Lee Odess’ Post

🚨 Breaking News: acre security announces leadership changes to drive growth and innovation (press release in the image attached) acre security announces leadership changes to drive growth and innovation. John Skowronski will serve as Interim CEO until Kumar Sokka takes over as the new CEO, effective June 15, 2025 (when his contractual obligations are over). Until then Kumar is responsible for their Comnet and Intrusion business. For me, this represents the third phase in the acre security story. Phase one with Joseph Grillo was about consolidation, and phase two with Don Joos was about integration. This phase is about acceleration. Most will focus on John and Kumar (I’ll get to that soon), but I want to take a second here and applaud Don Joos for his work. I’ve gotten to know Don, and he’s been an absolute pro, steady, and has taken on a job that would not be easy. He was the right guy for the needed position; by all my accounts, he did what he was asked and did a great job. ---- For more details and information like this, follow me here and consider joining the Access Control Executive Brief - we are the voice of the global access control industry. #accesscontrol #security #securityindustry #globalcommunity

I'm excited to announce that I'll be attending the 2024 Cloud Security Summit, by Brivo and Eagle Eye Networks on 📅 October 27-30 📍in Austin, Texas. I remember attending the first one and finding it a great event full of information that helps integrators position their businesses for success. I've since watched this event's growth and impact, so I am excited to have the opportunity to be there and share my insights and observations here and in further depth with Access Control Executive Brief members. It is going to be a busy September and October. See you there! #accesscontrol #security #securityindustry #globalcommunity

Always a great discussion with David Moser from ASSA ABLOY Group. At #ACS24Europe we explored digital transformation, interoperability, and global growth opportunities - check out more insights in my recap below. --- The Access Control Executive Brief, in collaboration with Google, recently held ACS24 Europe, a global event that unifies executives and thought leaders from the access control, smart lock, and broader sectors. In one single day, 15 panels, 13 fireside chats, and 72 global industry leaders across 18+ countries delivered engaging presentations. For more information, pictures, and testimonials from ACS24 Europe, and future ACS dates, please visit https://lnkd.in/e-Wafiwq. To dive deeper into these conversations and insights, check out our latest article on LinkedIn. We've compiled the knowledge, experiences, and viewpoints shared during ACS. Join us in this journey of global conversations on topics impacting our industry. We also believe that tradeshows can and should be omni-channel. This is how we are doing it. #accesscontrol #security #securityindustry #globalcommunity

From the people side of the #accesscontrol industry, it's clear that we must adapt to the changing workforce landscape. 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝟰𝟴% 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿, 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀. According to a recent report by Bankrate nearly half of workers are exploring new opportunities despite the current job market conditions. The focus is shifting towards factors like competitive salaries (we have a lot of work to do here) and increased flexibility in work arrangements (and here - Dave Cairns speaks about this often). To address this shift, we should be open to diverse working styles and prioritize attributes beyond traditional experience requirements. It's evident that the future workforce, especially Gen Z, values these aspects even more. Read the report. It's crucial for businesses in the #accesscontrol industry to proactively address these trends and evolve their recruitment and retention approaches to stay competitive in today's dynamic job market - just like we do for blue blinky lights (code for technical product stuff). Report link 👇

Super happy to see this from AMAG Technology (look forward to seeing it at SES24). We are an enterprise software industry, and this represents that to the fullest. It was not very long ago that "this would never happen." Let's bring on the Systems Integrators needed to support this effort. Note that they are different from Security Integrators. It doesn't mean one is bad and the other is good. It means they are different. It is an opportunity for Security Integrators to become Systems Integrators. #accesscontrol #security #securityintegrator #globalcommunity Great job on this.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝗜 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱? Read this quick story and check out the design of the new store, which features a new concept called "𝘾𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙙, 𝙒𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙨, 𝙇𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙚." Let me know if you think it will work. I received a rendering of a new access control and smart lock concept store where they plan to sell clouds, NFC wallets, and smart locks. They plan to display these items separately in cabinets and on shelves, showcasing the new "products" specifications via large cut sheets framed on the wall. Technical sales managers will be available to assist customers. Their strategy relies on these technical account managers or their long-standing team, who have experience selling servers, cards, and mechanical locks. They've given some of these experienced sales and product people new titles like Cloud Product Manager, Vice President of Cloud, and Chief Innovation of the New Stuff Person Who Lives Near the Home Office and Has Been On Board A Long Time and Senior Guys Like. On top of that, their marketing and go-to-market plans were quoted as: "It's simple. We've always used malls, and we're going to do ads, maybe a webinar, and we plan to talk about how we now have clouds. Everyone wants clouds. We talked to our customers, and they said, 'Do you have clouds?' Well, we definitely do, so we're going to show all our clouds. Also, we're the first with NFC wallets. I mean, I know everyone else has said that, but we were the first to do it in Minneapolis, so technically, we were the first. And while we're there, we might as well showcase some of those swell electronic locks we've had because, well, frictionless. We tried smart, but we feel really good about frictionless. It pretty much just sells itself. I mean, it sells itself at a 5 to 7% increase year over year, but that's good, right? I saw a report that said Big Blue was only at 3%. I'm so gonna get my bonus this year, so why change. Change is hard. Slow and steady. Hey, let me show you this." (pulls out their phone) "I posted pics of how we've merchandised our store in the mall. We had the best vertical display of our clouds, wallets, and locks. How do I know? Did you see how busy our booth, I mean store, was? We had all our customers there. Also, while I have you here, I wrote a white paper on how 85% of our customers like clouds, and want wallets and locks 90% of the time. You can download it online. Let me introduce you to our cloud product manager. He's right over there with our wallet product manager. No, we don't have a lock product manager. We rely on the sales rep for that. We are so killing it!" Sounds crazy, doesn't it? Doesn't it? Access Control Executive Brief #accesscontrol #security #securityindustry #globalcommunity

It is an absolute honor to be in Zurich at LEGIC connect24 to moderate a panel and bring my observations and learnings back to the global #accesscontrol industry. If you are at #connect24, let me know, as I'd love to meet up. If you aren't, let me know if there is anything you want me to find out for you! Access Control Executive Brief #globalcommunity #security #securityindustry

This year, I couldn't attend the Security Exhibition & Conference 2024 in Sydney, Australia, held by the Australian Security Industry Association Limited (ASIAL). So, I reached out to Trent Loebel CEO of Torus and an Access Control Executive Brief Member, to share some great insights from the show. From Cloud-Native Solutions on the Rise to Geopolitical Considerations, there's a lot to look forward to in the future of security in the ANZ market - even more as it evolves and transitions. 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗘𝘅𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 & 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰? 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲! I'm thrilled to use my page as a platform to keep you informed and highlight individuals and companies investing their time and resources in expos, shows, and conferences that many of us may not be familiar with or able to attend (and who are Access Control Executive Brief members 😉). #accesscontrol #globalcommunity #security #securityindustry

Please join me in wishing Hilary Pogarch Gallagher the happiest birthday today! 🎂 I am grateful for all you do and our partnership over the years. Here's to a break from the 75 calls I make to you daily - enjoy the day! 😄 Cheers to a decade of collaboration, laughter, and growth. I am looking forward to the next ten years with you. Happy birthday! 🎈🎉 Access Control Executive Brief