Lenel and AlertEnterprise now allies

ANAHEIM, Calif.—Access control provider Lenel and physical identity and access management (PIAM) software provider AlertEnterprise on Sept. 28 signed a strategic alliance that will enable Lenel VARS to resell AlertEnterprise's solution to its customers.

Lenel president Ron Virden and AlertEnterprise CEO Jasvir Gill told Security Systems News that this deal represents a big opportunity for their integrator partners.

While AlertEnterprise and Lenel's OnGuard's platform have been integrated for some time, Virden said the strategic alliance means that Lenel VARs "don't have to learn a whole new sales process to resell AlertEnterprise."

Working together, the platform provides a "decision matrix" for end users, so they can "understand and verify" what's going on, Virden said.

This is important, Gill said, for the growing number of enterprises that have to make "decisions about a local site from the global level."

Before starting Alert Enterprise, Gill founded Virsa Systems, a provider of compliance software that was acquired by SAP. Gill said that Lenel and Virsa have a high percentage of Fortune 500 customers, which means the combined solutions provides "credibility from both sides." It also provides cross-selling opportunities for VARS, he said.

Ross McKay, Lenel director of products, said both companies have a shared philosophy that "solutions out of the box should be highly configurable. ... [so that] VARs can add value to the solution in the field."

The combined solution is designed to help companies meet compliance regulations and reporting requirements. McKay said combining HR information with access control information can also yield valuable insights into insider threats.  For example, an employee who is on a performance review may be disgruntled. If that person starts using an access control card to go into areas they don't normally go to, it may be something the security team should look into. The combined Lenel/AlertEnterprise offering can proactively detect this type of behavior and send an alert to security.

Lenel is a UTC company housed within UTC's Climate, Controls & Security division. Virden said that non-security companies within that division may play into the Lenel/AlertEnterprise solution at some point. The deal "has broader implications at UTC than just security," Virden said.

AlertEnterprise is well established in vertical markets such as utilities, oil and gas, airports, government, pharmaceutical companies, and healthcare.