Top 7 reasons for cloud access control

We are witnessing a huge IT migration to the cloud. General benefits of the cloud are well known, and they all apply to cloud access control. However, to truly understand the advantages of the cloud for access control we need to look a bit closer.

1. No servers 

We are starting with the single biggest advantage of cloud computing: No need to purchase servers, software licences, no need to operate or maintain them, no need to hire IT professionals. For access control, all of the above means less vulnerability, fewer security concerns, less risk management. And, this is true for both end-users and security operators. Minimizing the IT footprint in general is good for everybody.
 

2. Anywhere, any time 

Another great cloud advantage: You can have your system scattered all over the city, country or planet. And you can access it any time, from anywhere. This is a true game-changer for access control. Before the cloud, any venture outside the safety of the corporate LAN needed carefully managed VPN, a notoriously complicated, costly and unpopular solution.
 

3. Smartphone access 

Smartphone¹  is another game-changer for access control, not on one, but several levels. The first level is card replacement, and that one alone is huge. Just think of mobile credentials, sending a key via email vs. sending a physical card. Yet there is much more than just card replacement: a smartphone is not just a security token, but rather the ultimately secure client, with support for all kinds of identification technologies, authentication methods, with built in biometrics... remember cards?

4. Smartphone management 

Then there is mobile  

5. Better business model 

Before the cloud, access control systems used to be purchased and operated by the owner. Instead of concentrating on their core business, the owner had to run the access control system with their own staff. To save money, that was often a side job, rarely done by security professionals. Now, the cloud makes access control available as a service from security professionals, much like intruder detection. This very clear advantage has been often overlooked.
 

6. Better integration 

Before the cloud, integrations were tricky and costly. With public APIs and web interfaces, the cloud makes IT integration much easier in general. There is much less disruption because of new versions, and often it can be done by either side. Ready-made integrations are increasingly available between popular platforms. For the wider developer community, API makes 3^rd party integration much simpler and opens many new opportunities.
 

7. Better security 

If we look at the first 6 advantages above, all of them are directly and significantly improving the quality of access control, making it better at what it does - providing physical security. 
 
Traditionally, cloud as a platform has been seen as a security risk. In fact, with evolution and standardization of digital security, that has turned around. Internet security today is at the forefront of security technology in general. It has matured into standardized, affordable commodity used and enjoyed by everybody. Now we can consider the platform security as one of the top advantages of cloud access control.
 
Footnote¹: What does cloud have to do with smartphones? Well, nowadays it is hard to imagine a smartphone without the cloud. To use smartphones in business IT you first need cloud. So, looking from the IT perspective, cloud and mobile can be seen as a single platform.
 
To find out more on Spica's new solution "Door Cloud - the Smartest Access Control in the Cloud" meet the company on event Adria Security Summit 2019, September 18 -19, 2019, Booth No. 13