SIA New Member Profile: UniKey
New Security Industry Association (SIA) member UniKey is a leading smart access control platform provider. UniKey was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida.
SIA spoke with Phil Dumas, founder and CEO at UniKey, about the company, the security industry and working with SIA.
SIA: Tell us the story of your company.
Phil Dumas: UniKey’s mission is to change the way the world accesses everything by replacing the entire keychain with your phone, in a more convenient way than a key. We empower access control manufacturers with the tools to go mobile through our platform. It’s exciting to work with these market leaders in an effort to develop new products that meet the needs of today’s consumers.
What solutions/services does your business offer in the security industry? And what makes your offerings/company unique?
PD: UniKey offers a mobile key platform for partners to build unparalleled access control products. We license our technology and IP like Touch-to-Open® and Inside/Outside Intelligence® to market-leading companies. Through our partnerships, we have become the first mobile access control platform that can unite the three major physical security industries (residential, commercial and automotive) under one cohesive mobile platform.
What’s something we might not know about your company – or something new you’re doing in security?
PD: UniKey was featured on ABC’s investment program Shark Tank in 2012 and was the first company to receive investment offers from all five “sharks” on the show. It was fun, and quite the learning experience.
In terms of new things we’re doing in the industry, we’re always looking for ways to improve the at-door experience, so our team is currently experimenting with Bluetooth 5.0 and its extended range capabilities and lower power consumption. We hope to implement the technology into future smart lock applications in order to develop more advanced, connected systems that can seamlessly work with other smart applications through BLE Mesh Networking.
What is your company’s vision, and what are your goals for the security industry?
PD: UniKey’s vision is to change the way the world accesses everything. In this, we’re looking to become the one mobile key platform you can use to keep all of your points of entry secure. We want consumers to be able to go from their homes to their cars to their offices and even to their own lockers at the local gym and be able to use one mobile application to unlock them. In a nutshell, we want to create a world where security works for us: where it’s as convenient as it is safe.
What do you enjoy most about being at your company – and in the security industry?
PD: What I enjoy most about being at UniKey is being able to work with so many great, smart people who are all passionate about seeing what we can do for the security industry. It’s an exciting time to be in this industry. Whether you’re an original equipment manufacturer, an installer or a platform provider, we’re each a part of something that’s really going to change the way people access just about everything.
SIA: What does SIA offer that is most important to you/your company? And what do you most hope to get out of your membership?
PD: SIA offers a unique opportunity to connect with the security industry through volunteering, events, programs and more. UniKey hopes to maximize our membership and involve several members of our team in these initiatives so that we can meet, engage and learn from other experts in the industry.
The views and opinions expressed in guest posts and/or profiles are those of the authors or sources and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Security Industry Association (SIA).
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