Web Hosted Solutions

GuardPointNET™ - Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

Web-hosted applications, also known as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), are everywhere, from online banking to browser-based email to corporate CRM solutions. Like these convenient and user-friendly tools, web-hosted access control offers end-users a browser-based solution they can use anywhere they have Internet access and as with other web-hosted applications, the end-user’s data is stored and accessed securely, without software to install, backups to maintain, or upgrades to keep up with.

In addition to the many benefits of web-hosted access control, it also can dramatically lower the total cost of ownership (TCO) for electronic access control systems.

On a single-site comparison of access control systems of similar size, support, and data security, the savings of Sensor’s SaaS access control solution, GuardPointNET, is a dramatic 64% over traditional access control systems.

Expense	Period	Traditional Access Control	GuardPointNET
Up-front fees and expenses	One-time	£10,500	£2,200
Recurring annual fees	Annual	£300	£2,028
Recurring operational expenses	Annual	£1,418	N/A
Recurring IT expenses	Annual	£3,039	N/A
THE BOTTOM LINE	5-Year TCO	£34,285	£12,340

So why do traditional access control systems have higher operational and IT costs? The difference is in the support being provided by a central, professionally staffed data centre.

SaaS	Traditional server-based
No software or dedicated PCs A Web browser from any computer with Internet access is all that’s needed to administer the system	Software is installed on a dedicated PC; risks include: • loss of data through viruses or other damage • theft of PC can compromise data • compatibility of software with operation system changes • new licenses needed for multiple log-ins
Redundancy and disaster recovery Geographically dispersed data centres provide redundancy and disaster recovery, also handling regular database backups	A single point of failure is a huge risk, but the cost of a redundant server and offsite disaster recovery can be prohibitive for most companies. In addition, backups must be performed on location by end-user staff
No upgrades to keep up with The application is upgraded automatically, with users accessing the latest version every time they log in	PC-based software must be upgraded to obtain new features; old versions may be unsupported by the manufacturer