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ACCESS CONTROL & IDENTITY By John Falk The Benefts of Software Licensing Maximize the earning potential of your enterprise-level integrations I n the competitive access control security market, it is becoming increasingly important for companies to provide a uniquely scalable system and service to its customers. For a company to carve out its own share of the security control market, creating a client base of repeat customers is very important. In the world of access control, the use of "software licensing" has become a burgeoning solution to the question of customer retention. Not only has customer retention been answered, but licensing also answers the need to gain control of software engineer costs — due to years of research and payments as the software is customized and geared towards a particular customer satisfaction. Software licensing is aimed at maximizing the business potential of enterprise-level integrations, such as at manufacturing facilities, college campuses and government/military complexes. When evaluating what type of access security product line to market, it would be of great value to consider products that can incorporate software licensing as a business added option. Maximizing ROI Like any market, access control companies and those firms that develop customized solutions for customers must be able to make a return on their investment in research, time and development. A wonderful way for a business to maximize profit potential from these multiple-unit installations is by providing software licenses. A typical software license grants an end-user permission to use one or more copies of software in ways where such a use would otherwise potentially constitute copyright infringement of the software owner's 62 exclusive rights under copyright law. It basically functions as a one-time payment the consumer makes in order to add the proprietary software that runs the device. A common example of this licensing technique is practiced by software giant Microsoft — a business can pay a special rate to have five authorized license keys for copies of Windows 7, for example. When a customer decides on a type of access control system and software they want to integrate into their security network, they generally need several control devices. The chain of security devices can vary widely from two units — one on the front door and one on the back door, for instance — to a veritable web of many devices securing an entire municipality. Software licensing in biometrics can be demonstrated by using the ACTAtek3 system from Intelligent Biometric Controls as an example (Learn more about the product at www.securityinfowatch. com/11103930). When a client purchases their first few systems, they can network up to 10 units with the proprietary software. Each additional unit that must be added to the network in the future requires a license to be purchased for that device to be included in the security network's database. The reason these licenses do not become an issue until after 10 devices are being used is because that number of products on a network would be considered a small business installment. ❚ John Falk is an expert with Intelligent Biometric Controls Inc., a distributor/supplier of fingerprint access control and employee time keeping solutions. Request more information on IBC at www.securityinfowatch.com/10853464. www.SecurityInfoWatch.com | SD&I; | September 2013