ETC gives birth to Managed Access Corp.

DOVER PLAINS, N.Y.-In response to customer requests, Electronic Technologies Corp. created a separate company to provide remote management of access control systems. The new company, Managed Access Corp., already manages 15,000 badges for customers, less than a year after starting. By the end of this year, company officials expect that number to swell to more than 100,000 once two large accounts come on board -- a finance company and a manufacturer. "Customers are recognizing the cost of such administration, at this point," said Jim Muncey, president and chief executive officer of ETC. "If they can outsource it, it's a plus to them." ETC has been providing and helping manage access control systems for its customers for at least the past five years, said Muncey. By forming Managed Access Corp., the company can manage the access control system in-house instead of the management remaining in the hands of the client. Managed Access Corp. will take care of managing the system, such as adding new people, creating badges with the appropriate level of security and providing reports. ETC installs the systems and provides support. "From an administration standpoint, we take over all that for them," said Scott Deininger, senior vice president of operations for ETC. "We basically have a menu of items we can offer the customer through Managed Access." Customers can choose to have Managed Access Corp. manage the entire system relying on Managed Access Corp.'s server to run the system -- all the customer would need are readers and panels. Or, the customer could do some administration of the system on their own, such as adding new people. One service that Managed Access Corp. provides to clients is a quarterly audit. The document lists all badge holders and their security clearance level, a method to make sure that everyone who is in the system actually belongs. "You have to because let's say they forget to email me that they fired somebody," said Muncey. "On a quarterly basis, we give them that to review and sign." The company now employs 11 people, but Deininger expects it will triple next year as new customers are brought on board. Within three to five years, Muncey anticipates Managed Access Corp. will managed 1.5 million to 2 million badges as the company targets large, corporate customers. "We've built our facility with room for growth, meaning we expect to bring the large users here," said Muncey.