The Value of a Subscription Service in Access Control

From Office 365 to Netflix, subscriptions seem to be all around us. They have a simple and salient logic: bite-size payments for endless services or new features and support. Cloud-Based Access Control has been steadily shifting to subscription models too. If you are reading this, chances are, you are looking to buy Cloud-Based Access Control but you're not sure why there is a monthly fee.  

We seem to understand how monthly subscriptions add value for products we use every day, like Netflix or Office 365, let's apply that same logic to access control. Monthly payments validate their small fee with the promise of continued innovation and services, making your life as a business owner more hassle-free. 

By paying a monthly fee for access control, your company can focus on business goals without the need to simultaneously maintain and monitor your building’s access control system. 

Find out the truth behind why monthly models make sense for access control. 

1. Endless Features 

Traditional access control gets outdated after some years, pushing you to buy and install a new system to access updates.  When Microsoft put Office in the cloud with Office 365, you no longer had to buy the newest software every year or be stuck with an outdated version. The same is true for a modern, cloud-based access control system. 

As an example, we at Nexkey have been able, just over the last few months, to provide every customer with new features like Dashboard or Mass Credentialing of users in our Portal, an Apple Watch App, Firmware Updates, Groups, and Messaging. All of this was delivered as part of the monthly subscription. These new features were automatically available to use as soon as they were released. 

2. Dependable and Secure 

With on-premise traditional systems (non-cloud), an IT administrator would have to download and install the latest software manually and in most cases, you might have to pay a fee for the latest version. With no monthly fee, the burden to purchase a new system and then maintain the server+complex hardware is on your company’s shoulders. Traditional systems can leave you with an outdated and exposed office.  

Subscription fees cover these security updates. With zero effort on your end, you reap the benefits of always having the most up-to-date and secure system. With a subscription model, you statistically decrease the chances of compromising your building security. On-site servers get outdated, while cloud-based servers get automatically updated. 

3. Subscriptions Offer Ongoing Support and Care 

Without a monthly fee, there’s essentially no relationship with the company you buy from, so they have no obligation to help troubleshoot any issues or equip your business with new features. 

Subscription-Based Models also provide an active relationship between the customer and their subscription-based platform provider. So long as the subscription lasts, you as a customer will have access to onboarding for the product, continual training with customer success managers as our product grows, 24/7 customer support, and ongoing discussions to gather feedback and requests from you to improve the product even further.

4. Cloud Costs Are Covered

Monthly payment models cover all your cloud costs. Your system, keys, audit trail, reports, analytics, etc... live in the cloud in a high-end encrypted space that we provide as a service versus investing in an on-site server. Your keychain and audit trail live in the cloud. Key shares and activity triggered through your users generate traffic on our network. This traffic results in data consumption that we as a provider end up paying for.

There’s one more thing…

Save Money with a Per-Device Subscription Model 

Now that you understand why there are monthly fees, If you want to save more money, learn the difference between per-device vs. per-user payment models. Per-user access control payment models punish company growth. If you have to go from 100 to 500 users, your bill will increase with each new user. 

Our survey data confirms that 75% of office workers don’t want to pay over $30 per month for their access control. Since only 15% said they'd be willing to pay over $30 per month, it does leave out a sizable number of per-user payment models. Our findings demonstrate that when access control providers ask their customers to pay the price every time they want to scale up, it is less compelling than a model that stays the same with regard to users. 

What’s the point of providing “keyless” access control if you still have to pay for every single digital key you add? A  per-device monthly model charges you for each door, regardless of the number of users, ensuring you can focus on building up your business rather than building up your bills.