Traditional Versus Service Oriented Access Control Systems
Access Control systems are a major part of any organizations security. Its the means by which an organization can take control of who has access to what. Without this system, managing an organizations facilities and resources can become a nightmare.
There was once a time when users were limited to one type of system. The traditional system worked for some time, but advances in technology and an organizational structure called for a new model for access control.
In comes service oriented systems. They are radically different from traditional systems in many ways. These newer systems have advantages over the more conventional systems, but also present other issues.
Below are some of the advantages and disadvantages of the traditional and service-oriented model of access control.
The advantages and disadvantages of a traditional system
The great thing about the traditional system is that theyre cheaper for most organizations for the simple reason that they already have one in place. They no longer have to change or do anything since they already have a system that works for them.
The second advantage of a traditional system is having complete and total control over the system. A service oriented system takes certain parts of control away from the hands of the user.
Granted most of the features that they need to manage the system effectively stay with the end user, but certain features are sacrificed in service-oriented models. Some of these features, such as storing data or information in their own servers, can only be kept in a traditional model.
The downside to traditional systems is the upkeep. They can be quite expensive and difficult to maintain. It requires some degree of manpower and technical expertise to keep the system running properly and fix it in case things go south.
The pros and cons of service-oriented access control systems
The most lucrative benefit of service oriented systems is that theyre cheaper than traditional systems. Theyre less expensive for a wide variety of reasons.
A service oriented control system requires less upfront capital since its the service provider wholl provide all the hardware and software the system needs. Organizations dont have to shell out money for their own hardware or software like they would in a traditional system.
Second, most service oriented control systems have an infrastructure in place that allows them to give their customers remote internet access. Most conventional systems lack this feature. People can access their control system through the Internet even if theyre halfway across the world.
The downside to service oriented control systems is that a crucial aspect of the organization’s security measures is being outsourced. The organization will not have as much control as they usually would if they owned the system. Reduced control is one of the biggest problems that most people have with service-oriented access control systems.
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