Places & Spaces, Connected ID in Physical World

NEW YORK, NY -- SwiftConnect, provider of connected access networks for places and spaces, has acquired HID’s Workforce Business Unit, including HID SAFE, which automates identity lifecycle management in the physical world.

The combination addresses a problem every large organization faces. When someone joins a company, changes roles, or leaves, their physical access permissions should update automatically, everywhere, in real time.

In most organizations today, that process is manual, fragmented, and unreliable because IT manages digital access while a separate team manages physical access, and the two systems rarely communicate.
The result is friction, audit exposure, and access that persists long after it should have been revoked.

SwiftConnect's AccessCloud platform connects identity providers, mobile credentials, and access control systems across buildings, campuses, and portfolios. HID SAFE manages the governance layer, automating access requests, approvals, policy enforcement, and revocation based on changes in HR, IT, and security systems.

Together, they deliver a single platform for physical access governance that covers the full arc: who someone is, what they are authorized to access, how they access it, and what happens when their role changes.

"Access should be invisible for users,” said Matt Kopel and Chip Kruger, Co-CEOs of SwiftConnect. “They are easily credentialed, they walk in, and nothing gets in their way. The addition of HID SAFE enables governance that makes this possible. The policies, approvals, and compliance requirements will now all live on the same platform as the experience.

“Every person will get exactly the access they are entitled to, and just tapping to access buildings, doors, floors, and resources will be effortless.”

Björn Lidefelt, EVP and Head of HID, said “HID SAFE has earned the trust of the world’s most security-driven organizations for more than two decades. Great technology deserves the space to reach its full potential, and SwiftConnect is the right partner to take it there.”

For existing SwiftConnect customers, the acquisition delivers enterprise-grade physical access governance capabilities natively integrated with AccessCloud.

For existing HID SAFE customers, their governance platform is now backed by SwiftConnect’s cloud-first, connected access infrastructure that networks existing physical access systems with cloud, identity, and mobile technologies.

Shane Butler, EVP of Identity at SwiftConnect, has recently joined the company to lead the SAFE business and drive the evolution in physical access governance.

"This acquisition accelerates the modernization of SAFE by delivering it via our connected access network so organizations can manage physical and digital access through the same governance, risk, and compliance lens. This is the moment when these two worlds will finally speak the same language, and being a part of this industry transformation is precisely why I joined SwiftConnect,” Butler said.

The transaction builds on HID’s prior participation in SwiftConnect’s Series B funding round. HID will hold a minority, non-controlling interest in SwiftConnect following close. SwiftConnect is an independent company, controlled and managed by its existing leadership team.

The platform connects existing physical access systems, identity providers, and IT ecosystems into one open, unified network, replacing friction with fluidity.
For more www.swiftconnect.com.  

HID’s  identity solutions give people convenient access to physical and digital places and connect things that can be identified, verified and tracked digitally. Millions of people around the world use HID’s products and services to navigate their everyday lives, and billions of things are connected through HID’s technology.

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, HID has over 4,500 employees worldwide and operates international offices that support more than 100 countries. HID is an ASSA ABLOY Group brand.

For more, visit www.hidglobal.com.