Amazon Key for Business access control review

For organizations that rely on delivery services for daily business operations, a secure, easy-to-manage solution is essential no matter the size of your business. Amazon Key for Business offers a solution to package delivery management, allowing drivers to safely deliver items inside of a building’s lobby. However, your organization may need an access control solution that covers more than just package delivery, such as entry management for employees, administrators, and visitors like vendors or business partners. This Amazon Key for Business review will help you decide if the technology is the right fit for your property.

Comprehensive Amazon Key for Business review

Amazon Key for Business offers a solution to often-cumbersome package delivery management, helping organizations streamline the process, prevent package theft or loss, and spend less time on scheduling and accepting deliveries. However, Amazon Key doesn’t provide any other access control solutions beyond delivery management, making it an obsolete option for businesses wanting a comprehensive security solution.

For more control and flexibility regarding delivery management and additional access control features, consider an alternative for Amazon Key for apartment complexes, corporate offices, and more. Openpath offers a more comprehensive solution with scalable access control software and hardware that can support from one door to hundreds across multiple properties. Openpath also supports integrations with leading video, analytics, technology, and communication providers, visitor and delivery management, and much more. With Openpath’s hardware, organizations can leverage scalable access control systems with video and intercom technologies for a complete picture of entry events.

What is Amazon Key for Business?

Amazon Key for Business is a service that allows verified Amazon drivers to deliver packages inside of an organization’s building, helping enterprises streamline package management, prevent lost or stolen goods, and reduce failed delivery attempts. Key for Business specializes in delivering packages specifically ordered from Amazon, but it may be able to support delivery by some third-party couriers approved by Amazon.

How does Amazon Key work? 

The Amazon Key for Business service works with an existing access control system, such as fob readers, call boxes, or remote openers. Amazon delivery drivers request access via the employee-specific Amazon Key app, are verified based on the driver, delivery address, and time of the request, and are then granted temporary access to a building’s specific door to drop off packages. Commercial customers can also use Amazon Key for apartment buildings, gated communities, and other multi-family residences to help prevent package theft from outside. One downside to Amazon Key for Business’s functionality is that it works predominantly in delivering Amazon packages. Some eligible properties may be able to receive third-party deliveries from approved providers, making the process to receive non-Amazon deliveries much more complicated than it needs to be.

How much does Amazon Key for Business cost?

At the time of this Amazon Key review, the Key for Business service, installation, and any maintenance is free of charge and provided by Amazon. However, to receive free installation, businesses must meet Amazon’s minimum requirement of installing 10 units that receive deliveries. For example, in order to use Amazon Key for apartment buildings, you must have at least 10 apartment or multi-family units on your property to be eligible. In addition, businesses will also need an existing compatible electrical access system to use Key for Business. While compatible with many commercial access control systems, an additional reader device may need to be installed for certain properties to use Amazon Key for Business. If you don’t have a system or your system needs an upgrade, you will have to look to another access control company, such as Openpath, for this solution.

Openpath is a more cost-effective choice for businesses, small or large, in the long run. While Openpath’s access control system may initially cost more than Key for Business, the extensive hardware and software choices and increased functionality allow for a truly customized security technology solution that’s worth the investment. With no minimum user or entry count necessary to use and a subscription model that allows organizations to pay for the specific solutions they need, Openpath is simpler to implement for any sized business and scalable for organizations that may grow.

Delivery management options 

The Amazon Key for Business device used to verify and allow access to buildings is a smart key fob. This fob can be connected with any existing access control system such as a call box, buzzer, or more advanced access control solution. While Key for Business conveniently allows authorized delivery drivers to securely drop off packages and goods, this service doesn’t give you any additional real-time or past footage visibility into the delivery event. The Amazon Key for Business service can record video clips only if you purchase the Amazon Cloud Cam, but without it, you won’t have any audio or video clips to review in case a delivery goes awry. 

Openpath’s solutions make visitor and delivery management simple. Openpath’s hardware like the Video Intercom Reader Pro and Video Reader Pro feature essential technology like AI-powered call routing and mobile video viewing that allow administrators to securely verify a delivery or visitor remotely. Openpath also supports a variety of access control credential methods, including key fobs, key cards, mobile, and Cloud Key credentials. Openpath is also backward compatible with legacy access cards, including HID® Proximity cards, making it easier to integrate Openpath’s solution into an existing enterprise system. You can also utilize Openpath’s remote unlock feature for deliveries and guest visits, allowing administrators to unlock any door on any property with a click of a button in the cloud-based Control Center or mobile app.

Additionally, instead of leveraging Amazon’s security key smart fobs to allow delivery drivers temporary access to your building, Openpath also allows administrators to easily grant digital Guest Passes for scheduled deliveries, maintenance, or company meetings that can instantaneously be controlled and edited remotely from Openpath’s Control Center. That means your organization is in control of creating and revoking access to your building, putting the security in your hands.

Access control solution considerations 

While Amazon Key for Business solves some needs regarding delivery management, it doesn’t go beyond this. Your organization’s access control solution should address multiple security needs, including ensuring authorized entry for employees, tenants, and administrators, keeping areas with sensitive data accessible to select users, protecting property from unauthorized threats, and managing guest visits and delivery events. 

Openpath’s solution can accomplish all of these needs and more with its flexible cloud-based solution that’s simple to implement and manage from anywhere in the world. Administrators can use Openpath’s Control Center remotely to customize and edit entry permissions, send Guest Passes, or adjust door schedules to create a security measure that works specifically for your enterprise. Openpath’s open API and mobile SDK also allow for a completely customized experience, supporting integrations with video management systems like Ava and Cisco Meraki, visitor management programs like Envoy and Eden Workplace, identity services like Okta and Google Workspace, analytics systems like Splunk and Dragonfruit, and so much more that can build upon your access control. Connect a video management system for automatically recorded clips of an entry event, or connect an analytics provider to access real-time analytics to how your building’s entries are being used. With over 45 integrations available in Openpath’s App Marketplace, it’s never been easier to fortify your business’s access control for a more comprehensive security solution.

Best customer support

When it comes to your business’s delivery management, it’s best to have customer support you can count on. With Amazon Key for Business, customers will need to email or call to speak with an Amazon Customer service representative for assistance. Openpath’s team of customer support experts are available 24/7/365 to assist you with your access control system, including troubleshooting any access control hardware that you need to securely approve and accept packages, or software needed to conduct business. With an extensive catalog of detailed support articles to help you use and improve your technology, Openpath is always available to help you when your organization needs it.

Alternatives to Amazon Key for Business

While Amazon Key for Business helps businesses with package delivery management, it does not provide any other access control solutions and requires an existing access control system to function. With this in mind, Amazon Key for Business can be used alongside a solution like Openpath, allowing organizations to get the benefits of Key for Business’s Amazon delivery offering and Openpath’s complete access control solution. 

Openpath offers a variety of different features, as well as scalability, for delivery and visitor management that can’t be experienced with Amazon Key for Business. Whether your organization needs one or thousands of entries secured, Openpath’s solution is made to scale up or scale down with simplicity. This goes for user capability, too, with the ability to add an unlimited number of users to your Openpath plan. Openpath’s flexible solution also allows for complete control of entry schedules for specific users and access to detailed activity logs, making it easy for organizations to keep track of deliveries, visitors, employees, and more.

In addition, Openpath’s access control hardware provides technology that goes beyond the Key for Business device. With a built-in 5MP camera and AI-powered voice recognition, the Openpath Pro Series door readers can better assist delivery drivers and visitors through the delivery process, and teams can review video footage of the delivery event when necessary. Openpath customers can also leverage powerful integrations with video management systems to capture detailed and real-time footage, help identify specific users, set real-time alerts, and allow for remote monitoring and management. These features, which Amazon Key for Business lacks, help empower your organization to take control of your security.