Managed Access Control (Part 2 of 3)
Assessing Internet Connectivity
Internet access with adequate bandwidth is another important element required for MAC. Internet connectivity will be the primary communication path between the customer’s ACS field devices and the dealer’s MAC server. Most dealers will already have some form of Internet access with enough bandwidth to support MAC operations during initial rollout. However, as the MAC account list grows, so will demands on the Internet connection.
DSL is the most popular connectivity used by small businesses for Internet access providing the bandwidth necessary for most applications needing access to outside networks. Most DSL service is actually ADSL, or asymmetric DSL, which provides a larger pipe from the service provider to the subscriber than is available back the other way. This works fine when the subscriber is the one doing most of the “downloading” or receiving text and images from a remote server.
However, as the MAC account list grows and more data must be uploaded to various customer sites, this imbalance of service will eventually start to cause a bottleneck. How soon this occurs will depend on how many of the MAC clients utilize the
option to connect to their system through the Web portal option. During this activity the dealer’s MAC server essentially becomes a Web site and data traffic being downloaded by multiple customers becomes data that must be uploaded through the dealer’s single Internet connection.
The first basic upgrade step for a dealer, without increasing bandwidth, is symmetric DSL (SDSL) where the total bandwidth is equal for download and upload. Further steps would include subscribing to additional T-1 channels (DSL is essentially one of the 64 channels in full T-1 service) in order to obtain needed bandwidth. Again, these are scalable options as the MAC service grows.
Designating Personnel and Tasks
Although it should not be necessary to hire new personnel in order to prepare for initial rollout of a MAC service, it will require identifying current staff abilities and assigning responsibility for various MAC functions to them.
The dealer’s current installation force will continue to install the ACS field devices as with any traditional, site-managed system. When adding a MAC account, someone tasked with the system administrator role at the dealer’s MAC center will be responsible for working with the new client and programming ACS devices, security levels, time schedules, and the other system parameters necessary to initiate the new account.
Once the new MAC account is commissioned, a dealer staff member with the assigned role of system operator will enter the initial credential holders and, if part of the MAC service offering, will create access cards/credentials for the customer.
To assist with the flow of information between the new customer and dealer staff, a basic set of procedures and data entry forms should be developed. Consideration should be given to making these forms electronic in nature allowing the customer to E-mail both initial data and ongoing changes directly to the system operator.
While developing various service levels and monthly charges for a MAC, the dealer should also consider the issue of 24/7 availability and response to data changes and access requests versus a 9-5 business model. Remember, with Web portal functionality built into the MAC server, the dealer staff could respond to after-hours requests for service from just about anywhere. Obviously, for the customer that requires 24/7 service, an increase in the basic monthly service fee is justified and likely acceptable to meet their needs.
Another optional service that many customers, especially those with a small number of users and limited turnover, would benefit from is photo ID badge creation as part of the MAC service. This alone greatly reduces the initial customer investment by eliminating an expensive badge printer, software, and badging card stock and ribbons.
The customer simply captures the credential holder’s image with an inexpensive digital camera and E-mails that image, as an attachment, to the dealer’s system operator. The system operator creates the finished credential, enters it into the ACS, and mails it out to the customer’s point of contact. RMR for this service should include a basic fee plus a per badge production fee. In the MAC setup, all the RMR comes back to the dealer. Thus the potential revenues are unlimited, as opposed to other alternatives where the RMR may be shared.
As participating dealers’ lists of MAC clients expand, so too will their ever-increasing profit margins. Offering these services allow providers to tap into potentially unlimited sources of RMR since 100 percent of the revenues go directly to the dealers and are not shared. That business growth will make it easy to incrementally increase MAC server capacity, network bandwidth and staff as needed.
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