Safetrust Inc. - Experts & Thought Leaders

Safetrust has been named the 2025 winner of the Access Control Software, Hardware, Devices & Peripherals – Wired category at the SIA New Products and Solutions (NPS) Awards for its IoT Neural Sensor. Safetrust was honoured during an award ceremony at the Bridge Stage on the ISC West show floor. Presented in partnership with ISC West, the NPS Awards are the Security Industry Association (SIA) flagship program, recognising the year’s most innovative security products, services, and solutions. The IoT Neural Sensor The award-winning Safetrust IoT Neural Sensor redefines what’s possible at the edge of access control Safetrust’s winning product, the IoT Neural Sensor, will be on display through Friday, April 4, in Booth #25075 on the ISC West show floor, adjacent to the Bridge Stage (Booth #25059), and in the Safetrust Booth #L6. The award-winning Safetrust IoT Neural Sensor redefines what’s possible at the edge of access control. Engineered to be more than just a reader, the Neural Sensor sees, hears, thinks, and acts — processing data locally for real-time decision-making and actionable insights. Built with robust, post-quantum-ready security. Intelligent door controller It supports full credential flexibility — including mobile, legacy, FIDO2, PIV, and MIFARE DUOX®, while also serving as a secure controller at the door. With integrated radar and LiDAR, an optional 12MP camera, and support for OSDP Secure Channel, the device detects tailgating, self-monitors, and receives over-the-air updates, eliminating the need for truck rolls — delivering intelligence, scalability, and future-ready infrastructure in one compact device. Edge intelligence "Receiving the SIA NPS Award is a tremendous honour and a strong validation of our vision to modernise physical access control through edge intelligence," said Jason Hart, CEO of Safetrust, adding "This recognition reinforces our mission to provide our customers and partners with secure, adaptive, and forward-looking solutions that reduce cost and complexity." Recognising innovation “This year’s SIA NPS program has had another fantastic year with amazing new products and solutions presented to our judging panels,” said Christine Bergeron, Chair of the SIA NPS Awards Committee and Senior Director of global physical security technology at Visa, adding “Thank you to our expert judges and committee members for your dedication to the program and lending your expertise and valuable time to contribute to a successful 2025 SIA NPS program.” Award-winning innovation “The SIA NPS Awards are a renowned global platform for highlighting new offerings each year, and earning recognition is an impressive accomplishment,” said Elisa Mula, Vice Chair of the SIA NPS Awards Committee and founder and protection management specialist at EM Designs, adding “SIA applauds this year’s winners, who impressed our judges after an extensive process of tech demonstrations and panel-driven judging.” Innovation recognised “SIA congratulates the winners of the 2025 SIA NPS Awards,” said SIA CEO, Don Erickson, adding “Each year, NPS presents the most cutting-edge products available on the market today, and our judges’ dedication, support and thorough consideration are invaluable in maintaining it as the most trusted awards program for launching new security technology solutions.” Innovation spotlight Since its inception in 1979, SIA NPS has been the security industry’s premier product awards program. New products are reviewed by a panel of judges with extensive industry experience, and in 2025, following significant deliberations, the 38 judges presented awards for technologies covering 33 product and service categories.

Safetrust, a pioneer in secure identity solutions, announced that Ben Brydges, Executive Vice President – dormakaba North America, has joined its Board of Directors. Brydges joins as the Preferred Director following dormakaba’s recent strategic investment in the company. Brydges's deep expertise in security, access control, and business strategy strengthens Safetrust’s commitment to innovation and strategic partnerships. As the dormakaba Designee, he will play a key role in shaping the company’s next growth phase. Security challenges “Safetrust is transforming how people, things, and resources interact, solving today’s security challenges while preparing for the digital future,” said Jason Hart, CEO of Safetrust. “Ben’s leadership, combined with dormakaba’s expertise in smart, sustainable access solutions, reinforces our shared vision for a more secure and connected world. We are excited to have him on our board as we continue driving innovation and operational efficiency for our customers.” Advance innovation in access technology “Together with Safetrust, we are augmenting each other’s strengths to advance innovation in access technology, enhance security, and create meaningful growth,” Brydges said. “I look forward to contributing to the board to strengthen our strategic collaboration and help guide the business to its next growth tier.”

dormakaba becomes a minority shareholder in Safetrust Inc. (“Safetrust”), a fast-growing secure identity and access solutions company with a strong focus on North America. Safetrust is a pioneering and fast-growing provider of high-tech identity management solutions, trusted by some of the world’s largest organizations. Founded in 2018, the company is based in Fremont, California, USA, and employs 100 people. Physical and logical systems Safetrust delivers scalable, post-quantum-ready security through a fully managed identity ecosystem Safetrust delivers scalable, post-quantum-ready security through a fully managed identity ecosystem. It enables secure access to physical and logical systems, including doors, elevators, turnstiles, and computers. Safetrust is an ideal complement to dormakaba’s existing offerings in the North American market. Till Reuter, CEO dormakaba, says: “We are extremely impressed by the development of Safetrust over the past years and are delighted to partner with the company in the future. This investment aligns with our strategy and strengthens our position as a pioneering access solutions provider in the North American market.” Safetrust’s global eco-system “Safetrust bridges the connection between people, things, and the resources they interact with, empowering customers to enhance safety and operational efficiencies – solving today’s security challenges while preparing for the digital world of tomorrow,” said Jason Hart, CEO of Safetrust. “By combining dormakaba’s expertise in smart, sustainable access solutions with Safetrust’s global eco-system of identity and workplace insights, we drive a shared vision for secure access.” The parties have agreed not to disclose further details and the financial terms of the transaction.

Supply chain issues have plagued the economic recovery during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and the problems show every indication of persisting for months or even years to come. Supply chain challenges have impacted the security marketplace in many ways, reflecting the breadth and variety of products needed to secure people, facilities, and assets. Wondering about the specifics of that impact, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How does disruption of the global supply chain of components impact players across the security industry?

The intersection of consumer electronics and the physical security marketplace is a fertile sector for growth and innovation. Consumers increasingly have the same high expectations for the operation of their workplace technologies as they are accustomed to in the digital world at large. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How do developments in personal electronics impact customer expectations in the physical security market?

Topics that dominated our website’s Expert Panel Roundtable articles in 2021 included the effects of COVID-19, the benefits of mobile access, the upcoming potential of deep learning, and the future of access control cards. Our website’s Expert Panel Roundtable discussions in 2021 reflected some of the most timely and important topics in the industry. The very most clicked-on Expert Panel Roundtable discussion in 2021 considered the positive and negative effects of COVID-19. The second most popular was trends in perimeter security technology. Smart video solutions Here is a roundup of the Top 10 Expert Panel Roundtable discussions posted in 2021, along with a ‘sound bite’ from each discussion and links back to the full articles. Thanks to everyone who contributed to Expert Panel Roundtable in 2021 (including the quotable panelists named and linked below). The pandemic has impacted security in many ways, some we are just now realising" What are the positive and negative effects of COVID-19 to security? “The pandemic has impacted security in many ways, some we are just now realising. On the negative side, integrators were limited in their ability to access customer locations, posing significant challenges to supporting customers. Innovation was also halted in many sectors – such as AI and edge computing in healthcare. However, the pandemic increased awareness regarding the need for smart solutions that can aid in these types of crises. Smart video solutions have been identified repeatedly in the media as a potential pathway to better customer experience and increased safety.” – Alexander Harlass. Reducing false alarms What are the latest trends in perimeter security technology? “What’s really important in perimeter security is the minimisation of false alarms, not simply the potential detection of what might be an unauthorised person or object. In light of that, many systems now include alarm validation that can confirm an alarm event using a camera. The utilisation of AI-based technologies can further validate the accuracy of the alarm, making it as accurate and precise as possible. I anticipate seeing more cross-technological integrations to reduce false alarms, so that personnel in an alarm center spend as little time as possible in validating an alarm.” – Leo Levit. What will be the biggest security trends in 2021? “2021 will see artificial intelligence (AI) become more mainstream. There will be increased deployment in edge devices, including cameras, thermographic cameras, radar and LIDAR sensors, entry point readers, etc. Additional algorithms will be developed, greatly expanding the use and function as video surveillance transitions from a forensic tool to real-time analytics. This increases the value of these systems and helps create ROI cases for their deployment.” – Tim Brooks. Access control solutions Investments in tools and platforms to drive digital interactions have accelerated" What will be the security industry’s biggest challenge in 2021? “The security industry is traditional in the sense that it relies heavily on face-to-face interaction to do business with customers and partners alike. COVID-19 has put a hold on in-person meetings, trade shows, etc., and this trend is likely to extend throughout 2021. Virtually recreating these personal touchpoints, while cultivating and strengthening internal and external relationships, will continue to be both a challenge and opportunity for the security industry. Investments in tools and platforms to drive digital interactions have accelerated.” – Robert Moore. What are the challenges and benefits of mobile access control? “Mobile access control solutions are an exciting innovation in a market where the day-to-day user experience hasn’t changed much in the last 20 years. One area that has clear benefits and challenges is in improving the user experience. On one hand, physical credentials are expensive and a hassle to administer; however, they work reliably, quickly, and predictably. Mobile credentials are convenient in that everyone already has a smartphone, and you don’t have to admin or carry cards; however, when you’re actually standing at the door they need to work as well or better than physical credentials, or the benefits are lost.” – Brian Lohse. Attacking critical infrastructure What are the security challenges of protecting critical infrastructure? “It seems so often we hear about a new threat or cyber-attack in the news. Because of the rapid growth in technology over the last few years, cybercriminals are getting bolder and discovering new ways to attack critical infrastructure. One of the biggest challenges boils down to the capabilities of the operating security system and whether the organisation is aware of the current risks they face. Because there are so many points of entry for cybercriminals to target within critical infrastructure, it is vital that the security solution be prepared for attacks at every level.” – Charles (Chuck) O’Leary. They are more aware when they make physical contact with doors and interfaces" Which security technologies will be useful in a post-pandemic world? “People have become more sensitised to crowds and personal space. They are more aware when they make physical contact with doors and interfaces. As the pandemic subsides, these habits will likely remain for a majority of people." "Utilising AI-based cameras to accurately monitor the number of people in a room or in a queue will enable staff to take action to improve the customer experience. For example, AI-based analytics can quickly notify security or operations when people are waiting at a door and initiate 2-way audio for touchless access.” – Aaron Saks. Central monitoring station What is the potential of deep learning in physical security and surveillance? “Deep learning, a subset of artificial intelligence, enables networks to train themselves to perform speech, voice, and image recognition tasks." In video surveillance, these networks learn to make predictions through highly repetitive exposure" "In video surveillance, these networks learn to make predictions through highly repetitive exposure to images of humans and vehicles from a camera feed. That ability is ideal for use with drones patrolling perimeters seeking anomalies or in software that significantly reduces the number of false alarms reported to central monitoring station operators. Through use, the software continues improving its accuracy.” – Brian Baker. Valuable audit trail How soon will access control cards become extinct and why? “Access control cards will go the way of the dinosaur, but they still have some life left in them. For the short term, they have plenty of utility in minimum security use cases and leave a valuable audit trail. But for companies that are more technology-centric, particularly those with high value assets, we’re seeing demand for next-generation access control, which includes increased integration with video surveillance systems and professional monitoring services.” – Sean Foley. Which security markets are embracing touchless and contactless systems? “Touchless technology is not a new trend, but contactless systems and transactions have surged since the COVID-19 pandemic. Even after the pandemic is over, it is likely public perception of what is hygienic and acceptable in public spaces will have changed. [We are] seeing an uptick in touchless access control systems in the education and flexible office space markets.” – Brooke Grigsby.