Silicon Valley Access Startup Proxy Raises $13.6 Million

I think the more IOT things that are registered onto one common platform, the more attractive they become to the hacker world as well as the general single-point of failure model that most would rather not base their whole lives off of.

This solution is very pricey, but I like their model of being able to piggy-back onto an existing access controls system.

I have asked some IT Dept managers how they feel about letting their employees use their mobile phone for gaining access to doors and secure network rooms, and the response has not been overwhelmingly favorable. It spooks them out to allow devices that they don't have direct control over to be able to access their sites.

Mobile credentials are hitting us like a ton of bricks and there's little anyone can really do to slow it down at this point.  Mobile everything, right?  

Maybe its just my age, but mobile everything feels sort of like that weird mobile services commercial where everyone is drinking chunky milk ...  it just isn't right .. lol

I am a bit confused so I'll have to read through their product/solution literature:

I entered in 1 door starting from scratch .. it is showing the Edge reader instead of the Pro reader and is not showing an Access Connector .......

I am wondering if the relay module that goes on the secure side has to be located where they show it being installed on their website?  Is it necessary for some of the future features they have maked with asterisks on their website, such as people sensing, etc?  

The reason I ask is that one of the markets they look to be targeting is Class A office space .. here's the thing ... we've mounted many readers at office suite entrances, both interior and exterior doors, and the one thing that is usually most always a factor is .. what light switches, wall plates, etc are installed on their interior wall at the same height as the height that the reader has to be mounted on the outside wall.  Many times, the wall switch mounting height is pre-determined by building and ADA codes, but the card readers often have to abide by the same mounting height guidelines, with a little sway up or down.

WHat I am saying is that often times there just won;t be open wall space on the interior side for the relay module to be effectively and aesthetically mounted ... there's already multi-bank light switches, etc. mounted there.  

It seems that the more technology brings us the convenience of mobile apps, the more we have to forget about as far as traditional good security installation practices goes.  It used to be that security trumped convenience, but now it's turning the other way.

Why would you want the relay module mounted right there at reader height on the inside?  Could it go above the door, high up like a REX PIR device, or even better, could it be located above the drop ceiling on the secure side and the Proxy reader wires run up to it?  

Is there a tamper switch in the relay module enclosure?

We have them in one of our offices (not mine).  Our readers are Identiv that I think we already had on the old system.  Key reason for switching was the API, which allows development of smart building functions.  A card swipe is a powerful way to track who is where at what time.

Proxy's CEO responded to the post and pointed out an error the company has fixed in their pricing tool:

The mobile access connector is only applied to installations of 100+ doors. All Proxy Pro readers work with existing access control systems out-of-the-box. The connector is only used (optionally) for large deployments - typically for 100-10,000+ doors where customers want to automate credential provisioning at large scale with their existing (or multiple) systems. When deploying Proxy for 100+ doors, the connector cost $1,500 only applies once so it’s totally nominal.

So for the single door/ existing system workup, pricing would be ~$1,548 less, or a total of $577 per door, a big decrease.

I've updated our post with the correct pricing.

The CEO also responded to Denis Hebert's role as Proxy advisor while also on staff at Feenics:

We don't see Feenics or any other PACS manufacturer or provider as competitors – in fact, we work with many of them to add value (mobile access, identity and beyond - will share more shortly) to their existing systems and provide them the means to bring even more value to their customers. We see ourselves very much as an open platform and ecosystem-friendly player, working with all parties in the industry, looking to bring value where we can to many solutions, systems, and devices.