Bethesda-based Internet of Things startup Brivo Inc. launched a new iOS and Android app called Brivo Mobile Pass on Monday that will let people use their smartphones to get into buildings managed by Brivo's clients. This is the first big product release since the company was acquired by Eagle Eye Networks CEO Dean Drako in June, which is also when the company changed its name as part of combining its Brivo Systems and Brivo Labs divisions.
"This is a big shift. The API replaces all the passcards and keycards that our clients would hand out," said Brivo CEO Steve Van Till. "It's immediately available to people going in and out of the buildings that our tech is already installed in."
The new app basically lets administrators of office buildings, gyms and any other Brivo client building give the same phone-based keys that they have without having to install entirely new hardware. It's an extension of the Brivo OnAir system, but one that could make the security and access arrangement of the commercial buildings using Brivo's technology a lot easier to handle.
"It's the same API that we already run, but users have to be invited by whoever the account manager is," Van Till said. "Gyms, for instance, are very interested in this because card management is a huge problem for them, they're constantly reissuing cards. Having a mobile app is more manageable."
"The people who have been asking for it appreciate that most of our whole lives are moving on to mobile platforms."
Van Till said that Brivo's integrated system is essentially unique, with other security systems and Internet of Things companies offering add-ons that lack either the security or technical equipment that Brivo uses. The Mobile Pass is mainly for on enterprise and commercial companies, although Van Till did not rule out possibly turning to private home use in the future. The commercial space gives Brivo plenty of room to grow though.
"There are already a lot of companies focusing on the Internet of Things for homes. There's very little on the commercial side," Van Till said. "And the level of security we offer is a good fit for the commercial customers."
Though there are theoretically around six million people who regularly enter and leave the buildings that use Brivo's security system, it's not likely that they'll all be getting an invitation right away. Brivo is charging its clients for each invitation they send out to users, with five free to test it out and then for purchase by the hundred. But though the growth may be slow at first, Van Till put it into a longer-term view, based on the clients who have already been clamoring for something like this.
"The people who have been asking for it appreciate that most of our whole lives are moving on to mobile platforms," Van Till said. "I think it's going to have universal appeal. Right now it's a nice to have feature but in a year it will be a must-have feature."
