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organization's changing needs. The security of credentials, communications protocols, and the hardware itself has become an essential element of modern access control system architecture. Older systems can leave you vulnerable to cyber threats that can affect not only the physical campus but also the heart of your business. For example, some organizations are still using older proximity cards to wirelessly unlock doors—and these are easy to copy. Older card readers commonly use the Wiegand protocol to communicate between the reader and the controller. Unfortunately, Wiegand readers can be compromised without the user's knowledge, which can create a devastating weakness within your security system. Instructions on how to do this have been easily available on the Internet for at least 14 years, and have even been published in mainstream magazines such as Wired . Someone who gets access to these card readers can get cardholder information as well as get into the access control system. It's important to remember that cybersecurity isn't just about preventing hackers from gaining unauthorized access to restricted areas within a physical campus. It's also about preventing unauthorized access to the organization's network via internet-connected devices—including those used in the access control system. New, more cyber-secure technologies are available that allow end users to do more with their system while protecting them from cyberattacks or malware. Switching Costs (and "Staying" Costs) No doubt switching systems comes at a cost, but have you considered the cost of staying with the system you have? If you're still having someone manually search for video footage when there is an event, the cost of that time and labor may be much greater than it would if you had a unified system that can present a complete picture of the situation on one pane of glass. Maintenance costs of older systems are another factor to consider, especially for multisite or multinational organizations with servers for access control systems to maintain on multiple campuses. Not only do each of these servers need to be serviced and maintained, but they also all bring additional costs such as power, cooling, and backup systems in case of failure. Each of these systems requires its own service level agreement and needs to be updated manually when the software requires security updates. For organizations with older access control systems that are integrated with IP-based camera systems or a multitude of other systems, software upgrades can bring a host of headaches, as changes to either system may require extra IT support to adjust settings so that the two systems continue to work together—and all that work comes at a price. Time spent managing nuisance alarms is another costly side effect of continuing to use an older access control system. The more doors you have, the greater the odds are that you will have false alarms regularly. Legacy systems typically require someone to spend time investigating alarms to see if there is a concern or threat. Modern access control systems

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