Motorola Solutions’ Acquisition Of Openpath Reflects The Rapid Convergence Of Solutions In The Building Security Market

Motorola Solutions’ Acquisition Of Openpath Reflects The Rapid Convergence Of Solutions In The Building Security Market

In July 2021, Motorola Solutions announced the acquisition of access control vendor Openpath, adding to its growing suite of security offerings. Motorola Solutions began focussing on security by providing mission-critical communications to law enforcement and emergency services, before expanding to the built environment. Openpath now joins a host of vendors purchased by Motorola Solutions, such as video surveillance and analytics firms Avigilon, IndigoVision and Pelco, as well as mobile video firm WatchGuard, Inc. and data and image analytics firm VaaS International Holdings. The deal allows Motorola Solutions to combine its existing video surveillance and analytics capabilities with Openpath’s cloud-based platform to deliver new capabilities and insights for business owners and building security management.

Founded in 2016, Openpath offers a keyless access control solution, enabling contactless entry with varying levels of authentication. Thanks to a cloud-based approach, Openpath’s solution can be easily scaled and managed across portfolios, delivering a consistent, seamless experience across organisations, as well as remote security management capabilities. Openpath’s mobile-based access control will be offered alongside Motorola Solutions’s Avigilon on-premises access control solution, Access Control Manager (ACM). This allows Openpath and Motorola Solutions to meet firms at different stages of their digital journey. Customers that desire an on-premise offering can rely on the ACM solution whilst buyers who require hybrid or fully cloud-based solutions integrated with video analytics can turn to Openpath.   

Other vendors in the building security market are increasingly combining access control and video capabilities, in response to buyer demand for more integrated solutions. For example, in June 2021, cloud-based access control provider Brivo launched Brivo Snapshot, a video analytics tool which employs machine learning to automatically identify the most relevant image of an access event. This avoids the need for security teams to sift through high volumes of video footage, making it easier for them to pinpoint culprits and respond rapidly. Moreover, several vendors are pursuing a strategy of acquisitions to deliver more comprehensive security offerings. Witness HID Global buying biometric identity management firm Crossmatch and Honeywell purchasing Sine Group, which offers visitor management capabilities. With growing competition, security solution vendors will continue to pursue similar acquisition strategies to fortify their offerings and stand out in a saturating market.

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