SIA New Member Profile: AccessGrid

New Security Industry Association (SIA) member AccessGrid builds an API that allows startups, access control integrators and large enterprises to design key templates and quickly issue near field communication (NFC) keys. The company is headquartered in Miami, Florida, with customers and partners across North America and Europe.

SIA spoke with Auston Bunsen, founder of AccessGrid, about the company, the security industry and working with SIA.

Tell us the story of your company.

Auston Bunsen: AccessGrid was founded to bring the convenience and security of Apple and Google Wallet to the physical access world. While working on side projects after building QuickNode, I realized how much demand there was to issue and manage secure NFC credentials directly to people’s phones.

That insight became AccessGrid—a platform built for lock manufacturers, integrators and enterprises that want to modernize access without reinventing their hardware or software.

What solutions/services does your business offer in the security industry? And what makes your offerings or your company unique?

AB: AccessGrid provides an API and software development kit (SDK) that make it simple to issue, manage and revoke secure NFC credentials directly to Apple and Google Wallet—no apps, printers or proprietary controllers required. Our credentials work even when the phone is locked or out of battery.

What makes AccessGrid unique is that we operate as an infrastructure layer for the industry, not as a hardware vendor. Think “Stripe for digital keys.” We handle compliance with Apple, Google and HID, manage the credential life cycle and support DESFire and Seos at scale so integrators and original equipment manufacturers can focus on customer experience rather than certification complexity.

What is something we might not know about your company—or something new you are doing in security?

AB: We recently launched a developer console that allows integrators to design and deploy wallet keys in minutes using open SDKs for C#, Python, Ruby, Java and JavaScript.

We’re also contributing open-source tooling for access control interoperability—helping engineers understand protocols like Wiegand, the SIA Open Supervised Device Protocol and DESFire so the industry can evolve faster and with greater transparency.

What is your company’s vision, and what are your goals for the security industry?

AB: Our vision is to eliminate physical keys entirely. We believe the future of access is software defined, phone first and interoperable. Our goal is to make it as easy to issue a secure credential as it is to send an email—so that access becomes part of the digital identity ecosystem, not an isolated physical burden.

What do you think are the biggest opportunities in the security industry right now?

AB: The biggest opportunity lies in bridging legacy physical systems with modern digital identity infrastructure. With Apple and Google now promoting digital keys at the operating system level, every building and property owner will need a way to integrate Wallet credentials into their existing systems. The companies that can provide developer-friendly, compliant and scalable solutions without requiring hardware rip and replace—will define the next decade of physical access control.

What are the biggest challenges facing your company and/or others in the security industry?

AB: The main challenge is inertia. Access control systems have long upgrade cycles, and many are still running on premises with limited connectivity. Convincing enterprises to adopt wallet credentials often requires aligning multiple stakeholders—IT, facilities and security—all at once. Education, interoperability and trust are key to accelerating adoption.

What do you enjoy most about being at your company—and in the security industry?

AB: I love that we’re working at the intersection of hardware, software and real-world infrastructure. Physical access is something everyone experiences daily—so when we improve it, people feel the impact immediately. The security industry is full of builders who care deeply about reliability, and that energy aligns perfectly with our developer-first DNA.

What does SIA offer that is most important to you/your company? And what do you most hope to get out of your membership with SIA?

AB: SIA provides a powerful platform for collaboration and credibility within the access control community. For a company like ours—bridging modern software and legacy security systems—SIA’s events, standards work and thought leadership are invaluable.

We hope to contribute to conversations around mobile credential standards, interoperability and digital identity integration and learn from the decades of expertise within the SIA network.

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.