SALTO has some exciting new products and news to share as the company exhibits at this year’s GSX Conference and Expo in Dallas.
Locksmith Ledger recently caught up with Colin Depree, who is the head of sales strategy for SALTO Systems’ North American operations, to discuss what’s coming at the exhibition. Prior to joining SALTO, Depree held sales leadership positions at Pro-Tec Design and Floyd Total Security.
Depree and his SALTO team create solutions that allow customers to focus on and grow their businesses, removing friction in the pursuit of the goal — to simplify and digitalize access control.
“Access control should never be an organizational hurdle but rather an opportunity to innovate,” says Depree. “Leveraging modern access control technology offers organizations the chance to improve business processes, identify efficiencies and optimize operations, and ultimately unlock potential strategic value. Access control is no longer purely about ‘control.’ It’s now about enabling access to an experience.”
As digital transformation moves through industries and sectors around the globe, none more than access control and physical security, Depree’s role is to “drive the vision and support an international operations team that puts SALTO — along with our customers, partners and integrators — ahead of the technology curve,” he adds.
The following Q&A with Depree looks at what SALTO has planned for GSX, what the company sees are the top trends and verticals, and where it sees the security industry and itself heading into 2024.
Locksmith Ledger: What will you be focusing on this year at GSX in Dallas? Any themes for the company or the booth?
Depree: The theme in the SALTO booth at this year’s GSX is “From the Office to the Field.” SALTO is a well-known leader in the commercial access control space, we open tens of thousands of office doors every day — but not everyone works from an office.
In our booth this year we want to demonstrate to GSX showgoers that SALTO offers solutions to protect people, property, and assets no matter their location or what kind of access point is being secured —door, locker, gate, hatch, equipment, fence, or any other imaginable opening. From the boardroom to the back room, our access solutions are as diverse as the businesses that use them, and we aim to be the complete, end-to-end solution for commercial access control regardless of industry.
LL: Do you have any new products that you will be unveiling and if so, please describe what they are and any pertinent info and highlights?
Depree: We will be showcasing BlueEntrance, a state-of-the-art visitor management system developed by Bluefield Smart Access, a new addition to the SALTO group of companies. BlueEntrance offers enterprises big and small the best possible visitor experience solution. This online visitor registration system gives businesses tools to streamline visitor management, check-in/check-out, and even allows administrators to link visitor access permissions via the access control system.
LL: What are some of the other existing products or technologies that you will be promoting, demoing, or highlighting at the show?
Depree: We will be demonstrating our SALTO Space data-on-card access control platform. Space is our on-premise, smart access control solution that’s designed to work in a wire-free environment and integrates all physical security needs through networked, stand-alone, battery-operated wireless smart locks.
We will have a variety assortment of our latest hardware options including our flagship XS4 Original+, XS4 Mini, XS4 One Keypad, and wall readers.
Additionally, sticking with the “From the Office to the Field” theme, we will be presenting our lineup of cutting-edge, digital padlocks. The Neoxx G3 and Neoxx G4 are the latest in industrial-grade detachable smart locks. Loaded with advanced technology and built to withstand harsh use in extreme environments, the SALTO Neoxx is a padlock you can rely on to secure remote assets.
LL: Are any verticals showing strong growth? Please explain?
Depree: It has certainly been an interesting year. As anyone who has read the news or heard a story recently about the state of commercial real estate can probably guess, traditional office spaces have been experiencing some real challenges. Unfortunately, that segment of our business has been correspondingly weaker. The good news has been that virtually every other vertical market we serve has been experiencing record growth. Hospitality, multifamily, coworking, retail, utilities, education, and healthcare have all been exceeding our projections and fueling growth for the security industry and for SALTO Systems.
LL: How has 2023 been for the company overall compared with 2022 and what is your view on the rest of the year and looking to 2024?
Depree: Despite challenges in 2022, including global supply chain disruptions and an international microchip shortage, we have been on a healthy growth trajectory for the last several years. We were fortunate coming out of the COVID era to be well-positioned to serve and supply what would become one of the greatest growth markets for new construction and building renovations in recent history.
These last few years have been unpredictable, to say the least, and it is hard to say what effects continuing interest rate hikes, geopolitical instability, and market uncertainty—not to mention a presidential election—may have on the market in 2024. That said, we remain optimistic that, even if things slow modestly, 2024 will be another growth year for SALTO Systems and our network of distributors, business partners, and integrators.
LL: Have supply chain issues eased over the past year, or is this still a challenge?
Depree: Across our industry, the supply chain seems to be recorrecting and material availability has gotten “unstuck.” That said, even during the height of the global supply chain crunch, SALTO was working hard to deliver products to our customers to keep their most critical projects moving forward. In early 2022 we introduced the XS4 Original+ product series which, thanks to key innovations from our R&D team and shrewd strategic planning and execution by our leadership team, allowed us to get new products in the hands of our customers while most other companies were simply stuck waiting.
LL: Are you bullish on the state of security industry moving forward? Any concerns?
Depree: We are very bullish on the continued growth of the physical security industry. The convergence of security into mainstream consumer and employee experiences will continue to open new doors for the industry. As security becomes a valuable part of more organizations’ ecosystems instead of simply a cost center, our industry’s ability to make an impact will continue to grow. It is a great time to be in the security industry.
