Access control giant Assa Abloy has acquired Brazilian biometric hardware and software developer Control iD to integrate its access control and time and attendance capabilities into its solution portfolio.
Control iD is based in São Paulo and has approximately 300 employees.
Assa Abloy also acquired smart lock maker HHI from Spectrum Brands a year ago, and Biosite in 2020, and is the parent company of HID Global.
“Control iD is a strategic technological complement; strengthening our current access control and biometrics offerings, providing complementary growth opportunities and allowing us to increase our leadership in emerging markets,” said Nico Delvaux, Chairman and CEO of Assa Abloy.
The acquisition is subject to customary approvals and closing conditions, and Assa Abloy expects it to contribute immediately to earnings per share. Control iD announces sales of 130 million Brazilian reals (about US$25.2 million) in 2021, with a strong EBIT margin.
“Control iD’s focus on innovative biometric technologies, particularly facial recognition, fills several gaps in our existing portfolio and I am delighted to have them part of Assa Abloy,” said Lucas Boselli, Vice President Assa Abloy Executive and Head of Americas. Division. “This acquisition provides us with an excellent opportunity to further develop our commercial and residential access control solutions and services in many different markets and applications in Brazil.”
Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
Hospital reports success with Oosto for operating room access control
Oosto revealed the use of its facial recognition by Raphael Hospital in Tel Aviv, Israel, to provide contactless access control to sterile areas like operating rooms.
The private hospital claims to be the most technologically advanced in Israel and has deployed Oosto biometrics for access control to prevent germ transmission and secure access to sensitive areas. The OnAccess system sends an alert to security personnel if an unauthorized person attempts to enter a restricted area such as an operating room, as explained in a YouTube video.
“Authorized personnel simply walk through the doors without having to use keys, cards, codes or even slow down,” said Raphael Cohen, operating room manager. “We wanted to proactively remove the physical barriers that prevent us from caring for our patients as effectively as possible while providing another layer of protection in the process. Oosto’s OnAccess allows us to do both.
An upgrade, strategic partnership and recognition of rapid growth
Nordic and Baltic IT infrastructure provider ATEA, a 6,800-person organization, has upgraded its visitor management solution from EastCoast Visit, enabling it to use facial recognition technology from Precise Biometrics.
EastCoast was acquired by Precise late last year, and EastCoast Visit Online supports the use of facial biometrics through integration with YOUNiQ.
RealNetworks’ Safr facial recognition platform is integrated by video management system provider Geutebruck Pacific into an exclusive distribution agreement for Australia and New Zealand.
“We opted for SAFR, RealNetworks’ AI facial recognition, because of its nearly 100% recognition accuracy,” says Anthony Brooks, Managing Director of Geutebruck Pacific. “[SAFR] allows video recordings from Geutebruck to be analyzed even more precisely, faster and automatically. With SAFR, we are pleased to offer our customers this exceptional AI component that effectively improves the safety and security of an organization.
Genetec, meanwhile, has been declared the world’s fastest growing access control software vendor by market research firm Omdia.
Omdia’s report indicates that Genetec moved from the fourth largest market share in 2019 to the second position, with the highest organic growth in the Americas and the fastest overall growth in EMEA.
Article topics
access control | Assa Abloy | biometrics | business | facial recognition | Genetec | Oste | Precise biometrics | SAFR | Security
