Why Open Standards in Access Control Are a Business Imperative

The security system you choose today will shape not only tomorrow’s costs, but also your organization’s efficiency, flexibility and ability to scale. 

While many organizations opt for proprietary access control systems due to their convenience, whether it’s lower upfront costs, quicker deployment or vendor relationships, the real danger lies in the long-term expenses and the strategic risks they conceal. From expensive hardware replacements to limited upgrade paths and dependence on single vendors, these constraints not only increase operational costs but also slow innovation and lock organizations into outdated technologies. Because of this, companies frequently lose out on the resilience and long-term return on investment that come from implementing security infrastructure strategically. 

In contrast, open standards in access control offer a flexible, more strategic path forward. Open standards’ scalable, interoperable systems protect infrastructure investments, support digital transformation and bridge the gap between physical security and IT. For forward-thinking organizations, open standards aren’t just a technical preference — they’re a business imperative. 

The cost of a proprietary system

Proprietary access control systems may seem sufficient at first, but their closed architecture quickly becomes a liability. These systems restrict integration, complicate upgrades and limit an organization’s ability to adapt to evolving business needs. 

Upgrading often requires costly hardware replacements. In contrast, open standards-based access control solutions enable seamless integration of new technologies, helping organizations preserve existing investments and simplify future upgrades. 

The impact goes beyond financial costs. Closed systems increase the workload for security teams and IT teams, who must spend more time on maintenance due to vendor-specific updates, patches and support cycles. This strains internal resources and slows response times when issues arise. Vendor management also becomes more complex, often requiring multiple service contracts and specialized training just to maintain operations. 

Security is another major concern. Proprietary systems typically receive updates more slowly and lack interoperability, making them more vulnerable to threats. In fact, about 60% of data breaches result from insider misuses of access, often facilitated by these rigid, closed platforms. 

So why do organizations continue to rely on them? In many cases, it’s due to a lack of market awareness. While profitable for vendors, proprietary systems drive up long-term costs, reduce operational flexibility and increase infrastructure risk. Security leaders and integrators must embrace open standards to build more secure, adaptable and future-ready access control systems. 

Open vs. closed: The case for open standards

To understand the value of open standards in access control, let’s look at two real-world scenarios: 

Company A: Locked in by a closed system — This organization invests in a proprietary access control system that meets its immediate needs. Everything works until they try to add a new biometric reader or IoT device from another vendor. Because the system is closed, the new and existing technologies can't communicate. Integration becomes difficult and expensive, requiring vendor negotiations, custom development or even a full "rip and replace" of the system wiping out the original investment. 

Company B: Protected investment with open standards — This organization chooses a platform built on open standards. When new technologies become available, they can be added seamlessly. The open design ensures compatibility, protects previous investments and simplifies future upgrades. This allows the business to evolve without being held back by its infrastructure. 

Why open standards matter for today’s leaders

For executives and facility leaders, open standards offer more than technical flexibility. They also offer long-term business resilience. 

By using a common language for devices and systems, open standards make it possible to unify security strategies across physical and digital environments. They reduce security risks and make it easier to scale, adapt and respond to change. 

In short, this isn’t just a technology choice. It’s a strategic decision that protects modern organizations from disruption and positions it for growth. 

Embracing open standards can help modernize your access control infrastructure, reduce costs and improve agility. Here are five best practices to guide the way: 

1. Choose platforms that support open credential formats: Open formats allow credentials, readers and controllers from different vendors to work together seamlessly. For example, the LEAF Community provides an interoperable  credential specification that ensures universal compatibility across all LEAF-certified devices. This helps prevent duplication, an important feature for organizations that have undergone a series of mergers or manage multi-site operations.
   
   
2. Adopt multi-technology credential strategies: Modern companies are transitioning to multi-format credentials that support standards like FIDO2 and MIFARE DESFire. These enable passwordless login, unified access across IT and physical systems and a smoother migration from outdated technologies.
   
   
3. Standardize on interoperable communication protocols: Deploying open standard protocols like OSDP (Open Supervised Device Protocol) is essential to ensure secure, bi-directional communication between readers and controllers. OSDP enables encrypted data transmission, remote updates, real-time monitoring and reduces maintenance across large deployments.
   
   
4. Prepare for scalable, cloud-ready deployments: Whether hosted on-premise or in the cloud, open-standard systems offer the flexibility to scale securely. Cloud platforms offer centralized control, timely updates and cost-effective management for organizations with distributed facilities or high volumes of credentials.
   
   
5. Align with industry groups driving open innovation: Industry leaders like the LEAF Community, Security Industry Association (SIA) and the FIDO Alliance are shaping modern identity and access control standards and influencing RFP requirements and enterprise planning. 

The future is open

A paradigm shift toward open standards is being signaled by the market momentum. Businesses are actively looking for solutions that enable their entire security ecosystem, credentials, readers and modules to cooperate as they become more aware of the downsides of being “locked in”. 

OSDP has become the modern security standard, especially for new construction, marking a broader industry move. What was once a trend is now a strategic priority: adopting open standards protects investments, enhances agility and builds a future-ready infrastructure.