Honeywell and Bold collaboration targets access control

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--Honeywell, a manufacturer of security products, announced on March 24 a collaboration with Bold Technologies, a developer of software solutions for central stations, to offer an integrated access control solution for central stations. The collaboration between Honeywell's Win-Pak Pro Central Station, the remote managed access control system, and Bold's Manitou central station automation software will "allow central stations to manage data using one database instead of two or more," said Jerry Winslow, vice president of Bold. "The driving force to our customers, which are the central stations, who tend to buy the Win-Pak system and install it locally and let it run locally and independently, is that this solution will allow them to connect the two systems" and manage access control systems which will generate additional recurring revenue. The ability to increase revenue streams was the force behind this collaboration, said Honeywell's John Smith, senior marking manager. "A lot of our dealers wanted to get more value out of their central station resources," said Smith. "There's a large investment being made by dealers for managing their central stations and they're seeking out new ways to gain additional RMR, with access control obviously being a natural one." Smith said the investment by central stations for this new interface is fairly minimal and central stations need to make a one-time purchase of the software. Operator training is also minimal because they're "not learning anything new. It's the same screens they're familiar with, so there's not a lot of training involved to learn how the interface works," he said. Smith said Honeywell approached Bold approximately a year ago to discuss interfacing Win-Pak into the Manitou software. The solution will be available in early May, and the collaboration will be showcased at ISC West in April.