Westport Properties Commits to Exclusive Access Control Partnership with OpenTech Alliance INSOMNIAC® CIA
March 13, 2019 – Phoenix, AZ, OpenTech Alliance, the leading developer of innovative smart connected technology solutions for the self storage industry, announced Westport Properties, Inc. plans to replace existing access control at their full portfolio of 120 properties exclusively with CIA(Centralized Intelligent Access), the industry’s first cloud-based access control solution.
Founded in 1985, Westport Properties acquires, develops and manages self storage properties in highly desirable markets with high barriers to entry, spanning 15 states along the east and west coasts. Guided by the values of visionary founder Barry Hoeven, Westport Properties operates with a philosophy focused on the long-term, driven by continual investment in their people, processes, and technology. With this philosophy at their core, Westport Properties was quick to pilot INSOMNIAC CIA at several facilities when it launched in 2018.
“We’ve been looking for a cloud-based gate system for a long time,” stated Mike Brady, Chief Operating Officer, Westport Properties. “We’ve been trying to move to a more web-based platform for a while, and the gate was the last system that required us to have a computer on site. CIA is one of the key pieces to keep moving forward with the way we want to run our storage facilities.”
In 2019, Westport Properties will replace existing access control systems at 30 percent of their properties with INSOMNIAC CIA. “We started with 55-65 sites. Over time, we’ll put in a capital budget to replace the remaining systems as we move forward,” stated Brady. “The information, reporting, and data the new system provides is where we want to get to [from an operational standpoint].” At properties where CIA is in place, managers have seen success using the smart connected solution to track tenants and activity, troubleshoot issues at the property and elevate the customer experience. Storage Genie, the hands-free tenant mobile app that comes with INSOMNIAC CIA, is just one feature that enhances Westport Properties’ goal to improve the customer storage experience through innovative design, amenities, and service. “I really like the concept of opening the gate while our tenant’s phone is in their pocket or purse,” said Brady. “Sometimes the keypad’s not in a good spot – we have a lot of RVs that access the properties – and it’s great to be able to tell them to download the app so they can open the gate from their car. We wanted to be able to deliver a better and better user experience for our tenants and being able to open the gate from in your car does that.”
With an eye to the future, Westport Properties is focused on operations and building a good stable platform that can grow and is scalable. “[INSOMNIAC CIA] is the system we really like, and after the pilot installs went so well, we made the decision to add it as a key piece of our [long-term] strategy. It’s a very scalable and secure platform. We want to get everything running on the same open platform, giving us the freedom to add on new technologies as they come out over time.”
“It is not easy to impress the team at Westport, they are early adopters and true innovators in their own right, so we are pretty happy to hear they see the tremendous value in CIA and have committed to roll it out to their entire portfolio,” stated Robert Chiti, Chief Executive Officer, OpenTech Alliance. “INSOMNIAC CIA is just the first component of our intelligent open platform of smart connected self storage solutions designed to help streamline business operations for the self storage industry – we call it OpenTech IoE.”
To learn more about INSOMNIAC CIA, contact OpenTech Alliance at sales@opentechalliance.com.
