Securex, the annual trade show bringing together players within the African security sector, seemed busier than in the last 2 years. Maybe it is a sign of the fast growing industry we operate in, or the big leaps in technology we are seeing in this space? For us the big take aways were the increased focus on biometrics, mobility and a big influx of access control players. Against the past 2 years there was definitely an absence of alarm panel manufacturers or big “distribution player” stands. Not sure if this could be indication of the channel shifting to manufacturers looking to pitch service models, and mobile solutions directly to the end consumer and system integrators?
So the big stands – Axis, ZKTeco, PowellTronics, Salto, Supreme - all having a focus on either their cloud based offerings or consumer / end-user Apps. Mobility and Access on the phone is definitely themes dominating this year’s Securex Expo. The increase in use of biometrics was also evident with all major access control players having focus on the area.
One of our key technology providers, Gallagher, launched the much enhanced Gallagher mobile App. New functionality allows operators to “check-in” users into a zone using a smart phone, and smart card reader cradle.
For the first time on the show we have also seen some mobility players pitching Apps for workforce management, tracking etc. Product sets usually associated with finance and operations.
We also had the opportunity to attend the Avigilon new products launch held at Blue Valley Golf Course. It was great to see the 30MP cameras in action, and new edge devices. We could even see a golfer 400m away shanking a ball into the sand pit!
In general we found Securex 2016 to be a refreshing experience on past events. More traffic, and more solutions tailored to the enterprise market segment!
