Assa Abloy acquires another facial recognition access control provider

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 solutions 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 addition; reinforcing our current access control and biometrics offerings, providing complementary growth opportunities, and enabling us to grow our market leadership in emerging markets,” says Nico Delvaux, president and CEO of Assa Abloy.

The acquisition is subject to the customary approvals and closing conditions, and Assa Abloy expects it to contribute to earnings per share right away. Control iD reports 2021 sales of 130 million Brazilian Reals (roughly US$25.2 million), with a strong EBIT margin.

“Control iD’s focus on innovative biometric technologies, especially facial recognition, fills several gaps in our existing portfolio and I’m excited for them to become part of Assa Abloy,” says Lucas Boselli, Executive Vice President of Assa Abloy and Head of the Americas Division. “This acquisition provides a great opportunity for us to further develop our commercial and residential access control solutions and services to many different markets and applications in Brazil.”

The terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Hospital reports success with Oosto for operating room access control

Oosto has revealed the use of its facial recognition by Raphael Hospital in Tel Aviv, Israel to provide touchless access control for sterile areas like operating rooms.

The private hospital claims to be the most technologically advanced in Israel, and deployed Oosto’s biometrics for access control to prevent the transmission of germs, and secure access to sensitive areas. The OnAccess system send an alert to security personnel if an unauthorized person attempts to enter a restricted area like an operating theatre, as explained in a YouTube video.

“Authorized personnel simply go through the doors without having to use keys, cards, codes, or even slowing down,” said Raphael Cohen, Operating Rooms Manager. “We wanted to proactively remove the physical barriers that get in the way of caring for our patients as efficiently as possible while offering another layer of protection in the process. Oosto’s OnAccess allows us to do both.”

An upgrade, a strategic partnership and recognition of fast 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 face biometrics through integration with YOUNiQ.

The Safr facial recognition platform from RealNetworks is being integrated by video management system provider Geutebruck Pacific in an exclusive distribution agreement for Australia and New Zealand.

“We decided on SAFR, RealNetworks’ AI facial recognition, because of its nearly 100 percent accurate recognition,” says Anthony Brooks, managing director, Geutebruck Pacific. “[SAFR] allows Geutebruck video recordings to be analyzed even more accurately, faster, and automatically. With SAFR, we are pleased to offer our customers this exceptional AI component that efficiently enhances an organization’s safety and security.”

Genetec, meanwhile, has been declared the fastest-growing provider of access control software in the world by market research firm Omdia.

The report from Omdia states that Genetec has risen from the fourth-largest market share in 2019 to second position, with the most organic growth in the Americas and fastest overall growth in the EMEA region.

Article Topics

access control  |  Assa Abloy  |  biometrics  |  enterprise  |  facial recognition  |  Genetec  |  Oosto  |  Precise Biometrics  |  SAFR  |  security