The school and university security market operates differently from traditional commercial spaces – upgrades often happen slowly, requiring extensive collaboration across facilities, IT, security, and administrative leadership. For systems integrators, long-term success means not just installing products, but navigating standards, stakeholder consensus, and evolving campus priorities.
School security remains in constant evolution as new threats emerge and administrators prioritize student, faculty, and staff safety. Funding cycles, aging infrastructure (especially historic campuses), and competing stakeholder priorities shape how and when upgrades occur.
Long-term durability is essential in school environments, where door hardware faces heavy daily traffic, tough conditions, and strict fire and building code compliance. Demand for cost-effective access control and security systems is accelerating, with smart locks, card readers, mobile credentials, and biometrics all gaining traction as schools move toward campus-wide access management.
These potential access control and door hardware upgrades offer administrators flexible pathways to modernize security – whether through retrofitting with new monitoring components or integrating with larger enterprise systems. That said, successful projects demand more than good hardware. Integrators must also understand the intricacies of working within a wide range of leadership and stakeholder expectations from planning through implementation.
Security Standards in Action
Access control is at the core of campus security, and any upgrades must align with published safety and security standards. Most schools and universities maintain detailed technical guidelines that define the procurement process, approved vendors, and acceptable technologies. These standards are updated only with leadership approval, meaning integrators must be prepared to work within existing frameworks rather than pushing their own preferences.
Successful integrators recognize that campus users maintain strict ownership and control of their systems. Building strong partnerships depends on respecting established procedures, supporting compliance efforts, and delivering consistent service over time.
Facilities managers are typically the primary point of contact for retrofit projects, but integrators will also collaborate closely with project managers, architects, specifiers, and other trades such as locksmiths. Some schools embed a technician on-site; others require integrators to maintain a dedicated project manager or primary service contact familiar with campus standards.
Service expectations are clearly outlined in an RFP, and meeting them is critical to earning trust. Winning the initial bid is only the start. Delivering strong service and responsive support cements long-term partnerships and helps ensure the integrity of installed systems, supporting both security goals and daily operational needs. For example, schools may require a four-hour maximum response time for service calls if a tech is not embedded on campus.
Building Trust and Partnerships
Systems integrators and installers must establish themselves early in retrofit projects, bringing technology expertise and a clear understanding of access control systems to leadership discussions. They provide input to university executives, facilities managers, project managers, physical security departments, campus safety, the fire marshal’s office, and IT.
In networked applications, IT departments must approve any device that communicates over the network, such as electric door strikes with monitoring capabilities. Upgrades must integrate seamlessly with existing systems without introducing cybersecurity risks and must not disrupt student credentialing for housing, dining, or transactions.
A successful integrator must be fluent not only in access control software platforms, but also in how mobile credentials, monitoring tools, and peripheral devices interact across campus systems. Mapping out upgrade pathways in full alignment with technical standards – and understanding upgrade impacts across the broader ecosystem – is critical.
When choosing a long-term partner, schools and universities seek integrators or VARs who are proficient in the institution’s installed access control platform and committed to maintaining system health through regular firmware updates. Multiple integrators managing different software interfaces can create vulnerabilities and confusion, and institutions prefer a single trusted partner who maintains clear accountability.
A national presence can also be a deciding factor, especially for supporting satellite campuses. If an integrator does not have a national footprint, strategic partnerships with other approved providers may be needed to meet service expectations.
Successful navigation of campus standards, approvals, and bid specifications takes ongoing commitment, open communication, and transparency. Integrators must be honest about their capabilities, especially regarding emergency service response times. Campus users require the confidence that if a door lock fails at 3 a.m., a technician or backup plan is already in place. Institutions expect multiple points of contact – especially those with administrative rights – to ensure seamless coverage during absences, vacations, or emergencies.
Finally, integrators should advocate for the school’s evolving security needs at planning and engineering meetings. While users may grow comfortable with legacy standards, trusted integrators must speak up when newer technologies or approaches offer better outcomes for safety and access control goals.
How to Stand Out in a Crowded Service Market
One of the most effective ways for systems integrators to stand out is by staying ahead of new technologies and working closely with manufacturers to identify better ways to meet evolving campus security needs. End-users rely on their integrators not only to install systems, but also to validate solutions, investigate alternatives, and troubleshoot issues as technologies change.
Pilot programs provide opportunities for integrators to test new products in real-world environments and demonstrate their expertise firsthand. Proactive discussions about future upgrade pathways and end-of-life planning further establish the integrator as a trusted advisor – not just another service provider or vendor.
By becoming experts in both the technical demands and relationship dynamics of campus projects, systems integrators can position themselves as indispensable partners in long-term access control strategies. When executed well, it results in a successful upgrade, as well as a foundation for lasting customer loyalty.
Cynthia Bingham CRL, AFDI is a technical trainer at ASSA ABLOY with more than 25 years of experience in the security industry. A certified, registered locksmith by trade, she has served roles as access control technician and installer, program manager of physical security, and manager of security and access control within the university environment. www.assaabloy.com
