For property managers, access control decisions quietly shape everything from resident trust to daily operations. It’s no longer just about who gets a key. It’s about knowing who entered, when, why, and whether that access should still exist tomorrow.
In multi-tenant buildings, the risks add up fast:
- Shared credentials that never get revoked
- Outdated permissions tied to former residents or vendors
- Limited visibility into who is actually accessing the property
These gaps don’t stay small for long. They turn into real liabilities, safety concerns, and tenant disputes. Further, break-ins and unauthorized access, while affecting security, also impact retention, compliance, and your reputation as a property operator.
As expectations rise, residents and owners now ask:
- Can access be managed centrally?
- Is activity auditable across buildings?
- How fast can permissions change when people move in or out?
That’s why access control choice has shifted from physical keys to cloud-based platforms built for modern properties. But not all systems are designed the same way.
This guide compares Genea vs Openpath vs Coram, breaking down how each platform approaches access control, where they fit best, and what property managers should consider when securing one building or an entire portfolio.
What is Genea?
Genea is a cloud-based access control system designed for teams that want to manage doors, users, and credentials without being tied to a physical location. Everything runs through a web-based dashboard, making it easier for property managers and facilities teams to control access across one or multiple buildings in real time.
- Centralized control and flexibility: Administrators can add or remove users, assign credentials, and monitor access activity from anywhere. This is particularly useful in environments with frequent tenant changes, rotating staff, or vendors who need time-bound access.
- Supports both mobile and physical credentials: Users can unlock doors using their smartphones, while key cards and fobs remain available for teams that prefer or require physical access. This allows properties to modernize access gradually rather than forcing an immediate shift.
- Access permissions are role and schedule based: Property managers can define who can enter which doors and when. For example, cleaning crews may only access certain areas after hours, while security staff maintain broader access. Changes apply instantly, reducing risk from outdated or shared credentials.
From a hardware perspective, Genea is open and hardware-agnostic, working with widely used Mercury and HID controllers. This helps properties avoid ripping out existing infrastructure. The platform also integrates with workplace and identity tools like Okta and Slack to align access with employee status.
For visibility, Genea provides real-time access logs and alerts, including forced-door events and doors held open. Audible alarms and notifications help teams react quickly when something unusual happens.
What is Openpath?
Openpath is a mobile-first access control system designed for modern commercial buildings where speed, flexibility, and remote management matter more than physical keys. Instead of centering access on cards or fobs, Openpath treats the smartphone as the primary credential, allowing users to unlock doors with a wave, a tap, or an app-based interaction.
Mobile-First, Touchless Access: Openpath’s defining feature is its phone-centric experience. Employees and tenants use mobile credentials that work across offices, parking gates, elevators, and secured zones. Physical cards are available as a fallback, but the system is clearly optimized for environments where mobile access is the default.
Centralized Control Across Locations: All access activity is managed through a cloud platform, giving administrators real-time visibility into who is entering which spaces and when. Permissions can be updated instantly, making it easy to onboard new users, revoke access for former employees, or lock down areas during incidents across all connected sites.
Flexible Access Rules for Modern Workforces: Openpath supports access policies that reflect how people actually use buildings today:
- Role-based access aligned with job functions or tenant types
- Time-based permissions for hybrid schedules, contractors, and visitors
- Multi-site consistency across distributed offices or properties
For property managers, Openpath reduces operational friction. Lost cards are no longer a bottleneck, access changes don’t require physical intervention, and system updates sync in real time. The platform is well-suited for organizations prioritizing convenience, mobility, and centralized access management across growing portfolios.
What is Coram?
Coram approaches access control differently from traditional card-first or mobile-first systems. It is platform-first, built for property managers who need visibility, consistency, and control across multiple buildings, tenants, and teams, not just door unlocks.
At its foundation, Coram treats access control as part of a broader security and operations platform, not a standalone tool. Doors, users, schedules, alerts, and video all live in one system, designed to scale cleanly from a single property to a full portfolio.
Built to Scale Across Properties: Coram is designed for growth. Whether managing one building today or dozens tomorrow, access control expands without redesigning infrastructure or changing workflows.
- Works across doors, gates, elevators, and specialty access points
- Hardware-agnostic, so existing locks and readers can stay in place
- Offline mode maintains access continuity during network disruptions
This matters for property managers who can’t afford downtime or site-by-site customization every time a new tenant or building is added.
Centralized Management Without Friction: All access is managed from a single cloud dashboard. Credentials, schedules, and permissions are easy to adjust in real time, across locations.
- Supports mobile, card, and biometric credentials side by side
- Role-based and time-based access aligns with tenants, vendors, and staff
- Real-time alerts and audit-ready logs support compliance and reporting
Instead of logging into multiple systems or coordinating with IT for changes, property teams stay in control directly.
Intelligence Beyond Door Access: Where Coram stands apart is how access data connects to context. Every door event can be paired with live or recorded video, turning access logs into something actionable.
- Visual verification for unlocks, denied access, tailgating, or forced entry
- Automated alerts across video, sensors, and safety systems
- Faster incident review without switching tools
For property managers, this means fewer blind spots and faster answers when something goes wrong.
A Command Center for Access and Security Coram brings doors, cameras, alerts, and insights together in one place. It’s built for operators who manage multiple stakeholders, properties, and risk scenarios, and need access control that supports scale, visibility, and day-to-day decision-making, not just entry.
Genea vs Openpath vs Coram: Access Control Feature Comparison
Access Credentials and Entry Experience
- Genea is card-first at its core, with mobile access available as an add-on, making it comfortable for properties moving away from legacy systems but still relying on physical credentials.
- Openpath is built around mobile credentials, prioritizing smartphones and wearables for touchless entry, which works well for tech-forward tenants but assumes universal phone adoption.
- Coram supports mobile, card, and biometric access equally, allowing property managers to standardize on a single system while providing different tenants with different credential types.
Permission and Policy Control
- Genea handles role-based and time-based access well, but often requires hands-on management as properties and tenant rules expand.
- Openpath simplifies permissions for dynamic teams, especially in offices with frequent role or schedule changes, but works best when access rules are fairly uniform.
- Coram treats access as policy-driven, letting managers apply rules across doors, buildings, and sites without reconfiguring each location individually.
Visibility and Incident Context
- Genea provides reliable access logs and alerts but relies mostly on door data for investigations.
- Openpath offers clean activity tracking focused on entry events, with limited situational context beyond the unlock itself.
- Coram automatically pairs every door event with video and timeline context, making it easier to verify incidents like tailgating, forced entry, or denied access.
Multi-Property Scalability
- Genea can manage multiple locations from a single dashboard, though the operational effort increases with portfolio size.
- Openpath scales efficiently across offices with similar use cases but can feel rigid in mixed-use or multi-tenant environments.
- Coram is designed for portfolio-level management, where adding a new building feels like an extension rather than a rebuild.
Operational Resilience
- Genea and Openpath both rely heavily on stable connectivity for normal operation.
- Coram is built with offline continuity, allowing doors to function even during network disruptions.
Deployment Model Comparison: Card-First vs Mobile-First vs Platform-First
Access control platforms differ not just in features, but in how they are designed to be deployed and scaled. For property managers, this deployment model often determines long-term effort, cost, and flexibility.
- Card-first systems, like Genea, evolve from traditional access control. Physical cards and fobs remain central, with mobile credentials layered on top. This model works well for properties transitioning from legacy systems, but it can become operationally heavy as buildings, tenants, and credential changes increase.
- Mobile-first systems, such as Openpath, flip the model. Smartphones act as the primary credential, reducing card management and enabling touchless entry. This suits modern offices and tech-forward tenants, but assumes consistent smartphone usage and can be limited in mixed-tenant or visitor-heavy properties.
- Platform-first systems, like Coram, start from a different place. Access control is one part of a broader security platform that connects doors, video, alerts, and incident response. Credentials, rules, and visibility are managed centrally across properties, making it easier to scale portfolios, enforce policies consistently, and respond to issues with context.
For property managers overseeing multiple buildings, the deployment model often matters more than the credential itself.
Traditional vs Modern Access Control
Why Property Managers Need Centralized Access Control
For property managers, access control is no longer just about doors and keys. It shapes how efficiently teams operate, how quickly problems are resolved, and how consistently security policies are applied across buildings. When each property runs its own system, everyday tasks start to pile up: issuing and revoking credentials, training staff on different tools, and responding to incidents with partial visibility.
Centralized access control changes that model:
- Single place to manage access across doors, gates, elevators, and amenities
- Faster onboarding and offboarding for residents, staff, and vendors
- Consistent security rules applied across all properties
- Real-time visibility into access activity and exceptions
- Lower administrative workload for on-site and corporate teams
- Easier scaling when adding new buildings or communities
Beyond the checklist, centralized access control changes how property teams work day to day. Instead of reacting to access issues property by property, managers can make a change once and apply it everywhere. Credentials can be updated or revoked in seconds, without waiting for on-site staff or juggling multiple systems.
This becomes especially important in multi-tenant and mixed-use environments. Access needs vary by role and change frequently.
- Centralized systems make it easier to apply role-based and time-based rules without increasing operational effort.
- Risk is also easier to manage. Centralized policies reduce the chance of outdated permissions lingering after move-outs or role changes, while unified logs make audits and investigations faster.
Platforms like Genea vs Openpath centralize credentials in the cloud. Coram goes a step further by connecting access events with video, alerts, and incident context, giving property managers a clearer operational view across their portfolio.
As portfolios grow, these gains compound. What works for one building rarely works for fifty. Centralized access control helps managers scale securely, with fewer blind spots and less friction for teams and residents alike.
Genea vs Openpath vs Coram: Which Platform Access Control is Best for Property Managers?
Choosing the right access control platform depends on how you manage properties today and where you’re headed tomorrow.
- Genea modernizes traditional systems by supporting cards, fobs, and mobile credentials in a cloud-managed setup. It works well for portfolios moving away from on-premise panels but still relying on familiar credential types.
- Openpath underlines a mobile-first experience, with touchless phone-based access and remote control. It’s a strong fit for tech-forward workplaces that expect smartphone credentials and consistent schedules, but its mobile reliance can be less flexible in mixed-tenant or visitor-heavy settings.
- Coram takes a broader approach: access control is part of a larger platform that unifies doors, policies, alerts, and video. Instead of treating access as a standalone tool, Coram gives property managers centralized control with contextual insights, letting them see who accessed what, alongside video and incident data.
For multi-building portfolios juggling diverse tenant needs, Coram’s connected model often delivers clearer visibility and less operational friction.
Final Verdict: Choosing the Right Access Control Platform
Between Genea vs Openpath vs Coram, the real decision comes down to complexity, scale, and long-term control. Systems that work well for a single building can quickly become limiting when portfolios expand, tenant types vary, or operational teams need shared visibility.
The right platform should reduce daily friction, not add to it.
That means fewer tools to manage, clearer oversight across properties, and access policies that adjust as people, spaces, and risks change.
It also means thinking beyond entry events alone and considering how data access supports audits, incident reviews, and operational decisions.
As access control shifts from hardware to platforms, property managers who prioritize flexibility, integration, and centralized oversight are better positioned to stay secure while keeping operations efficient, even as portfolios and expectations grow.
