4 4 · d e t e k t o r i n t e r n a t i o n a l
Security News Every Day
www. securityworldmarket.com
4 4 · d e t e k t o r i n t e r n a t i o n a l
"Both on-prem solutions and cloud or
hybrid solutions will be necessary"
Over the past four decades, Joe Grillo has been
a driving force in access control developments.
In this interview, he shares his views on today's
market.
Joe Grillo led the spinoff of HID from
Hughes Aircraft in 1995, where he served
as marketing and sales manager until 1999,
when he took on dual roles as COO/CEO.
He continued leading HID even after Assa
Abloy acquired the company in 2001, and in
2003, Grillo was named CEO of HID Global
Technology Division before he left the security
industry in 2008 to become CEO of Digital
Angel Corp.
Return to the Security Industry
In 2012, Grillo returned to the security industry
and founded Acre, a company primarily focused
on access control. It wasn't until 2015, however,
that Europe and the global market took notice
of Acre, following its acquisition of Siemens
Security Business, which was rebranded as Van-
derbilt and is now known as Acre Security.
Acre Acquired by Triton
In 2021, Acre was sold to Triton. The following
year, in 2022, Joe Grillo stepped down from his
CEO role to retire. At that time, the business
generated over 3 billion SEK in revenue and
employed 550 people.
Speaking at Skydd
Joe Grillo has helped shape the future of access
control technology, and his insights and experi-
ence led into to his invitation as a speaker on
Skydd's opening day. In preparation, Detektor
reached out to him for an interview.
Tell us about Acre's development and why
access control became your focus.
"My original investment focus for Acre was
always geared toward access control. Acre stands
for "Access Control and Related Enterprises."
Could you elaborate?
"The foundation for access control and iden-
tification lies in related and parallel product seg-
ments that should be integrated. So, intrusion
alarms, card readers, and other components
that came with the Siemens acquisition fit this
strategy, as did later acquisitions like Comnet
and TDS."
What trends do you see in the access control
market over the next few years?
"Continued investment in access control,
including wireless locks from companies like
Assa Abloy, Allegion, and Dormakaba. Other
growing trends include the shift to cloud solu-
tions, biometrics, and mobile devices."
What role do you see for the cloud in access
control?
"Cloud applications impact all companies
providing software solutions, including access
control. Market penetration is low but growing,
depending on the type of end-user and applica-
tion."
"Both on-prem solutions and cloud or
hybrid solutions will be necessary. The best
providers will offer all these options."
What about AI's role in access control?
"Valuable insights can be extracted from
access control data. With AI embedded in sys-
tems, it becomes more automated and intuitive.
AI will also facilitate the integration of video,
audio, and other related sources."
How do increasing EU and government
regulations, such as NIS2 and GDPR, impact
the access control market?
"Governmental and supranational regula-
tions can sometimes slow down development,
as significant resources are spent on handling
regulatory issues rather than product develop-
ment. Regulatory certifications often benefit
larger players with the resources to manage
them."
You held a leading position within the Swed-
ish Assa Abloy Group for many years. How
do you view the Nordic region compared to
other markets?
"The Nordic market has always been very
advanced. You were the first to use two-factor
authentication, initially with cards and key-
pads."
"In the Nordics, you were also early to
integrate intrusion alarms and access control on
a single platform. Offering parallel applications
within access systems, such as booking laundry
rooms in multi-family buildings, is another
typical example of integration."
Last year, you became CEO of Bibliotheca, a
market leader in library technology services.
How did that happen?
"I had "retired" but was on Bibliotheca's
board when a need arose for someone to lead
the company's restructuring. I was asked, and I
agreed, but I don't see it as a long-term commit-
ment."
Do you find your experience in the access
control industry useful?
"Yes, we provide RFID-based checkout
systems for libraries. One product we offer is
Open+, allowing library owners and other au-
thorised personnel to access libraries after hours
with their library cards. So, there are indeed
intersections with things I know well and am
comfortable with."
Acre's founder, Joe Grillo, gave a presentation on access control trends
at the Technology Stage on the opening day of the recent Skydd exhibi-
tion in Stockholm, Scandinavia's largest security event.
Detektor International took the opportunity to interview him before his
arrival in Stockholm.
Joe Grillo, founder of Acre:
Joe Grillo, founder of Acre, is an iconic figure in
the access control industry.
Governmental and supranational regulations can
sometimes slow down development, as significant
resources are spent on handling regulatory issues rather
than product development."
Interviews with entrepreneurs
Editor: Lennart Alexandrie
P
hot
o
: Camill
a S
ven
s
k