DoorBird Marks 10th Anniversary
Berlin, 2014: Not far from Kurfürstendamm, Berlin's number 1 shopping boulevard, a handful of people are working high up on the 13th floor to develop high-quality and affordable smart door intercom systems. DoorBird’s goal was to make it possible for residents all over the world to speak to their visitors at the door and even open the door for them, no matter where they may be at that moment.
In late 2014, the first models had an HD camera with a 180° ultra-wide angle and night vision mode, a motion sensor, Wi-Fi, and various connections. On December 23, 2014, a customer from Orlando, Florida, placed the very first DoorBird order at www.doorbird.com. The first sale in Germany followed just two days later to a customer near Cologne.
The small company soon became an integral party of the door intercom market. Over the next few years, new or expanded door intercom models, indoor stations, upgrade and access control systems as well as accessory products were consistently introduced. By 2024, the total number of products grew to 2,300 (including different color options).
Whether it was more products or more employees, DoorBird founders Bernd Müller and Sascha Keller continued to expand the company, while remaining based in Berlin. All products are developed internally, all design phases undergo strict controls, and each finished product is extensively tested in specially developed test environments. This in-house approach ensures the highest level of quality and reliability.
Thanks to a well-documented interface (API), the products can be easily integrated into smart environments and can thus interact with a wide variety of garage doors or smart door locks, for example. This means the customer can combine smart home applications from different manufacturers according to their own taste and do not have to commit to a single brand. In 2024, the DoorBird Connect network has over 80 integration partners.
From the outset, the two founders saw the United States as one of the most important markets. The decision to present the DoorBird directly at a U.S. trade fair was part of this thinking. The concepts of home automation and security were prevalent there much earlier than in Europe; the successful trade fair appearance in January 2015 confirmed the founders in their strategic direction and actions. In the summer of 2015, the company opened a facility in San Francisco. In 2021, the second location was opened in Jacksonville, Florida.
Since 2022, Bird Home Automation GmbH has been part of the ASSA ABLOY Group. Large-scale projects such as hotels, commercial facilities, and entire residential complexes are becoming increasingly important and offer enormous potential for DoorBird's future.
2025 Security Megatrends
The Security Industry Association (SIA) has identified and forecasted the 2025 Security Megatrends, which form the basis of SIA’s signature annual Security Megatrends report defining the top 10 factors influencing both short- and long-term change in the global security industry. View the report at www.securityindustry.org/report/security-megatrends-the-2025-vision-for-the-security-industry.
SIA’s 2025 Security Megatrends were selected based on fall 2024 survey data and focus group input received from hundreds of top security industry business leaders, association leadership, key volunteers, and speakers for the 2024 Securing New Ground (SNG) conference, which took place October 8-9 in New York City.
Each year, SIA produces the Security Megatrends report, which is made available to download for free. These security megatrends are the top forces at play in security, shaping executives’ business decisions and expected to have far-reaching impacts on businesses across the industry. These trends play an instrumental role in the insights and discussions at SNG, which brings together the leading entrepreneurs, luminaries, CEOs, and investors in the security industry for top-quality information sharing, networking, and business analysis.
The 2025 Megatrends report revealed that there is no trend larger or more impactful to the security industry than the evolution of the channel. Artificial intelligence (AI), cloud, technology upheaval, razor-thin margins, new competitors, direct-to-customer sales and delivery models, and changing end-user requirements are converging to create the most challenging wave of change the channel has ever seen, felt primarily in the systems integration channel.
In SIA’s survey of members as part of the research for the 2025 Security Megatrends report, nearly 70% of respondents said their channel buyers are changing from the traditional security integrator, and security practitioner experts stressed a desire for integrators to be fully embedded on their teams in order for them to better understand practitioners’ needs and wants.
The 2025 Security Megatrends are:
- Evolution of the Channel
- AI: Intelligent Automation of Security
- Correcting the Systemic Undervaluation of Security
- Visual Intelligence, Not Video Surveillance
- IT-OT Security Convergence
- Platform Aggregation
- Democratization of Identity and Mobile Credentials
- Growth of Advanced Detection Technologies
- Shift of Influence From Hardware to Software
- SaaS, HaaS, DaaS, and a Managed Services Future
Key stats highlighted in the report include:
- 52% of surveyed SIA members said the future impact of AI on the security industry is greatly or somewhat underappreciated.
- 81% of security industry manufacturers and solution providers say predictive data analytics are a meaningful or very meaningful component of their existing or soon-to-be-released products, software, or solutions.
- 91% of security solutions developers characterized their firms’ research and development investments as being fully, heavily, or somewhat focused on AI—an increase from the 74% reported in 2023.
In addition to defining the latest Security Megatrends, the 2025 forecast report shares perspectives on how these trends can affect security practitioners, integrators, and chief security officers; examines key foundational trends for business leaders to manage as they operate within the security industry; features a collection of premier executive takeaways; and includes numerous challenges and disruptors, as well as predictions for how trends will play out over the next year.
The SIA also unveiled its first national economic impact study on the security industry, highlighting the positive impact the security industry has on jobs, wages and federal and state revenue in the United States. The study, conducted by Florida-based John Dunham & Associates, uses the most current methodology and data available from 2024.
The study found that the security industry – as a dynamic and rapidly growing sector of the national economy – has a total economic impact of $431.3 billion, supporting 2.1 million jobs and $145.5 billion in wages, including supplier and induced economic activity.
View the report at www.securityindustry.org/member-resources/reports-publications/security-industry-economic-impact-report/
ASSA ABLOY Acquisitions Continue
ASSA ABLOY has acquired Norshield Security Products, a U.S. manufacturer of high-security openings and enclosures.
"I am very pleased to welcome Norshield into the ASSA ABLOY Group. This acquisition delivers on our strategy to strengthen our position in mature markets through adding complementary products and solutions to our core business,” says Nico Delvaux, President and CEO of ASSA ABLOY.
"Norshield’s focus on certified ballistic, attack- and blast-resistant products complements our current high-security door portfolio and will enhance our expertise in this market,” says Lucas Boselli, Executive Vice President of ASSA ABLOY and Head of the Americas Division. “Norshield’s exemplary reputation for high-quality, innovative products and excellent customer service reflects our values, and I am excited for them to join ASSA ABLOY.”
Norshield was founded in 1981 and has some 70 employees. The main office and factory are located in Montgomery, Alabama, USA.
Sales for 2023 amounted to about $16 million. The acquisition will be accretive to EPS from the start.
ASSA ABLOY has acquired Premier Steel Doors and Frames (“Premier”), a U.S. manufacturer of hollow metal doors and frames, metal building door systems, and aluminum windows.
"Premier is a well-known and respected steel door and frame manufacturer, and I’m excited for them to join our division,” says Boselli. “This acquisition complements our current product portfolio, strengthens our presence in the southern US, and enhances our expertise in solutions for metal buildings.”
Premier was founded in 1964 and has some 90 employees. The main office and factory are located in Monroe, Louisiana. Premier manufactures and offers a complete line of hollow metal doors and frames for the conventional, engineered steel, and modular commercial building markets. Fire and windstorm rated assemblies as well as a complete line of accessories are available including a full line of builders hardware.
Sales for 2023 amounted to about $40 million with a strong EBIT margin. The acquisition will be accretive to EPS from the start.
People in the News
NAPCO Security Technologies has expanded the Prima Security & Connected Home Sales Team, with the addition of two key personnel, Bryan Pope & Adam Krueger, Business Development Managers, East & West, respectively. Both new team members report to Director of Sales, Security & Smart Home, Jim Pless.
Having worked with some of the biggest names in this business segment, the trio all have an extensive background in residential system sales and connected homes.
"Prima is the perfect solution for today’s challenges. With dealers facing rising costs and a shortage of skilled labor, the Prima All-in-One System offers a comprehensive Resi and SMB solution that’s incredibly easy to install in minutes for anyone and super competitively priced. And, unlike competitive offerings that, in essence, own dealers’ accounts via control of their backend, Prima, Powered by StarLink, ensures dealers retain full ownership and control of their customer portfolio and business,” Pless stated.
“We are feeding a lot of exciting new opportunities and verticals, finding success for dealers, builders and other home installation companies, using Prima to quickly add new RMR-customers in applications such as MDUs/multitenant buildings, SMB/light commercial; retrofit upgrades & takeovers w/ easy translators; and millennials and 1st time home buyers of which 29% are found to be looking for smart home automation features (per Parks Associates recent study),” he added.
The Prima Sales team is now segmented geographically to better serve dealers and distributors nationwide, working in tandem with the Napco Fire & Security RSMs.
For expert Napco Prima sales support, product demos, or pricing inquiries, contact:
- Jim Pless (US Sales Director): [email protected] | 631-942-4017
- Bryan Pope (Eastern US): [email protected] | 516-675-2641
- Adam Krueger (Western US): [email protected] | 631-347-2865
Allegion plc, a security products and solutions provider, has appointed Gregg Sengstack, executive chairperson of Franklin Electric Company, Inc., to the Allegion Board of Directors.
With Sengstack’s appointment, Allegion has a nine-member board, including eight independent directors. Sengstack will sit on the Board’s Audit and Finance Committee, Compensation and Human Capital Committee, and Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee.
“Gregg brings a wealth of knowledge and skills from a professional career that spans more than 30 years,” Lauren B. Peters, chair of the Board, said. “He has served as a public company CEO and CFO and has extensive experience in international markets, general management, and finance. We’re excited to welcome him to the Allegion Board.”
Sengstack joined Franklin Electric in 1988 as assistant treasurer, later becoming chief financial officer (CFO) in 1999. Following a successful tenure as CFO, he held the roles of senior vice president and president of Franklin Fueling Systems and International Water Group and then president and chief operating officer (COO) of Franklin Electric. Sengstack served as CEO for 10 years, from 2014 to July 2024, and he was elected as chairperson of the company’s board in 2015.
Today, Sengstack additionally serves on the board of Woodward, Inc. He is a graduate of Bucknell University and the University of Chicago.
For more on Allegion’s corporate governance, refer to www.allegion.com/ESG.
