Entag has a diverse and growth-oriented history that spans back to 2004. Over two decades we built an amazing team of dedicated Business and Technology Consultants, Project Managers, and end-to-end Solution Delivery Experts, supported by an integrated service desk with support engineers who work with our clients to get the most out of the technology solutions they invest in. This capability empowers our customers by modernising their technology solutions to enable them to achieve peak digital performance.
Strategic Growth
Our success has come from both a sharp focus on going deep with our customers in core business areas, and a strong posture towards strategic growth into new complimentary areas as opportunities have arisen to do so. This has included mergers and acquisitions at key points in our journey to support strategic growth.
With the pace of technology change, the strength and scale of our core domains, and a proliferation of strategic growth opportunities, in 2024 Entag formalised a strategic growth posture by appointing a new member of our executive leadership team to focus on and accelerate our strategic growth aspirations. From this a strategic growth plan was developed to map out key priorities for coming years. The plan identifies several priority areas Entag will pursue both organically and inorganically, launching new lines of business. In some cases this will allow us to consolidate various existing business activities which until recently have not been ready for more investment to focus and scale.
Physical Security
With the pace of technology change, the strength and scale of our core domains, and a proliferation of strategic growth opportunities, in 2024 Entag formalised a strategic growth posture by appointing a new member of our executive leadership team to focus on and accelerate our strategic growth aspirations. From this a strategic growth plan was developed to map out key priorities for coming years. The plan identifies several priority areas Entag will pursue both organically and inorganically, launching new lines of business. In some cases this will allow us to consolidate various existing business activities which until recently have not been ready for more investment to focus and scale.
We have recognised however that things have changed. An evolving threat environment coupled with a growing societal emphasis on security and changing work patterns meant the market needed new ways of security people and places. Standards such as ISO 27001 are bringing convergence between physical and cyber security which places demands on organisations to address security holistically, especially with the rising reputational and actual cost of security breaches. Regulation and compliance requirements are also growing across most industries. This all means physical security increasingly falls under the remit of IT who are already burdened with complexity and capacity challenges. Finally, organisations need to utilise the data generated from physical security solutions to enhance decision-making and automate workflows to improve operational efficiency.
Our observations were underscored by a global initiative (https://www.worldsecurityreport.com/) which anonymously and independently surveyed 1,775 chief security officers (CSOs) or those in equivalent roles, at leading global companies with a combined annual revenue of $20 trillion in 2022 (almost a quarter of the world’s total annual gross domestic product (GDP).
90% of those surveyed indicated that technology improves the overall effectiveness of security operations with 88% indicating a concern with cyber security and physical security threats. 83% of responders believed physical security threats would increase in coming years and 90% said cyber threats that threaten physical security systems are challenging to deal with. Further, 42% of those surveyed agreed that Artificial Intelligence and AI-powered surveillance are on top of their investments list.
All these drivers mean that organisations need the convenience and efficiency of modern cloud-based technology utilising a platform approach to effectively manage assets and infrastructure and secure property and people.
A Smarter Way
As part of our strategic growth planning and in light of the conditions described above driving change in the market we had the opportunity to reassess our engagement with physical security. We consulted with leading integrators in the US and early adopters in the Australian market. We became aware of a new player disrupting the old order with modern cloud-based technology and a platform approach that lends itself to better ways of addressing physical security.
Verkada, a San Mateo California based provider had quickly risen to become the world’s largest B2B physical security platform provider with over 30,000 customers globally. Offering a comprehensive and well-designed solution addressing every element of physical security from a single pane-of-glass Verkada’s advanced capability easily surpassed the traditional players offering a modern, integrated and advanced physical security platform solution. Importantly Verkada’s approach aligned perfectly well with Entag’s capabilities and plans. Verkada’s significant investment in the Australian market combined with its revolutionary technology made it a logical choice for Entag to partner with. Various aspects of the Verkada solution also lend themselves to providing a tailored set of managed services to support customers and deliver value across the solution lifecycle.
A Smarter Way to Secure Your Space, Verkada is a modern and fully integrated hardware and software solution that strengthens safety while simplifying ownership. Designed with ease of use in mind, the solution provides unparalleled visibility through a single pane-of-glass. The solution comprises a full range of capability:
- Command Centre: Integrate insights across the entire suite of Verkada products. Command is a cloud-managed platform built with an easy-to-use software interface available both via web and mobile apps.
- Access Control: Bring door credentials and video security into one integrated platform. Secure every entry point, while streamlining building management with Global Access and Active Directory integrations.
- Security Cameras: Simplify and scale video security with all-in-one cameras that marry onboard storage and edge-based processing with the benefits of the cloud, eliminating the need for NVR and DVR infrastructure.
- Alarms: Detect and respond to threats immediately with intrusion sensors, deterrence devices and wireless panic buttons. With integrated 24/7 professional monitoring, reduce false alarms while ensuring priority response.
- Environment Monitoring: Improve health, safety and air quality across indoor spaces. Verkada’s all-in-one sensors monitor environmental conditions and detect harmful chemicals, including carbon dioxide levels and vape emissions.
- Intercom: Answer intercom calls from anywhere with sharp video, clear audio and four dynamic receiver methods. Specify who, when and how receivers should be contacted when a call comes in with smart call routing.
- Workplace Management: Improve visitor experience with guest software. Keep track of people coming into facilities to enhance security along with workplace operations. Manage deliveries with software that tracks assets coming into facilities to enhance security along with workplace operations.
- AI-Powered Analytics: A range of advanced features powered by Artificial Intelligence to automate workflows, support rapid response and threat identification and deliver insights that enable better decisions to manage assets and infrastructure, and secure people and property.
Investing to Scale
Our customers have overwhelmingly embraced the partnership we have formed with Verkada. To meet this interest, Entag recently acquired Proactive Technology Solutions (PTS) to further augment our capability in this space and prepare for scale. PTS, like Entag has been one of Verkada’s committed and successful partners and shares our commitment to delivering value to customers through Verkada’s solutions.
The team at PTS has been led by Aaron Morris who has over 15 years of experience in the physical security industry, and specialises in delivering innovative and tailored solutions that protect people and property for our clients.
As a certified Electronic Security professional, Aaron now leads our Physical Security practice with a team that combines technical and business skills to manage complex projects and ensure quality outcomes for customers.
Benefits of a Modern Solution
Our partnership with Verkada and our acquisition of PTS position Entag to build a significant business in the physical security space, delivering real value to our customers through modern technology solutions and a range of professional and managed services.
Our customers are realising the significant benefits including;
Conducting Streamlined Investigations with AI-Powered Search
Customers can easily search for people and vehicles across their entire camera fleet using their own words to conduct investigations that matter most to them, with AI-powered search in the Command interface.
Quickly Detecting and Responding to Threats
Customers are able to aggregate data across devices within the centralised Command platform providing users with a complete picture of activity across sites to easily detect threats and expedite response times.
Effortlessly Manage Sites at Scale
Customers can eliminate complexity with Command’s intuitive user interface and intelligent automation. They can add devices in minutes, while leveraging granular roles and permissions to manage users at scale.
Seamlessly Integrating with Existing Tools and Systems
The solution allows customers to streamline workflows by integrating with the tools they already use today. They can ingest notifications and export data to third-party tools. Verkada offers a range of prebuilt connectors –Integrations with Single Sign-On (SSO) to systems like LastPass, Microsoft Teams, Okta, Onelogin, Google Business Apps and Azure Active Directory.
Managing from Anywhere & Sharing Seamlessly
Customers access all ytheirour Verkada devices and manage physical security on-the-go from the intuitive Command app so they can be anywhere. There is no port-forwarding and VPN’s aren’t required. They can speed up investigations and incident response and do ‘live’ link sharing for external parties like police.
Reduce Total Cost of Ownership
The Verkada solution uses no on-premise servers (NVR’s/DVR’s), saving customers the cost of investing in, installing, maintaining and replacing these expensive devices. An all-inclusive cost model means there are predictable license renewal costs and no surprises or add-on costs. Cameras have onboard storage of up to 365 days with unlimited cloud-based archiving and automatic updates provide customers with the latest software and firmware enhancements included at no cost.
Automate Workflows
Powerful features and a single system for managing across different elements like guest, management, intercoms and cameras means a wide range of opportunities to automate workflows and solve complex problems that traditional system have no visibility of. Customers can also enhance capability and value over time at no additional cost because Verkada releases new feature updates on very frequent cadence (every few days or weeks).
10-Year Warranties and Scalable Support Options
Verkada hardware comes with up to 10-year warranties meaning replacements are provided at no cost. Entag provides value added Managed Services to support our customers’ internal teams and deliver proactive services which allow customers to outsource work required to get the most out of their system. This includes facilitating 24x7 technical support.
Enhanced Security Measures
Verkada has invested heavility to ensure our customers systems are secure from cyber intrusion. Verkada is ISO ISO 27001, 27017 and 27018 certified and has GDPR compliance, SOC 2 Type 2 Audit and continuous penetration testing and encryption of data in–transit (AES 126) and at rest (AES 256). The range of products meets several international standards, as certified by NIST as well as TAA and FY2019 NDAA compliance.
