Lenel white-labels OnSSI's VMS

LAS VEGAS—Long-time access control manufacturer Lenel used ISC West to announce a new deal with OnSSI that will have Lenel rebranding OnSSI's video management software Ocularis. Lenel will call it SkyPoint.

Though its video business is robust and has been growing, the move was necessary, said Luis Orbegoso, Lenel president, because “the GUI just wasn't there.”

“We're growing about 30 percent per ear, and about 30 percent of our sales is in video,” he said. “But it was too cumbersome to use. We know technology really well, but we've never really had that video-centric user experience down pat. We've always been focused on the access segment. A lot of our sales were access customers that needed video. Access led the video purchase.”

Orbegoso said his access business, which amounts to what his four biggest customers sell combined, could be helped further by a strong video offering.

For OnSSI, said Jeff Knapp, vice president of marketing, “it's a tangible representation of the openness of the platform. It speaks to the credibility and functionality of the client.”

“We did a lot of due diligence,” Orbegoso said. “We took a look at just about every company out there, and the thing that we like about OnSSI is that the architecture matches ours in terms of being open; they're set up to where we're going.” He emphasized, however, that “doesn't mean we're abandoning video development.” He noted Lenel, working with other UTC units, will be spending a great deal on R&D, not only for a more robust video solution, but for integration with building controls software and other systems that could provide information to the security system.