Prior1, a leading provider of modular IT infrastructure solutions, develops container data centers to meet the highest security and energy efficiency standards. Their containers require optimum protection against both physical threats and environmental risks. To provide this, Prior1 sought a security solution for their new “IT Container FIX” products which offers seamless monitoring and is flexible, scalable, and meets the requirements of EN 50600 certification.

By choosing KentixONE as their central platform, Prior1 identified the comprehensive security solution they need. KentixONE enables the central control and monitoring of all security-relevant devices and sensors in real time. Its central dashboard provides data center managers with an overview and full control of every vital parameter. They can also stay in control while on the move via the KentixONE app, a powerful mobile control center.

“By integrating Kentix’s security solutions, we created a state-of-the-art container data center that not only meets the highest security standards but also offers the necessary flexibility for dynamic IT operations,” says Oliver Fronk, Team Coordinator at Prior 1. “This partnership has shown us how innovative technologies and modular systems can optimally support the requirements of digital transformation.”

Powerful access oversight and monitoring

The KentixONE solution protects Prior1 customers against a vast scope of physical and environmental threats. Its seamless networking and intuitive, unified platform enable continuous monitoring and rapid response to incidents – critical to maintaining data integrity and security.

With SmartAccess functionality, Kentix IP wall readers ensure strict access control with two-factor authentication. Every access event is logged; unauthorized attempts immediately trigger an alarm. All data is stored in KentixONE and can be retrieved at any time. In addition, all accesses may be tagged with a short video sequence. Access control and sensor technology combines to create alarm zones which protect against unauthorized intrusion. These zones may be armed and disarmed both manually via access control and automatically.

Smart video surveillance integrated within KentixONE detects security-relevant events in real time. Recordings can be called up and live images support the assessment of the situation in any emergency.

Powerful integrated SmartMonitoring is enabled via Kentix multisensors which continuously track environmental factors like temperature, humidity, and air quality. An integrated 4-factor early fire detection system detects anomalies which may indicate critical conditions at an early stage. This enables timely action to prevent damage. All external units such as air conditioning and UPS systems are seamlessly integrated and continuously communicate their operating status.

Kentix SmartPDUs also monitor current and energy parameters, as well as ambient conditions within the server racks. The integrated residual current measurement (RCM) ensures electrical safety and fire protection, and detects creeping device failures. Anomalies are transmitted to KentixONE in real time so prompt action may be taken. KentixONE provides efficiency indicators such as PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) and generates an energy report at the end of the month.

With the help of KentixONE, then, Prior1 is able to offer customers future-proof infrastructure that combines the highest security and monitoring standards alongside management flexibility and seamless scalability. It is a game-changer for the holistic management of any data center.

To learn more about implementing innovative physical security for your data center, visit: kentix.com

ASSA ABLOY has acquired Pacific Lock Company (PACLOCK), a US manufacturer of padlocks and security hardware, continuing to expand its portfolio through acquisitions. “I am very pleased to welcome PACLOCK to ASSA ABLOY. This acquisition delivers on our strategy to strengthen our position in mature markets through adding complementary products and solutions to our core business,” said Nico Delvaux, President and CEO of ASSA ABLOY.

PACLOCK is known for security products that combine reliability, durability, and innovation, supported by US-based manufacturing and the ability to develop customised solutions for requirements that go beyond standard product offerings. “Their expertise in designing and delivering customized security solutions has made them a trusted partner for customers whose needs extend beyond standard product offerings,” said Lucas Boselli, Executive Vice President and Head of the Americas Division. Founded in 1998, PACLOCK has around 40 employees, with its headquarters and manufacturing facility located in Valencia, California.

The company will become part of the Residential Business Segment within ASSA ABLOY’s Americas Division. PACLOCK generated sales of approximately USD 17 million in 2025, equivalent to around SEK 155 million, with a strong EBIT margin.

In a sector where budgets are always a focus of attention, delivering concrete returns to every investment is crucial. By digitalizing access, healthcare premises – whether large hospitals or small clinics – can benefit from day one. They can improve staff and patient safety; quickly implement more efficient, time-saving workflows; and painlessly meet compliance demands.

Healthcare sites always present complex access challenges. They must be welcoming, accessible public spaces. They often occupy large, sprawling areas; unfamiliar faces and first-time visitors are around every single day. At the same time, these premises inevitably have valuable and/or sensitive assets, including confidential data and medicines, which must be secured. Patients, doctors, nurses and support staff must feel safe. In labs and treatment suites, restricted materials and valuable equipment need both security and a compliant system for logging every access event. This has always been healthcare’s ‘business-as-usual’: it is a complex environment for any security manager.

Modern hospitals and clinics, however, now face an extra level of challenges – and opportunities. Their access system may benefit from integration with fire detection, CCTV and other building solutions, for example. With so many temporary and contract workers employed on-site, access is in constant motion. It needs to be tailored to specific and very different needs and, equally, revoked when any time-limited tasks are complete.

In case of a security breach, rapid investigation is essential. Tracing and logging access to specific areas may also be a legal requirement, especially with new NIS2 regulations introduced for critical infrastructure, which demand proactive “hybrid” cyber/physical security frameworks for many healthcare premises*. Relying on manual or siloed systems to complete these tasks could eat up hours or even days for security and even medical staff. Happily, there is a better way to work.

Digital access for the healthcare sector

The solution is access digitalization. Digital access devices and credentials help to keep every hospital user safe. Unauthorized access is minimized because unapproved key copies rarely circulate and lost credentials are cancelled with a click. Employees and equipment are safer because more access points may be digitally secured. Issuing contractors and temporary staff with digital or even mobile credentials can further simplify the granting, amending and revoking of site access. Security teams waste less time handing out and collecting keys. Intelligent, intuitive software helps facilities managers stay in control even while they are off-site. Logging access to specific assets or areas becomes quick and simple: a few clicks rather than the laborious process of keeping manual logs up to date.

“Access is such an important part of any holistic approach to safety,” says David Moser, SVP and Head of Digital Access Solutions at ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions EMEIA. “Digitalizing access immediately puts powerful tools in the hands of hospital management, delivering tangible daily benefits to meet security challenges head-on, improving efficiency and regulatory compliance at the same time.”

“There’s now a device to extend existing systems with digital control at almost any access point, whatever building solution is in place. Alternatively, we can equip customers with whole solutions to implement digital access from scratch, without invasive installation. So many efficiency and security benefits are within reach.”

Below are three of many real-life examples which illustrate the ways healthcare premises have benefited from digital access beyond the most obvious security and safety aspects.

Efficiency 1: Staff convenience, as well as safety

By choosing ASSA ABLOY’s Aperio® wireless locks, integrated natively with an ARD access management solution, Centre Hospitalier Métropole Savoie (CHMS) could issue access rights tailored to individual staff and contractors and implement real-time control, helping to boost site safety. Because Aperio locks are wireless, the hospital introduced more layers of security without incurring excessive installation or operating costs, including for sensitive offices and drug stores. Access point functionality at CHMS now includes real-time management logs and remote door opening.

For convenience, staff now carry one credential programmed with their individual tailored permissions. “Having just a single badge, and not having to carry around heavy keys, has been a major advantage for us,” explains Béatrice Dequidt, Health Executive at CHMS.

“We have implemented internal HR management procedures, creating badges that are automatically integrated into ARD’s operating software,” adds Alain Gestin, CHMS’s IT Systems Architect. Aperio and ARD maintain compatibility of credentials with the French government’s electronic Health Professional Card (CPS), for added staff and management convenience.

Efficiency 2: Time-saving workflows

Hospital MAZ, in Zaragoza, also implemented a new ASSA ABLOY digital solution, SMARTair®, with real-time access functionality. Their online wireless access management system saves security managers’ time because they can implement all changes via the central system in real time, without needing to waste time walking through the hospital.

Staff convenience is further enhanced: they now carry a smartcard programmed with their personalized access permissions. Custom-made cards double as employee IDs, so 625 staff and approximately 100 contractors only need to carry one. Their ASSA ABLOY system is also mobile access ready, making it easy for the hospital to issue and manage mobile keys in the future without hardware changes.

“Digitalization presents opportunities for healthcare organizations of every size and type to improve security while they also reduce costs ‘hidden’ in daily workflows,” explains David Moser.

Efficiency 3: Medicine control and other compliance challenges

Managing physical keys can impact nursing care, as pharmacy managers at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham discovered. An older, mechanical system made it difficult for them to keep track of who held the right key. Searching for that person wasted time. They identified a better solution for convenient secure access to controlled medicines: programmable keys.

With their CLIQ programmable key access solution, power to digital and electromechanical locks is supplied by a standard battery inside every key, so no wires are required – making it an ideal retrofit solution for hospital doors, cabinets and mobile drug trolleys. Audit trails for locks and padlocks are available on demand: nurse managers can quickly see who has accessed cabinets or drug trolleys.

“The message from all nursing staff is that patients are getting medicines much easier and in a more timely fashion,” says Inderjit Singh, Chief Pharmacist at QE Birmingham. “For us, the key return on investment is the quality of service we’re providing.”

“Our expertise in access, established over decades, enables us to work with customers to get their access ready for what’s ahead,” adds David Moser. “With ASSA ABLOY, they digitalize with confidence.”

To learn more about Digital Access Solutions from ASSA ABLOY, visit www.assaabloy.com/group/emeia/solutions/topics/access-control

Modern buildings are placing ever-increasing demands on door communication systems. Property owners, operators, and residents require intelligent solutions that accommodate different user groups, support flexible access methods, and meet high standards for security, connectivity, and integration.

With the new D22x series, DoorBird introduces a new generation of IP video door intercoms. Developed based on specific customer requirements, the series combines cutting-edge technology, exceptional flexibility, premium design, and Made in Germany quality. As part of the ASSA ABLOY Group, the global leader in access solutions, DoorBird combines innovative IP-based door communication with extensive expertise in modern building security.

Security and Control at a New Level
The D22x series comprises more than 30 models and is the direct successor to the globally successful D21x Series. New additions to the portfolio include versions with digital nameplates, which can be managed centrally and remotely, offering significant advantages for property managers, housing associations, and operators of larger buildings.

All models feature a 5 MP HDR camera with a Sony image sensor and a 180° ultra-wide-angle lens, providing excellent visibility of the entrance area even under challenging lighting conditions. Video transmission is available in HD quality via the local network or through DoorBird Cloud Pro. Outstanding audio performance ensures clear and intelligible communication between visitors and residents, even in demanding environments.

Depending on the model, a variety of authentication methods are available, including the app, dual-frequency RFID, Bluetooth, PIN code, QR code, and fingerprint recognition. The security concept is further enhanced by a radar-based 4D motion sensor and an integrated tamper sensor.

Simplified Installation and Maximum Integration
With the D22x series, DoorBird also simplifies installation. Thanks to the integrated power output for electric door openers, many installations no longer require a separate power supply for the door release mechanism. This reduces cabling complexity, saves installation time, and lowers overall system costs.

Open interfaces such as SIP, OSDP, RS485, and Wiegand, along with a comprehensively documented LAN and Cloud API, enable integration with more than 100 smart homes, access control, video surveillance, and building management systems.

The door station supports installations with up to 3,000 residential or office units. In addition to traditional call buttons, digital nameplates and displays with resident directories are available. Accessibility features can be added to every model, including an integrated hearing loop, pictograms, and acoustic door-opening confirmation signals.

As an ISO/IEC 27001-certified company, DoorBird incorporates privacy and information security throughout the development process in accordance with the Security by Design principle.

Sustainable Modernization of Existing Installations
The D22x series offers a particularly cost-effective way to modernize existing DoorBird D21x installations. When upgrading, only the main electronic unit needs to be replaced. Existing housings, front panels, and other components can continue to be used, while all existing settings can be retained. This significantly reduces installation effort and contributes to environmental sustainability.

Design as Part of the Architecture
In addition to technology, design plays a central role. More than 50 finishes and color options allow seamless integration into a wide variety of architectural concepts, from private residences to prestigious commercial properties.

Using the DoorBird 3D Configurator, customers can customize the D22x series to their individual requirements. Front panel size and shape, engravings, mailboxes, and the integration of reader units from leading manufacturers can all be configured with maximum flexibility.

“Modern buildings require solutions that can adapt flexibly while remaining easy to integrate,” says Sascha Keller, Founder and CEO of DoorBird. “With the D22x series, we provide a future-proof platform that combines powerful door communication, flexible access solutions, and sophisticated design Made in Germany.”

The D22x series is available now: https://www.doorbird.com/shop/d22