Nowadays, security systems no longer function stand-alone, but are increasingly part of a larger whole in which security and other (building management) systems are interconnected.
Depending on the links you want to make between the different systems, you can choose from open (hardware independent) or closed (single brand) solutions.
In this article, we offer you five considerations that will help you make a choice.

In the last 15 years, we have seen a dichotomy emerge.
Manufacturers either specialize in hardware and hardware components or in software.
The latter group of companies, which includes Milestone, Nedap and Genetec , offers security solutions that are largely open and hardware-independent.
This is partly due to the various communication standards of the last decade, such as ONVIF for video systems and OSS for wireless offline locks in access control systems.
Hardware manufacturers are also constantly improving their products and specifications.
Due to the enormous increase in the number of Asian (camera) manufacturers, the prices of hardware have fallen.
To differentiate themselves, many of these hardware giants – such as Dahua, Hikvision (together 47% market share CCTV) and Axis – have broadened their product range.
They now offer complete single brand solutions.
Where they started with, for example, their own NVR recorders, intercom and burglary have sometimes become part of their solution.
The following five considerations will help you make a choice between an open or closed solution: 1. Freedom of choice Open solutions offer you as a user the freedom to choose the solution.
So you can choose hardware or software components that best suit your circumstances and the desired level of security and that work together with the systems and infrastructure already in place.
By linking your HR, visitor registration and parking management system, for example, you can work from a single database.
This is not only efficient, but also safer.
The risk of human error is significantly reduced.
Closed, proprietary solutions force you as a customer to use only hardware/components from the same brand.
The advantage is that these components will always work together.
The disadvantage is that your old, still well-functioning solutions will have to be replaced and you may therefore have to deal with a divestment. 2. Future-proofing There is a good chance that your needs will change over time.
Because your company grows, merges or relocates, for example.
An open solution can adapt more easily than a closed, proprietary solution.
Suppose you want to register your visitors with a visitor registration system or you want to purchase a locker system so that your employees also have access to a locker with their access card, then these new systems must be integrated with your access management system.
Such integrations are often not possible in a single brand solution, simply because the manufacturer does not have the knowledge or does not have it on its development agenda.
So, dependence on a manufacturer doesn’t have to be an obstacle, as long as your needs don’t change. 3. Role of the installer Building a custom security solution with ‘open’ software components requires a lot of IT knowledge, both in the implementation process and in the management phase.
Not every security installer has this knowledge.
If you want a flexible security solution that grows with you as needed, choose a specialized security system integrator. They have the knowledge and experience to put together a suitable solution from ‘best of breed’ products and can successfully implement and manage these complex integrated solutions.
If an installer has no or insufficient knowledge in this area, a plug & play single brand solution is safer.
When such a system offers you the desired functionality, it may be perfectly at home for you.