Lock maker adds embedded security for critical infrastructure
Swedish conglomerate Assa Abloy has acquired a French smartcard technology specialist to help provide embedded security for critical infrastructure.
Alcea in Paris has a strong focus on access control, including smart locks and smartcards. Assa Abloy owns the Yale lock business as well as RFID antenna firm Omni-ID and was one of the founders of the European group for Zigbee, now called Matter.
Alcea will be added to the Assa Abloy Global Solutions Critical Infrastructure business to provide its Alwin security monitoring that is certified for critical infrastructure by the National Cybersecurity Agency of France, Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d’information (ANSSI). ANSSI certification is a requirement for critical infrastructure access control solutions in France.
The ALWIN supervision system is based on a modular and open software accompanied by Alcea-manufactured automation and electronic control cards to drive different devices: accesses, surveillance cameras, intrusion detection sensors and area surveillance devices.
ALWIN already has integrations to ASSA ABLOY’s Aperio and CLIQ solutions. Keyless ABLOY BEAT integrations are coming soon and third-party components can be connected to ALWIN.
The deal comes the EU proposes cyber resilience legislation to protect embedded devices.
Alcea has a turnover of approximately E20m and is well established in the French-speaking market, in addition to France and South America.
“With the acquisition of Alcea we will have the ability to put our strategy around access-centred solutions into practice. Our aim is to be the global go-to brand in critical infrastructure protection environments,” said Jorma Issakainen, Senior Vice President, Critical Infrastructure, ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions.
“The Alcea transaction is an important step for us. With the acquisition, we are moving towards holistic solutions in access control. So far, we have focused on our keyless and electromechanical access management, but now access control will also be comprehensively included in our offering,” said Issakainen.
AlceaA was founded in 1995 and now it employs around 120 employees.
“Over the years, will continue and receive a huge boost from our entry into one of the world’s leading security groups. It was important for Alcea, and therefore also for our customers, that the primary motivation in this acquisition was the durability of our activity and the industrial dimension it represents,” said said Bruno Alsina, Operations Manager, who has been with Alcea since the start.
“Alcea has strong vertical-specific access control expertise, especially for the telecommunications and transportation industries, that is perfectly in line with our Critical Infrastructure strategy”, said Dominique Jardin, Business Director, France, Critical Infrastructure, ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions.
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