Exclusive: Connecting and collaborating

Alex Holmstrom, Global Sales and Marketing Director of ACRE International discusses the upcoming ISJ Leaders in Security conference.

The countdown is well and truly on for the ISJ Leaders in Security conference, held in association with MOBOTIX. With less than two months to go now until the event, excitement is building for this unique opportunity to network and share knowledge with a number of the region’s most senior security professionals.

International Security Journal sat down with Alex Holmstrom, Global Sales and Marketing Director of ACRE International to find out why this event is so important to the company and what developments we can expect to see in the access control sector over the rest of 2022.

High-calibre discussions

Taking place on Wednesday 25 May at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Dubai, the ISJ Leaders in Security conference, held in association with MOBOTIX, promises to be an unmissable event for senior security professionals operating in the Middle East.

In February 2022, International Security Journal was delighted to announce ACRE International as one of the event’s Gold partners. The company’s Global Sales and Marketing Director, Alex Holmstrom revealed why the firm has partnered with the event: “A key attraction to this conference is the opportunity to participate alongside high-calibre customers and other leading experts in open debates and discussions about our industry’s critical developments and trends.

“Thanks to the intimate setting planned by ISJ, this conference promises to deliver a collaborative gathering backboned by high-level knowledge transfers and networking. We look forward to imparting our guidance and specialist expertise on the consistently evolving advancements in security. Likewise, we look forward to hearing direct input on the future direction of ACRE’s innovation and solutions as it applies to our partner’s needs.”

The fact that the event is taking place in the Middle East is also a big attraction for ACRE. Holmstrom said: “The Middle East has been experiencing a positive economic growth curve that is expected to continue as society rebounds to pre-pandemic levels of normality. Of course, the oil sector is a consistently high growth driver that enables many economic opportunities and projects within the region. As such, we have long ago established a dedicated network of partners in the Middle East.

“Moreover, our hiring of additional staff in multiple MEA countries during the pandemic highlights the high-value placed on our product portfolio by our partners in the Middle East. Therefore, we look forward to continuing to serve this market and collaborating with our partners on how best to develop security technologies that meet this region’s continuously advancing needs.”

ACRE will be using the conference as a platform to share a key message regarding the rise in demand for cloud-based solutions. Holmstrom explained: “Due to the pandemic, the transition from legacy on-premise installations to hybrid or completed cloud-based applications accelerated. Naturally, the remote management capabilities available through intelligent cloud-based and hybrid services are highly valued by both integrators and end users due to societal shifts to working from home.

“A knock-on effect of this has also increased interest in cybersecurity, integrations with third-party solutions, subscription-based services and legacy systems and reader technologies migrating to more digital and mobile-based credential solutions. These are the key issues we look forward to sharing at the conference and equally, we are excited to hear our peers’ and partners’ opinions on the growth of these security technologies as well.”

Endless possibilities

ACRE International boasts several market-leading brands within its portfolio, including Vanderbilt, ComNet and Open Options. The company’s expertise in integration and cloud-based solutions have made them the preferred choice for many end users.

Holmstrom added: “Third-party integration is a major trend at the moment, in particular for access control solutions. Thanks to our multiple cross-brand solutions, ACRE has a very attractive in-depth portfolio. This means we can support most vertical-specific needs from our own hardware and software portfolio.

“Together with our technology partner integration network, the possibilities are endless. This is a crucial benefit for our customers. It allows them to quickly scale from mid-size commercial to scalable, enterprise-level solutions, cloud compatible and future proof.”

He also believes that demand for cloud-based solutions is only going to grow moving forwards: “ACRE possesses cloud-based services for intrusion, access control, video management, transmission, cybersecurity and workplace solutions that can help to generate recurring revenue business opportunities. This is a rapidly increasing demand from our customer-base and we predict it will only continue to grow.

“This is because cloud-based services benefit both integrator and end user alike. They allow customers to quickly scale from a single site with a few access control doors to a complete multi-site and highly secure enterprise security solutions that include workplace management and IAM (identity and access control management) capabilities.”

It has been an incredibly successful period for ACRE international and Holmstrom is looking forward to what lies ahead: “2022 looks to be another good year for ACRE. We are coming up to the 12-month anniversary of our new ownership under Triton. Triton’s industry expertise and additional capital offers us a springboard to continue our successfully built foundation of innovation, alongside our proven and reliable “buy and build” strategy.

“In a nutshell, our partnership with Triton will deliver continued successful innovation and market-leading solutions for our customer base. I look forward to outlining our key growth focus in greater detail to our Middle East partners at the upcoming ISJ Leaders in Security Conference.”

The ISJ Leaders in Security conference, held in association with MOBOTIX, will take place on Wednesday 25 May at the Grosvenor Hotel in Dubai, UAE. To find out more information, please visit: www.isjleadersinsecurity.com

This article was originally published in the April 2022 edition of International Security Journal. Pick up your FREE digital edition here.