As a property manager, your goal is to create a secure, seamless, and modern experience for your tenants while maximizing operational efficiency. The access control system you choose is the cornerstone of this effort. It’s the first thing tenants interact with every day, and it’s your first line of defense in protecting the property.
Today, the biggest decision in access control is choosing between a traditional on-premise system and a modern cloud-based platform. While both can lock and unlock doors, how they operate, the costs they incur, and the capabilities they offer are worlds apart.
Making the right choice requires looking beyond the hardware and considering the total impact on your budget, staff, and tenants. Here’s what property management companies need to know.
Understanding the Core Difference
First, let’s define the terms simply:
On-Premise Access Control: This is the traditional model. All software and data are stored on a dedicated server located physically at your property, such as in an IT closet or security office. To manage the system—add a new tenant, change a schedule, or pull an activity report—your staff typically needs to be on-site and logged into that specific server.
Cloud-Based Access Control: This modern approach hosts the management software and data on secure, remote servers. Your on-site hardware—card readers, door controllers—connects to this platform via the internet. This allows you and your team to manage your entire portfolio of properties from anywhere, using a web browser or a mobile app.
For property managers, this distinction is critical. It fundamentally changes how you interact with your building’s security.
Key Considerations for Property Management
1. Remote Management & Scalability
Question: Do you manage multiple properties or need to handle tasks when you’re not on-site?
On-Premise: Managing multiple sites means having separate servers at each location or dealing with complex and often unreliable VPN connections. Granting after-hours access for a locked-out tenant or a vendor usually requires a trip to the property. Scaling up by adding a new building means duplicating your entire server infrastructure.
Cloud-Based: This is where the cloud excels. You can manage one building or a hundred from a single, centralized dashboard. Add a new tenant, revoke a lost key card, or unlock a door for a delivery—all in real-time from your smartphone or laptop, no matter where you are. Adding a new property to your portfolio is as simple as installing the door hardware and adding it to your existing account.
Winner for Property Managers: Cloud-Based. The ability to manage an entire portfolio remotely is a massive operational advantage.
2. Total Cost of Ownership
Question: How do you prefer to budget for technology—as a large, one-time capital expense or a predictable, ongoing operational expense?
On-Premise: This model requires a significant upfront investment in servers, software licenses, and the labor to install it all. Beyond that, you are responsible for all ongoing maintenance, software updates, security patches, and eventual server replacement. These hidden costs add up significantly over the life of the system.
Cloud-Based: The initial hardware cost is often lower because you aren’t buying a powerful server. The system is paid for via a predictable monthly or annual subscription fee. This fee includes automatic software updates, security patches, data backups, and technical support. This operational expense model simplifies budgeting and eliminates surprise maintenance bills.
Winner for Property Managers: Cloud-Based. The predictable subscription model and lower upfront cost make it easier to budget for and reduces long-term IT headaches.
3. The Tenant Experience
Question: What kind of living or working experience are you trying to create?
On-Premise: These systems are typically built around physical credentials like key fobs or plastic cards. While functional, they lack the modern convenience that today’s tenants expect. Lost fobs are a constant hassle, and the overall experience can feel dated.
Cloud-Based: Modern cloud platforms are built for the mobile-first world. They enable mobile credentials, allowing tenants to use their smartphones as their key. This is a premium amenity that offers a frictionless, modern experience. Cloud systems also integrate more easily with visitor management tools and other smart building technologies, creating a more connected and convenient environment.
Winner for Property Managers: Cloud-Based. Mobile access and seamless integrations are key differentiators in a competitive rental market.
4. Security and Data Management
Question: Who is responsible for keeping the system secure and the data backed up?
On-Premise: With an on-site server, the responsibility for cybersecurity falls entirely on you. You or your IT team must manage firewall configurations, perform regular security patches to prevent vulnerabilities, and ensure that access logs are backed up in case of a server failure. If that server crashes and isn’t backed up, your data could be lost permanently.
Cloud-Based: Reputable cloud providers host their platforms in highly secure data centers with teams of experts dedicated to cybersecurity. They manage all updates, patches, and data redundancy. Your data is automatically backed up across multiple locations, ensuring business continuity even if your local internet or power goes out.
Winner for Property Managers: Cloud-Based. It leverages enterprise-grade security and reliability without requiring an in-house team of IT experts.
5. System Reliability and Uptime
Question: What happens when something goes wrong?
On-Premise: If your server fails, your entire system can go down until it’s repaired or replaced. You’re responsible for maintaining backup power, redundancy, and disaster recovery plans. A hardware failure could leave you locked out of your management interface at the worst possible time.
Cloud-Based: Cloud platforms are hosted in enterprise-grade data centers with redundant systems, backup power, and 24/7 monitoring. If your local internet connection goes down, door controllers typically have offline capabilities that allow credentials to continue working. Once connectivity is restored, all activity logs sync automatically.
Winner for Property Managers: Cloud-Based. Professional-grade infrastructure ensures maximum uptime and reliability.
The Verdict: The Future is in the Cloud
While on-premise systems may still have a place in highly regulated facilities with strict data residency requirements, for the vast majority of property management companies, the advantages of a cloud-based system are overwhelming.
The shift to the cloud offers unparalleled flexibility, a lower total cost of ownership, a superior tenant experience, and more robust security. It transforms access control from a static, on-site utility into a dynamic, intelligent tool that helps you manage your properties more effectively and efficiently.
Systems Integrations: Your Cloud Access Control Partner
At Systems Integrations, we specialize in helping property managers throughout South Jersey, Southeast Pennsylvania, and Delaware navigate this transition. As a certified partner for PDK and Feenics—two of the industry’s leading cloud-based access control platforms—we design and install solutions that not only secure your buildings but also add tangible value for you and your tenants.
Our team of licensed, certified technicians has over 20 years of experience in security integration. We handle every aspect of your project, from initial site survey to commissioning, typically completing installations within two to four weeks. Every system comes with a one-year workmanship warranty, and we offer comprehensive post-installation support through master service agreements and maintenance contracts.
We also integrate your access control with other critical systems, including Rhombus and Hanwha video surveillance, creating a unified security ecosystem that provides better protection and smarter automation.
Ready to modernize your property management? Contact Systems Integrations today at (866) 417-3787 for a free consultation.