Matrix Systems - Experts & Thought Leaders

ACRE, a global pioneer providing state-of-the-art security systems, announced the strategic acquisitions of Feenics and Matrix Systems. Cloud and integrated security The acquisition of Feenics brings cloud-based access control solutions to ACRE’s rapidly growing network of global customers while also expanding its portfolio to support the growing demand for cloud-based security solutions. Matrix enables ACRE to expand the addressable market for the company’s technology portfolio, offering customers a broader breadth of reliable, integrated access control and video surveillance technologies designed to meet evolving business and security requirements. Cloud-hosted platform Keep integrates native visitor management and a RESTful API that allows integration of complementary systems Feenics develops Keep, a cloud-hosted platform that provides extreme scalability, unprecedented flexibility, and advanced security with its ACaaS applications. It integrates native visitor management and a RESTful API that allows simple integration of complementary systems and devices, resulting in a lower total cost of ownership.  “We are extremely excited about joining forces with the ACRE organisation,” said Sam Shalaby, Founder and CEO, Feenics. “ACRE has positioned itself as the technology leader in the delivery of trusted and reliable global security solutions. We share a common mission of constantly seeking new ways to best support the evolving needs of today’s mission-critical security environments.” Access control and security management For more than 40 years, Matrix Systems has been committed to protecting people, property, and assets through the delivery of security solutions and services tailored to the unique needs of its customers. It provides comprehensive access control and security management technologies to well-known organisations, such as Miami International Airport, The Ohio State University, Cleveland Clinic, and General Electric.  “ACRE was an ideal fit for our business because we share a commitment to making sure our customers receive excellent service and support,” said Bruce Rogoff, CEO, Matrix. “Additionally, our clients gain access to an innovative and compelling roadmap that builds on the proven Matrix product line with ACRE’s expertise in security.” Integration of brands “Our goal is to bring the industry’s best technology innovators into our network of brands,” said Joe Grillo, CEO, ACRE. “Feenics’ cloud architecture and Matrix’s simplified approach to integration have helped both brands build significant loyalty from a wide range of customers in rapidly growing markets, and we look forward to supporting both brands’ continued growth.” Shalaby will remain with Feenics as its CEO, and Matrix management will join the ACRE team. Imperial Capital served as a financial advisor to Feenics. The financial details of the respective transactions were not released. 

The New DICE Corporation announces Calipsa’s false alarm filtering solution is integrated with Matrix Interactive. While the two companies both offer video analytics, the integration provides central stations and integrators that are already using Calipsa’s solution with the option to add advanced interactive and video services from Matrix Interactive. It will also allow DICE users to benefit from Calipsa’s pioneering AI technology. An open and generic platform With an open and generic platform developed by the New DICE, the integration works with any monitoring automation software and is an opportunity to add value for monitoring stations or command centres in a corporate, education, or healthcare venue. Calipsa’s analytics software for video surveillance uses deep learning algorithms to filter out false alarms Calipsa’s analytics software for video surveillance uses deep learning algorithms to filter out false alarms caused by anything from a change in lighting to a spider’s web across a lens, with a false alarm reduction rate of 95%. Central monitoring solution Matrix Interactive offers central stations and command centres a video event monitoring, surveillance, and alarm notification suite for any video system that is accessible from any location, at any time. The unified platform provides services such as video verification, remote guarding, virtual guard tours, and virtual doorman; all using advanced video analytics, artificial intelligence, and cloud recording of events. With an overabundance of cameras and recorded video, the security industry is seeing a greater rise in video monitoring. By integrating Matrix Interactive with Calipsa, monitoring stations and command centres will have the opportunity to add new levels of security into their monitoring operations. Real-time video streaming For instance, with Matrix Interactive’s verified automated scheduled video tours, the platform analyses understand and prioritises the video stream in real-time. If nothing is detected during the tour, there is no need for operator intervention. The priority level determines if the video is sent to an end-user, a central station operator, and/or is recorded. Matrix platform offers a multi-camera video quick search feature that can instantly search through multiple cameras The Matrix platform also offers a unique new multi-camera video quick search feature that can instantly search through multiple cameras for an event rather than camera by the camera. Central stations and command centers can begin with an entry-level package at a minimal investment that provides fast ROI, and then add more cameras, services, and modules when ready. Enhanced security standards "The New DICE is a fantastic partner and integrating Calipsa’s analytics into the Matrix platform offers us great potential in all the markets we serve,” said Brian Baker, Chief Revenue Officer at Calipsa. “Matrix Interactive will allow Calipsa users to not only benefit from our 95% false alarm reduction but will also add its additional features to further enhance security standards. This partnership is a significant step in defining our footprint in the central station and command center market.”  “DICE is continuing to partner and integrate with the top industry solutions, and we are proud to partner with Calipsa,” said The New DICE Corporation Co-President Avi Lupo. “We spoke with many Calipsa customers who are very happy with Calipsa but were looking for a seamless integration with Matrix Interactive to take advantage of its advanced video features and services, in addition to the Calipsa analytics.” 

Dubai trade show to feature two-thirds of world’s top 50 solutions providers as regional security spend continues to rise The Middle East market for security, safety, and fire protection is on track for double digit growth over the next four years, as regional governments and the private sector look for improved technologies to better protect assets, people, businesses, and borders. Led by the Gulf nations of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, regional countries are making rapid strides to upgrade infrastructure and secure their countries, with research from analysts Frost & Sullivan (F&S) highlighting the tremendous potential that remains to be unlocked in the region. An industry white paper published by F&S outlined the latest trends and opportunities in the market, with spending in Middle East commercial, cyber, and homeland security, along with fire protection, and smart home building automation on a steep upward growth curve. Expanding growth rate According to F&S, the Middle East commercial security market, which includes intruder alarms, CCTV surveillance, electronic locks, perimeter protection, door alarms, access control and identification systems, is expected to be worth US$10.2 billion by 2020, growing annually by 24 per cent from its US$3.8 billion value in 2015. Similarly, the region’s homeland security market is forecast to grow annually by 21 per cent up to 2020, with market revenues increasing to US$34.2 billion, driven predominantly by investments in critical infrastructure, major events, and the need to counter perceived threats. Fire protection also has huge growth potential, with the Middle East’s fire safety market estimated to grow annually by 12.5 per cent from 2012 to 2020. During this period, the market will grow from US$1.6 billion to US$4.2 billion, making it one of the world’s largest fire safety markets. Intersec 2017 The latest figures come in the final countdown to Intersec 2017, the world’s leading trade fair for security, safety, and fire protection, which is scheduled to be ten per cent larger year-on-year when it opens from 22-24 January at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. "Middle East organisations and end-users realise the impact of security and fire safety on their overall productivity and bottom lines" The 19th edition of the annual three-day event will feature more than 1,300 exhibitors from 52 countries, while over 31,000 visitors from 128 countries are expected to attend as they seek the latest solutions across seven show sections of Commercial Security, Fire & Rescue, Safety & Health, Homeland Security & Policing, Perimeter & Physical Security, Information Security, and Smart Home & Building Automation. Ahmed Pauwels, CEO of Messe Frankfurt Middle East, the organiser of Intersec, said: “Middle East organisations and end-users realise the impact of security and fire safety on their overall productivity and bottom lines, while regional governments have always been committed to protecting critical assets and people in the face of perceived threats along with social and commercial interests.” “In this respect, the region has carved out a niche for itself in the global security, safety, and fire protection industries and Intersec, as the leading global trade platform with a pronounced regional focus, remains the natural vehicle for international manufacturers to showcase their wares to regional buyers.” “The coming edition will be even wider in scope and reach and will provide trade visitors a comprehensive look at what’s available to suit their varied needs, whether that be for governments and authorities, or for private sector end-users in aviation, oil & gas, construction, finance, hospitality, logistics, retail or healthcare,” added Pauwels. World top security companies exhibiting With more than 580 exhibitors, Commercial Security is the largest section at Intersec 2017, with more than two-thirds of the world’s top 50 security solutions players on board, including Hikvision, Bosch, Dahua, ASSA ABLOY, Tyco, FLIR, Hanwha Techwin, Axis Communications, Avigilon Panasonic, Infinova, IDIS, and Milestone Systems. Promise Technology, a leading developer of storage solutions for the surveillance industry, is a returning exhibitor in 2017, and will use the show to introduce some its most exciting solutions yet. John van den Elzen, Promise Technology’s Surveillance Business Unit General Manager, explained: “Promise Technology has been developing NVRs (network video recorders) and storage optimised for surveillance for years, and now we’ll launch a complete new product line with a management server, analytics server and recording server.” "The Middle East is showingvery strong interest in cloud-based storage solutions, and we’re working on this withan eye towards the growingtrend of smart cities" “With our business taking off in the Middle East due to the strong demand for storage, we’ll also introduce a new high-capacity surveillance storage block solution, which is ideal for deployments requiring a large centralised storage solution, offering an open-platform, simplicity, optimisation, and the most comprehensive partner ecosystem." Added van den Elzen: “The Middle East is showing very strong interest in cloud-based storage solutions, and we’re working on this with an eye towards the growing trend of smart cities. With the Dubai Expo 2020 coming up and the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, there are certainly opportunities for Promise to work together with our partners to further develop surveillance cloud solutions.” Growth of Information Security With more than 50 exhibitors, Information Security has been one of the major growth sections at Intersec, and has doubled in size every year since it was first introduced to the show in 2014, as security threats to businesses spread beyond the physical realm. Headline exhibitors confirming their participation early next year include Agility Grid, Al-Mazroui – ICAS, Commend, Dell, Easy World, Hanvon, Infosec, Matrix, Netronics, Quantum IT, and Rittal, a manufacturer of IT networking and Data Centre Physical Infrastructure solutions. Joseph Najjar, the Managing Director for Rittal Middle East, said: “Intersec, with its global recognition, elevates Rittal strengths on its IT Physical Security offerings to the market. Acknowledging the growing need for physical security for IT, our display of physical security offerings (IT Security Room and Micro Data Centre) will be a strong resilient proposition to the leading security consultants and clients who value their critical IT equipment and data centres.” “The physical display of the IT Security Room on our stand at Intersec 2017 will be, one of the realistic touch-and-feel showcase to experience our Promise - ' Our Expertise - Your Benefit'.” Smart Home & Building Automation Smart Home & Building Automation is the most recent show section added to Intersec’s vast product scope, as urbanisation and a new age of ICT (Information and communications technology) aids the march toward smarter integration of different functions like electro-mechanical controls, fire and safety security systems, and energy management. According to F&S, the Middle East Building Automation market is anticipated to grow 7.32 per cent annually with a revenue projection of US$ 560.5 million by 2020. Saudi Arabia and the UAE, with their large projects on housing and commercial construction, will drive demand for smarter and control-enabled buildings. The Middle East BuildingAutomation market is anticipatedto grow 7.32 per cent annuallywith a revenue projection of US$ 560.5 million by 2020 Among the 50 plus leading players in this section at Intersec 2017 are Fermax, Somfy, HDL, Videocom, Techcom, Hunt and Teleste, all of which will present their latest solutions to a regional market that’s beginning to demonstrate interest in the benefits of home automation and systems integration. World’s most influential exhibition Fire & Rescue (400 exhibitors), Safety & Health (100 exhibitors), Homeland Security & Policing (100 exhibitors), and Perimeter & Physical Security (50 exhibitors) wrap up the dedicated show sections at Intersec 2017, firmly underlining its position as world’s most influential exhibition dedicated to security, safety and fire protection. The show’s strong international flavour will be further enhanced by 14 country pavilions from Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Korea, Pakistan, Singapore, Taiwan, UK, and USA. Returning features to Intersec 2017 include the Safety Design in Buildings Pavilion in the Fire & Rescue section, which has doubled in size and will shine the light on fire-rated building materials such as facades, fabrics, doors, windows, paints, stucco, and egress systems. A Techtextil Pavilion in the Safety & Health section will also present the entire spectrum of technical textiles and nonwovens for professional and protective clothing, as well as the latest laminating technologies for coating, printing, finishing and other products and services. A GPEC (General Police Equipment Exhibition & Conference) Pavilion at the Homeland Security & Policing section; a Job Pavilion, bringing thousands of professionals together with specialist security-related recruitment companies; and three industry conferences held in cooperation with the Dubai Police and Dubai Civil Defence wrap up the host of additional features. Save

Consolidation is a dominant trend in the security marketplace. Large companies typically swallow up smaller companies as a means of expanding both their technology portfolios and their geographic reach. Sometimes a big fish is swallowed up by an even bigger fish.   Despite the pandemic and resulting economic challenges, the security market has continued to be a desirable environment for both big players and startups, which then provide abundant acquisition targets for the larger companies. Acquisitions of Motorola Motorola Solutions has been among the most acquisitive of the larger players, recently adding several smaller companies to their growing portfolio. Just this year, Motorola has acquired Ava Security, a video security and analytics company; Calipsa, another analytics company; and Videotec, an Italian provider of ruggedized video solutions for critical infrastructure applications. Video solutions that help to enhance safety and streamline operations while supporting customers In one announcement, Motorola chairman and CEO Greg Brown stated the goal of acquisitions is “to support our customers’ evolving security needs by expanding our portfolio of intelligent video solutions that help to enhance safety and streamline operations.” Previously, Motorola Solutions acquired Envysion, a video analytics company for the retail market. On the access control side, Motorola acquired Openpath Security, a cloud-based, mobile access control provider, in 2021. Motorola entered the video surveillance business back in 2018 with the acquisition of Avigilon for around $1 billion. Also now a part of Motorola are IndigoVision and Pelco, among others. ACRE's mergers and acquisition Another company active in the mergers and acquisition market has been ACRE (Access Control Related Enterprises). The company began with a spinoff from Ingersoll Rand in 2012 to become Vanderbilt Industries. As ACRE, the parent company has been active both in acquisitions and divestitures over the next decade. Vanderbilt grew with the acquisition of Siemens’ Security Products in 2015. ACRE owned Mercury Security, a manufacturer of OEM hardware used by access control companies, from 2013 until it was sold to HID Global in 2017. The acquisition of Razberi enhances the ComNet portfolio while providing complementary technologies ACRE’s more recent access control acquisitions are RS2 Technologies (in 2019), Open Options (2018), Feenics (2021), and Matrix Systems (2021). They acquired ComNet, a manufacturer of video and data transmission equipment, in 2016. The acquisition of Razberi (in 2020) enhances the ComNet portfolio and provides complementary technologies to the access control brands. Acquisition of ACRE ACRE itself was acquired by European investment firm Triton in 2021, and Joseph Grillo, the company’s founder and CEO, announced his retirement in 2022. His knowledge of the security and access control markets helped to drive the company’s growth, including 11 successful acquisitions in all. Securitas acquiring Stanley Security  The acquisition of Stanley Security is transformational for both Securitas and the security industry Stanley Security has also made headlines. In December 2021, Securitas signed an agreement to acquire the Electronic Security Business from Stanley Black & Decker for $3.2 billion in cash. Securitas President and CEO Magnus Ahlqvist says, “the acquisition of Stanley Security is transformational for both Securitas and the security industry.” Allegion plc, global security products and solutions provider, later signed an agreement to acquire Stanley Access Technologies and assets related to the automatic entrance solutions business from Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. for $900 million. Acquisition by HID Global, ADT Inc. & Allied Universal HID Global has acquired Vizinex RFID, thus increasing its presence and relevance in key vertical markets, including healthcare/medical, manufacturing, oil and gas, data centres, etc. and adding a key technology to HID Global’s RFID tag portfolio. ADT Inc. recently expanded its geographic reach with the acquisition of Key-Rite Security, a locally owned and operated security provider specializing in access control, surveillance, intrusion, and intercom systems in Colorado and for customers across the United States. Allied Universal continues its strategic growth with the acquisition of Attenti Group, an electronic monitoring company Allied Universal has acquired Star Protection Agency, the largest Hawaiian-owned and veteran-owned security company in the state. Although Star is primarily a guard patrol service, with workers at 125 sites throughout the state, it provides a range of security technology and consulting services. Internationally, Allied Universal continues its strategic growth with the acquisition of Attenti Group, an electronic monitoring company. Allied Universal will integrate Attenti Group with G4S Monitoring Technologies, to create Allied Universal Electronic Monitoring Services. SALTO Systems making acquisition news Also internationally, SALTO Systems has made acquisition news by investing in Bluefield Smart Access, thus strengthening their portfolio of access control solutions. SALTO Systems is a manufacturer of electronic access control and operating system solutions, designed to provide a seamless, keyless and mobile experience for modern buildings. Also joining the SALTO Group is Cognitec Systems, a face recognition company. The goal is to strengthen their research, development and market reach while working with SALTO on new technologies for expanding biometric markets. SALTO strategically selected Cognitec Systems to meet market requests for adding face recognition and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to the company’s electronic access control and ticketing solutions. Acquisitions by MOBOTIX and Resideo Technologies  Resideo Technologies, Inc. entered into an agreement to acquire First Alert, Inc., a provider of home safety products Further, on the international scene, MOBOTIX has reached an agreement to acquire Vaxtor Group, Tres Cantos, Spain, an artificial intelligence (AI) based video analytics provider, specializing in Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and Deep Learning technologies. On the residential system's front, Resideo Technologies, Inc. entered into an agreement to acquire First Alert, Inc., a provider of home safety products, from Newell Brands Inc. for $593 million in an all-cash transaction. Established in 1969 and based in Aurora, Illinois, First Alert offers a strong omnichannel presence serving end-users directly through retail and e-commerce channels and professional contractors through relationships with distributors and home builders.