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Integration and IoT made easy

The security industry is built on silos, be it surveillance, access control, alarms and others. In recent years, words like integration and convergence have appeared, and manufacturers that admit to selling proprietary, closed products are few and far between. In fact, most promote their solutions as open systems that can work with other brands’ products.

That claim is often challenged when end users install new hardware or software, expecting it to integrate with their existing systems. In the technology world, anything is possible, so users often face hefty integration fees to make existing products work with new installations – which defeats the idea of open technology.

About five years ago, Integr8 Systems was founded with the goal of changing the integration challenges (very) often experienced in the security industry. Its founders have years of experience at some well-known local names in the access control market and had a list of ideas that would differentiate the company from its competitors.

SMART Security Solutions spoke to Nic Bigara, the MD, and one of Integr8’s founders, about the company and how it has grown beyond access to a genuine IoT service provider. The company’s website says as much, listing its ability to manage access control, surveillance, IoT, visitor management, operation dashboarding, intruder systems, facial recognition, licence plate recognition, fire detection, and more.

Some of the brands and platforms supported ‘out of the box’ include Ajax, Access Portal, Active Directory, Sage, Idemia, Jarrison, Hikvision, Dahua, ZKTeco, and more.

Locally manufactured hardware and software

Bigara notes that Integr8 manufactures hardware and software and works with partners for sales, installation, and support. The company sells an “agnostic identity management workflow platform” that can integrate with numerous brands, giving users a single management platform for almost any device they have installed. Suppose a user has a particular brand installed that they want to be integrated. In that case, the company will do the integration development work and make the module available to all its clients.

Unlike the current trend of charging monthly premiums for software, the Integr8 Platform is sold on a once-off basis. Clients can install it on their on-premises or cloud servers without device limitations or tiered pricing. If they want to use Integr8’s cloud, a recurring amount is charged for the service.

The company offers a host of modules for its platform. These include access control, visitor management, licence-plate recognition (LPR), control rooms (providing a unified view of events in security operations centres and monitoring operations), lift (elevator) control, and fire and alarm modules. Naturally, they plug into the platform. It also sports a mobile module for those who need to be in control while on the go.

On the hardware side, Bigara says the company decided to manufacture its own contactless access control products, focusing on facial recognition. The components are sourced overseas, while the readers are designed and assembled in KwaZulu-Natal. It enhanced its facial algorithm in collaboration with a database from a large South African tertiary institution to ensure the products reliably recognised African faces. He says the recognition rate is now over 99% for its readers, and specific models also incorporate fingerprint recognition, cards, and QR codes.

Integr8’s portfolio also includes facial recognition cameras. These cameras can recognise multiple ‘targets’ while supporting privacy masking, motion detection, and voice broadcasting. Additionally, the platform monitors the functioning of the cameras and will alert operators if there is a hardware failure, etc. – this status monitoring also applies to the biometric readers.

Local partners and customers

Bigara explains that the brand is growing rapidly, as it provides the same services as international products, however, as a locally manufactured product, the company can sell it at a lower price, which means better margins for installers and lower costs for the client.

As noted above, Integr8’s go-to-market strategy is via channel partners, with the company supporting distributors and installers in the various regions of South Africa. Its next target is Gauteng, where it wants to grow its footprint and is looking for distributors and/or installation partners (see contact details below).

Regarding its existing customer base, Integr8 is installed at numerous residential estates in KwaZulu-Natal, at Aspen Pharmaceuticals, Vega School and Rosebank College, among other clients. It is also rolling out a countrywide installation at a tertiary education group, which will result in the cloud-based platform managing about 1000 readers with about 75 000 students enrolled via facial recognition.

For more information, contact Integr8 Systems, 087 550 0921, info@integr8systems.co.za, www.integr8systems.co.za

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