, the card holders, the database. They are doing routine functions for the end user from the dealer or integrator’s own offices. CA4K makes all those hosted managed services possible.
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About the Author
Rodney Bosch, Senior Editor
Although Bosch’s name is quite familiar to those in the security industry, his previous experience has been in daily newspaper journalism. Prior to joining SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION in 2006, he spent 15 years with the Los Angeles Times, where he performed a wide assortment of editorial responsibilities, including feature and metro department assignments as well as content producing for latimes.com. Bosch is a graduate of California State University, Fresno with a degree in Mass Communication & Journalism. In 2007, he successfully completed the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association’s National Training School coursework to become a Certified Level I Alarm Technician.
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