Founders Ep.6 - SoloInsight - Digital Identity from HIRE to RETIRE

Genetec's End User Summit at Meta - Key Takeaways for Security Professionals

At the Genetec End User Summit, the most valuable conversations were not about any single product or platform, but about the broader direction of physical security. The event highlighted how modernization is becoming less about technology refreshes and more about building connected, identity-aware operating models. Key themes included the importance of peer-to-peer learning, clean data, interoperability, AI governance, and the growing connection between access control, digital identity, IT, and workplace experience. Physical security is entering a more demanding and more strategic era. AI, cloud, mobile credentials, and integrations all have a role to play, but their value depends on strong fundamentals: clear ownership, reliable data, disciplined governance, and practical use cases. Ultimately, the future of physical security is not one product, platform, or trend. It is a more connected operating model where identity, data, automation, and user experience all play a larger role.

Founders Ep.6 - SoloInsight - Digital Identity from HIRE to RETIRE

What does it really mean to manage identity in a modern enterprise—and why is access control no longer just about doors? In this episode, I sit down with Carter Kennedy and Farhan Massoud of Soloinsight to unpack the evolution of physical identity and access management through their CloudGate platform. We explore how organizations are moving beyond fragmented systems toward fully orchestrated identity workflows that connect physical and digital environments. From mobile credentials and zero trust strategies to AI-driven risk detection and identity “cleansing,” this conversation dives into how automation is transforming security operations at scale. We also tackle the growing convergence of IT and physical security—and why insider threat, compliance, and user experience are now driving forces behind access control decisions. If you’re still thinking about access control as a card and a reader, this episode will challenge that mindset. Because the future isn’t just about opening doors—it’s about understanding identity across the entire journey, from onboarding to offboarding and everything in between.

Founders Ep.5 - Sharry - The Magazine of the Modern Workplace

Sharry is a Prague-based workplace experience and access platform deployed in Class A office buildings worldwide. Sharry provides mobile access, employee badges in Apple and Google Wallet, visitor management, parking integrations, and tenant engagement tools. They are known for the 'street-to-suite' concept, aiming to unify the entire building journey. Josef Šachta is the CEO and co-founder of Sharry. His background includes law and journalism, as well as founding CityBee, a portal focused on connecting people with experiences in their city. This earlier work strongly influenced his approach—prioritizing human experience and emotion in how people interact with buildings. Sharry fits the Founders series because Josef brings a human-centered digital storytelling perspective to a highly technical field. Sharry’s global deployments with wallet-based credentials also reflect where the market is headed.

Founders EP.4 - SmartSpaces - Workplaces as SMART as your Phone!

Smart Spaces is a London-based workplace experience and smart-building platform that connects people to their buildings via a single app. The platform unifies mobile access, desk and room booking, energy and lighting control, tenant engagement, and building communications. Smart Spaces frequently operates in Class A office environments and high-profile developments, positioning its solution as a layer that turns traditional buildings into intuitive, digitally orchestrated workplaces. Brothers Dan and Tom Drogman co-founded Smart Spaces. They come from a background in enterprise software and digital solutions for the built environment. Rather than starting from traditional hardware or PACS, they approached buildings from a user experience and app-design perspective. Their motivation has consistently been to make complex building systems—access control, HVAC, lighting—feel as simple and seamless as using a modern mobile app.

Founders - Ep 3: AccessGrid - Full Market Disruption

Accessgrid.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/austonbunsen/ ***Company Overview*** AccessGrid is a startup focused on modernizing access control through a wallet-first, API-only platform. Their goal is to make issuing and managing mobile and wallet-native credentials as simple as calling modern web APIs. The company supports integrating with existing hardware when possible but primarily targets developers and product teams who want to embed access capabilities directly into applications and workflows. ***Founder / Executive Profile*** Auston Bunsen is the co-founder and CEO of AccessGrid. Before AccessGrid, he co-founded QuickNode, a major blockchain developer platform. His background is deeply rooted in infrastructure-as-a-service, developer tooling, and modern API ecosystems. He entered the access control industry after observing how outdated, fragmented, and opaque it was—particularly compared to the developer-first approach common in  modern SaaS. ***Why They Fit the Series*** AccessGrid is the most disruptive entrant in your lineup. Auston brings an outsider perspective and a developer-centric philosophy that challenges traditional pricing, integration patterns, and channel structures. They embody a new model where physical access becomes programmable infrastructure, not specialized hardware. ***Key Angles & Themes*** • Why an API and developer-tools founder chose access control. • Rationale behind an API-only, wallet-first architecture. • The impact of transparent pricing (e.g., $500/month + per-credential fees). • How AccessGrid views the future of integrators, OEMs, and PACS vendors. • What constitutes a 'modern' access platform vs. legacy baggage. Potential Controversies / Hot Takes • Transparent pricing disrupting traditional channel negotiations. • Limitations of an API-only model for customers who want turnkey hardware. • Whether wallet-native credentials can realistically replace physical cards in all use cases. Music: Track 1255029 – RF3LM2DJL0AYH32S