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When you’re choosing components for a security system — whether new or upgraded — it’s natural to compare speeds and feeds: features, form factors, tech specs and other tangible data. It’s also important to consider each vendor’s partner network. In the long term, the agility and resilience of your infrastructure might depend on it. A robust partner network with a genuine ability to innovate on top of the platform helps drive up innovation and agility and drive down the total cost of ownership. That’s why we focus heavily on enabling technology partners here at the Mercury team.
At a basic level, partners deliver technologies and services. But the best partner ecosystems are more like mutually reinforced webs of innovation. When a vendor emphasizes an open approach and works closely with their partners, they can provide genuine customer advantages. At Mercury, we are in the business of intelligent controllers, but these principles apply to many aspects of physical security.
Partners are most valuable when they drive innovation — not just expand the vendor’s market reach. Pure resellers and integrators play a beneficial role in many enterprise technology marketplaces, but it’s equally essential that partners develop new ideas and solutions on top of the vendor’s offerings.
The ability for partners to innovate depends heavily on the openness of the offerings. The more closed and proprietary a technology stack, the higher the bar for partners to clear to build something worthwhile. Conversely, partners can create customer value much faster when the primary vendor relies on industry standards and open-source technology. This “coopetition” drives more impactful and effective results than a “walled garden” approach.
Beyond expanding access, openness helps keep the system on the leading edge. As technology evolves, open systems can adapt more efficiently by integrating new technologies or updating existing components, helping to ensure they remain relevant and effective over time.
Openness has become a common claim in the technology industry, requiring you to evaluate it closely — if you agree with us that it truly matters. The use of an open-source OS, partner access to robust APIs and software development tools, and a general ethos of “walking the talk” regarding openness can be significant clues.
The typical security icon is a closed lock. But that image can be misleading. Industry experience shows that open ecosystems can be more secure than locked-down proprietary environments. The collective vigilance of a broad community improves security through transparency and collaboration. More eyes on the system mean potential vulnerabilities can be spotted and addressed quickly.
This is one of the critical tenets of the open-source software movement. It has proven reliable over time. This principle can be extended to partnerships in the physical security space.
When a vendor encourages a healthy partner network, more organizations have a stake in the continued protection afforded by the system to their mutual customers. A more comprehensive range of industry knowledge and technical skills is available to identify security challenges and solutions. More companies are out in the marketplace providing support to ensure your investment delivers the value proposition you expect.
Broad partner networks encourage competition, which can reduce your total cost of ownership over time. The unfortunate truth is that vendors who know their customers lack options have little incentive to keep prices low over the long term.
An open platform allows customers to mix and match components from different providers. Such flexibility will enable you to get the right solutions for your needs and avoid vendor lock-in that stifles agility and blocks opportunities. Because you can choose from many options, you are less likely to be stuck when a vendor leaves the market or goes out of business.
When a vendor treats their partners well and cultivates lasting relationships, it can be a sign that they are trustworthy and easy to work with. After all, the customer-vendor relationship is also a form of partnership, so vendors who treat their partners well are likely to do the same for their customers.
At the end of the day, security hardware is a long-term play. Your organization is likely to be working with the vendors you choose for several years or more. Of course, the technical capabilities are key when it comes to security. At the same time, an engaged ecosystem can make a real difference to security, too — especially in an environment where change is the new normal.
Learn more about how Mercury ensures you have the solutions you need to keep your facilities secure today and tomorrow.
