Full transcript: Steve Katanas — HID: ending the office lanyard

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This is an automated transcript of the episode, lightly edited for readability. Please excuse any errors.

Steve Katanas: Thanks, Kylie. Thanks for having me.

Kylie Davis: Now, uh, I'm really curious about the topic that we're gonna be talking about because I, when I worked in the city at CoreLogic and at News Corp, I was the queen of losing my pass, but I always had my mobile phone, and what we're gonna be talking today is about that idea of sec- building security and, and, and data access. So tell me, first question that we have on the podcast is always the hardest, what is the H... Is it HID or HID? What am I calling you?

Steve Katanas: HID.

Kylie Davis: HID. So what is the HID elevator pitch?

Steve Katanas: Sure. So, um, HID is a manufacturer of, uh, secure identity products and services. So, you know, we supply, uh, verified and, and trusted identities to the market so that you can verify yourself to where you wanna go to and, uh, things that you want to achieve. So we, people use our technologies to, you know, open doors, enter countries, um, validate themselves on networks, you know, using smart cards, mobile IDs, passports, et cetera.

Kylie Davis: Awesome. So, so tell us a little bit about how... H- so give me some examples. You just mentioned passports, you just mentioned building IDs. Give us some in- some specific examples of where you're working.

Steve Katanas: Sure. So within the HID business there are six, uh, business units, and, um, I work for the Physical Access Control Solutions business unit. And what we do, we sell, um, credentials, uh, readers, and controllers that enable partners and end customers to securely authenticate themselves when they want to move into a building. You spoke earlier about when you worked at News Corp and using your physical card.

Kylie Davis: Yeah.

Steve Katanas: Hopefully it was a HID card on a HID reader, um, that you were using at the time. If not-

Kylie Davis: It's a long time ago, I don't know.

Steve Katanas: Well-

Kylie Davis: It was usually sitting on my desk.

Steve Katanas: We'll, we'll look past that for now, if that's okay. So that's what our business unit does, and there are other, you know, government ID business units that will, um, we do passports and, uh, driver's licenses for, for different countries around the world. Um, uh, an example of a secure issuance business, the New South Wales driver's license that is printed and that you carry in your wallet or purse, um, is printed using, uh, HID technology.

Kylie Davis: Oh, okay.

Steve Katanas: So probably... So we're, we are omnipresent, I guess, uh, in, in that-

Kylie Davis: Fantastic

Steve Katanas: ... sense.

Kylie Davis: So tell me a little bit about the problem that you're solving. So why does ID need to be, you know, digitally secure? B- tell us about w- how you're working in that space.

Steve Katanas: Yeah, look, I think you, kind of, you can come and work for us, sort of. You, to start, you know, the, the strongest value proposition for a digital credential is that nobody ever forgets their phone.

Kylie Davis: No, that's true. I'd rather have my arm cut off. Yeah.

Steve Katanas: So- For, for someone who, um, leaves their house, the first thing they do is they check, you know, have I got my phone with me? I've got my keys to get in the car, I'm off.

Kylie Davis: Yeah.

Steve Katanas: So, um, that's one of the, from a end user perspective, that's a really strong value proposition that you... People are used to carrying the phone and, and using it for more and more services on a daily basis. You know, there's, you know, bank cards in wallets. Now credentials are gonna be in wallet, et cetera. From an organization perspective, the ability to issue you a credential remotely and retrieve it and retract that credential-

Kylie Davis: Mm

Steve Katanas: ... is a really strong value proposition. So I don't need to go chasing you to find your physical card, I can remotely remove that credential from your phone over the air.

Kylie Davis: Yeah. Because, um, it doesn't matter what handbag you have, the pass is always in the other handbag, right? That, that's my, that's been my personal issue that I've always had. But also I guess that is really... And then you have to get signed in, and so then there's all that time lost and... Are there, are there other, are there other benefits though to being able to scan in? I mean, I p- I love this idea of just being able to scan in on your phone, but-

Steve Katanas: Right

Kylie Davis: ... you've got access to the building in, you're getting into the building. What does the fact that you're doing all of this digitally and through your phone, what does that open up?

Steve Katanas: Uh, look, I think the, the b- the best thing from a, a commercial, um, building perspective, and sometimes within a specific end user, when people are moving to a digital credential, they, they then start to think about, where do I need to authenticate?

Kylie Davis: Mm.

Steve Katanas: Like, I've got, I need to get through the door. Uh, I need to get through the turnstile. I need to get through the elevator. Um, I need to-

Kylie Davis: Go to the right floor, right? Sometimes.

Steve Katanas: Go to the right floor. Do a secure print release, for example. And so rather than having, you know, multiple IDs in a plastic form-

Kylie Davis: Mm

Steve Katanas: ... um, those systems can be unified to use the single digital credential. So whether it's a convenience thing or whether it's a, um, an, an environmental thing, reducing your, your footprint on the marketplace with the number of plastic cards that get lost and have to be replaced again. So all those are really strong value propositions, um, for the individual. And then from the end user's perspective and the organization perspective, um, some of the times these digital credentials are, are bundled with, um, either company apps or tenant experience apps, where you as a user, you can't get through the door unless you've got the digital credential. And now that you've got that digital credential, as an employer, I can now serve you other information as part of that app. I can give you, um, company information. You might be able to use that app to book meeting rooms or, um, book, uh, open, open spaces, for example. Um, so these are the, the values from both the, um, the employee and, and the employer, uh, in the using, in the use of digital credentials.

Kylie Davis: So I love this idea that now instead of needing to have something on my phone, something, piece of plastic around my neck, um, or in my pocket, I'm starting to actually really inter- interact with a building, right? So this is starting to, this is part of this whole movement to make buildings more flexible and, and community focused and, and integrated.

Steve Katanas: Yeah.

Kylie Davis: H- how big a market is this for you guys, Steve?

Steve Katanas: It's, it's really important, um, for us. Um, our, the majority of our customers, um, at least in Australia, are commercial building customers.

Kylie Davis: Mm-hmm.

Steve Katanas: We've certainly got customers as an individual entity, a bank, for example. But they have presence across multiple buildings.

Kylie Davis: Yeah.

Steve Katanas: So we have to make, um, their access experience using a digital credential, um, is a whole lot smoother in terms of providing a solution for them, having a single credential that is working across multiple assets, rather than, you know, the old prison guard effect where you've got a key chain on the side with, you know, 300 keys-... which one's gonna work in which door, for example. So convenience is, um, a really strong value proposition for, um, a digital credential infrastructure and the, and the, and the, um, the tools that need to go along to, um, support that as well.

Kylie Davis: Yeah. So, and I guess if a staff member leaves, there's no longer that drama of having to go back into the office to hand in all your, all your passes and things like that. So tell us a little bit about HID. How, where have you guys come from? How long you been around for?

Steve Katanas: Um, we've been providing, um, digital credential solu- or sorry, credential solutions to the market, um, for, you know, over 20 years. And-

Kylie Davis: Okay

Steve Katanas: ... and so as part of that journey and the six business units that we currently operate under the HID banner, there've been a variety of acquisitions, uh, along the way that, that complement, um, what we do and the delivery of the, uh, trusted identity at the core of what we do. So there are, uh, secure printing solutions, secure access solutions, and as we spoke about earlier, um, government IDs, for example. So they're all under the same, um, the same banner of a trusted ID and getting a trusted identity from a, from a common supplier.

Kylie Davis: And can the trusted identity side of it then start to work not just in the physical building, but also on the stuff that you're doing online as an employee in a, through your ID?

Steve Katanas: Yeah, absolutely. We've got, um, uh, business units that are specifically engaged in that, that portion of the, the digital authentication piece.

Kylie Davis: Mm-hmm.

Steve Katanas: Where, um, they will try and im- they'll implement solutions that try and remove the, the password, which is a, the bane of most people's existence.

Kylie Davis: Yeah. Does anyone know their password?

Steve Katanas: Yeah. Well, you know, you've got that spreadsheet that you've got all your secure passwords stored in. So there, there are certainly, um, better ways to go to do that. But yeah, there are also barriers to that because there are infrastructure, um, that needs to be deployed to take advantage of the technology. So- It depends on each organization and, and where they are in their digital transformation journey and, and what are their biggest pain points in terms of implementing that as to how they kind of move, um, to implement those trusted identities in, in the logical space for sure.

Kylie Davis: Okay. So are most of your clients property owners or are most of your clients the companies that are renting space who are saying, "Look, we want this to be our solution in this building," when we come to you?

Steve Katanas: Yeah, look, it's an interesting question because, um, we've got both sides where we have the commercial building owners setting up their infrastructure that is as open as possible to attract, um, their larger signature tenants that are gonna sign long-term leases.

Kylie Davis: Yep.

Steve Katanas: But at the same time we're approaching those customers themselves and saying, "Hey, look what we can offer you, um, in this particular facility," but that if you're a global company we can offer that use, you... Sorry. We can offer that solution for you in multiple countries as well.

Kylie Davis: Oh, wow. Okay. So you could go into the Hong Kong office and scan your way through as well if even if you're in town from Australia?

Steve Katanas: Yeah, correct. We've got a-

Kylie Davis: Awesome

Steve Katanas: ... you know, many, many, um, global customers, um, that have a predominantly have a presence in, in the US that have global offices in Sydney or Melbourne or the UK for example, and as HOD we have presence in, um, I can't remember the exact number of, of countries globally, but, um, and that sort of gives us the ability to be able to serve those customers across, you know, multiple countries.

Kylie Davis: So what, what is your view then of the Australian landscape in terms of adoption? So how, how good are we in terms of access solutions and are we ad- early adopters, laggards? Where do we sit globally?

Steve Katanas: Well, I think we're both.

Kylie Davis: Yeah, right.

Steve Katanas: I think we're both, um, early adopters-

Kylie Davis: Depends

Steve Katanas: ... and, and laggards, right? So-

Kylie Davis: It's a spectrum.

Steve Katanas: It is, and I think, I think there's a s- there's a small element of the community that jumps on new technology really quickly.

Kylie Davis: Mm.

Steve Katanas: Um, and they'll test it, try it, and eventually fully adopt it while the others wait for, you know, the bugs or the user experience to be at 100% before they adopt.

Kylie Davis: Mm-hmm.

Steve Katanas: So are we 100% early adopters? No. Do we have early adopters? Yes.

Kylie Davis: Mm-hmm.

Steve Katanas: Um, as an example, we've been selling, um, digital credentials and mobile access now for seven years-

Kylie Davis: Right

Steve Katanas: ... in Australia, so it's now kind of, you know, not so much a tipping point, but there's, there's the conversation is, is also now being driven by the end user back to suppliers whereas previously it was an outgoing message.

Kylie Davis: Mm.

Steve Katanas: But demand coming from, um, end customers that have heard about it, experienced it, and, um, so it is a, a lot more inbound inquiries as opposed to the outward push to educate the market.

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Steve Katanas: Yeah. So COVID, uh, COVID provided, um, many challenges, um, for us on a personal front as well as from a business front, um, supply constraints, all those things we were affected by. Um, but one of the things that, um, really helped the digital adoption is that the customers wanted, um, a less touch, minimized touch approach.

Kylie Davis: Mm.

Steve Katanas: So not handing over physical cards and going to lobbies and crowded lobbies and waiting in queues, et cetera. So this certainly was a driving force for a lot of organizations in how they deploy credentials and kind of a rethink about how they deploy credentials to, um, employees, visitors, and contractors, for example. And the ability to remotely issue, remotely revoke, and, and people are, are coming to a site for the first time already fully provisioned and ready to go, you know, sign in however they sign in and whatever the, um, security requirements are for that building, and then progress through the turnstile of elevators and, and do their daily work.

Kylie Davis: Yeah. I n- I imagine it's faster too, 'cause I used to get, I used to get wild about how long it would take to get through because, you know, everybody'd be rummaging through their bags looking for their pass to... And it's so, it's, it's a little bit like a traffic jam, isn't it? Like where just, you just need one or two people to not be on the ball, and then suddenly traffic backs up, and that can, that can take a lot of time out of your day if it's happening multiple times to get coffee and grab lunch and get in and out of the building and...

Steve Katanas: It's interesting you say that, um, the traffic jam because, um, a lot of people are, are used to the card experience as well. And then a lot of the times, you know, people are kind of even fumbling for their phones, not getting it out of their pocket, doing whatever they're doing. So that whole compression and, and, um, is, is still a factor sometimes with people.

Kylie Davis: Yeah.

Steve Katanas: Um, it's almost like, you know, let me get through the turnstile so I can punch the clock when I get to the office. But, um-

Kylie Davis: No, when I'm through the turnstile, that's when the clock starts.

Steve Katanas: That's right. Proof I was on site, right?

Kylie Davis: So does it work on your watch, like if you've got an Apple Watch or something like that too, so you just scan your wrist? Oh-

Steve Katanas: Yeah

Kylie Davis: ... loving it even more. Gosh. Uh, makes me wanna go back into a major building. Um, what's... So now what's your business model? 'Cause, you know, you guys have this thing called identity as a service, and I wanna find out more about that.

Steve Katanas: Yeah. I, I guess, um, one of the business units that we spoke about earlier in terms of the, the, the digital transformation of the password process, the, the management of the digital identity, the ability to move Kylie as an identity between different, um, databases, um, seamlessly, so the onboarding and off-boarding of employees, visitors, and, and, um, contractors.

Kylie Davis: Mm-hmm.

Steve Katanas: And the, the ability to issue you, um, that digital credential as part of that process, um, is, is really a strong value proposition for an organization for the, the key benefits that we've already kind of spoken about.

Kylie Davis: Mm. Um, and so do you think, uh, uh, do you think we're at that mobile identities tipping point? Do you think there's demand now for, for, for better ways to do this?

Steve Katanas: Um, I've... Definitely the, there will be a, um, a transition, and the transition from physical card to digital card has, has begun in earnest.

Kylie Davis: Mm. Yep.

Steve Katanas: Um, are we at 100% now? No. Are we at 50%? No.

Kylie Davis: Mm.

Steve Katanas: Um, will we ever get to 100%? Not sure. Um, but um, every, what is definitely true is that the number of physical credentials is decreasing, and it's being, uh, obviously replaced by the digital at this stage. So the, the, the transition has begun. Um-

Kylie Davis: Mm

Steve Katanas: ... the public interest is there. And, and I think the, as a consumer, um, your desire to have everything on your phone and in your wallet, you've got your movie tickets, you've got your airplane tickets, you've got your access pass, it's become the norm. Like, it's not, um, it's not so exciting anymore or, or-

Kylie Davis: Mm

Steve Katanas: ... it's, it's almost now a question of why can't I be in the wallet?

Kylie Davis: Yeah.

Steve Katanas: It's, it's kind of that from a tipping point perspective, yes.

Kylie Davis: Yes. Yeah.

Steve Katanas: From a, from a mind, from a mind share-

Kylie Davis: Yeah

Steve Katanas: ... why aren't you already in wallet is more-

Kylie Davis: Yeah

Steve Katanas: ... the question as opposed to the 100% adoption to this point.

Kylie Davis: Yeah. Okay. Got it. So is there anxiety though around the cyber risks of it being in your phone now or, you know, cyber thr- threat? What happens if I lose my phone or it gets stolen or, or... I don't know if my phone ever been hacked. Like, you know, but if my, if my, if my accounts get hacked, is my identity then in my phone also at risk of being hacked?

Steve Katanas: You'll see the biggest difference, um, from a physical card to a phone, I guess if you found a phone lying on the ground and you knew that it was being used for access, most systems can be set up that you have to authenticate to the phone-

Kylie Davis: Yeah

Steve Katanas: ... before you can use it.

Kylie Davis: Yeah.

Steve Katanas: It provides a level of, um, protection that you don't get from a physical card anyway to start with.

Kylie Davis: Right. Yeah.

Steve Katanas: Physical card you can pick up and just use it straight away potentially, right? Depending on-

Kylie Davis: Yeah

Steve Katanas: ... where it's being presented and what secondary authentication you need to provide.

Kylie Davis: Yep.

Steve Katanas: Um, and I guess if we never engage in new technologies and that are gonna give us, you know, productivity and efficiency gains, we'll be left behind as employers, uh, in organizations. So we, our employees expect these kind of things these days. The-

Kylie Davis: Yeah

Steve Katanas: ... the fear of having something on a phone is no longer there.

Kylie Davis: Yeah.

Steve Katanas: We do have a challenge that, um, from some organizations, employees don't want company-issued- Um, credentials on their personal phones

Kylie Davis: Mm-hmm

Steve Katanas: It's always, um, a battle internally, um, sometimes within an organization. And, and mo- and in most cases, because the, at least the solutions provided by HID are not exclusively digital or physical card, you can do both.

Kylie Davis: Yep.

Steve Katanas: You can have a mixed population. So, um, a lot of the times it's you're looking at someone else using their phone and saying, oh, you know, what- why-

Kylie Davis: Why haven't I got one of them?

Steve Katanas: Why can't I have that? Correct. And then a lot of the times you won't mind that it's on your phone because of the convenience that it provides you, so.

Kylie Davis: Yeah. Um, how does it compare cost-wise per ID? Because I know that, uh, so Stone & Chalk, where we have a shared office space for the PropTech Association, I have a physical pass, which is always in the wrong handbag, and so Mel's always having to sign me in. Um, sorry Mel. Um, but if we lose that, it's a $25 fine or something because of the little badge that sits in the back of it, which is, you know, quite expensive to replace.

Steve Katanas: Yeah, so the, um, definitely the, the different companies have different licensing models on-

Kylie Davis: Yep

Steve Katanas: ... on how they license their products.

Kylie Davis: Yep.

Steve Katanas: Um, specifically on a, when something's physically lost, it can't just magically appear. It has to be replaced.

Kylie Davis: Yep. Mm.

Steve Katanas: Uh, on the digital side of things, there are different, um, different programs and different strategies around how people have, whether they have a perpetual credential or a, um, part of a subscription service, et cetera.

Kylie Davis: Yep.

Steve Katanas: So the HID solution's a, um, subscription service.

Kylie Davis: Yep.

Steve Katanas: You buy the requisite number of licenses that you need for your organization.

Kylie Davis: Yep.

Steve Katanas: And that can be cycled through employee through employee. So have an employee that leaves, that same license can be reused for the next employee.

Kylie Davis: Okay. Awesome. And now I've got a random question for you.

Steve Katanas: Yep.

Kylie Davis: Has it, has it, um, have you done any integrations with car parks? Because wouldn't it be awesome if the, you know, driving into the car park, that's where you start to ID through?

Steve Katanas: Yeah, look, in a commercial building-... most of the car parks systems, um, are connected to the security system that runs-

Kylie Davis: Right

Steve Katanas: ... um, the building.

Kylie Davis: Yep.

Steve Katanas: So it, it is a smooth, it's a smooth path.

Kylie Davis: Right.

Steve Katanas: And in those, in those organizations where the car park system is, uh, its own business itself separate to the building-

Kylie Davis: Yep

Steve Katanas: ... then there are, um, integration services to ensure that the same credential that you use in the car... Sorry. Same credential that you use in the building can also-

Kylie Davis: Excellent

Steve Katanas: ... be used in the, in the car park as well.

Kylie Davis: Okay.

Steve Katanas: So you can do that. So it is, again, one of the, the thoughts and the, the strong, um, thoughts that, um, end users have when they start to think about going digital, how can I improve everywhere I authenticate with that same digital credential?

Kylie Davis: Fantastic. So how are you guys working with other PropTechs, or how would you like to?

Steve Katanas: Um, so we, we go to market, um, with, um, uh, which certain channels, so we work with, uh, distribution, we work with security integrators, we work with, um, uh, technology partners. And so in the, in the PropTech space, we are really strong in working with the, um, technology partners. So we are always on the lookout for more because these technology partners are the ones that, um, help facilitate those, um, tenant experience applications that a lot of organizations have that are hosting the, the digital credential from HID.

Kylie Davis: I'm a little bit curious about your background. How long have you been at HID for, and how did you end up working in this space?

Steve Katanas: Um, I've been at HID now approaching 10 years and have, um, looked after, uh, a variety of regions, um, from, um, through Asia and Southeast Asia and ANZ. Um, so it's been a really, it's been a really interesting journey, um, as we've, um, navigated, uh, technology changes, et cetera. And prior to that, my, uh, my background is from a, uh, security integrator, um, background.

Kylie Davis: Right.

Steve Katanas: So I've worked both for, uh, for companies here in Australia a- and, and in the US. Um, and getting a... It's been really interesting grabbing, um, an understanding of local market conditions versus, um, what happens else, you know, globally as well. So it's been a really-

Kylie Davis: Yeah

Steve Katanas: ... good journey.

Kylie Davis: So how do you... So w- what is that comparison? So we talked a little bit before about, you know, Australia's on this sort of spectrum. We-

Steve Katanas: Yeah

Kylie Davis: ... some things we're doing are, are early, some things are a little bit slow, but how do you think we're comparing?

Steve Katanas: I think the, at the very highest levels of security, I think the US is, uh, well above what we do.

Kylie Davis: Mm-hmm.

Steve Katanas: Um, but at the opposite end of the scale, we're, we're kind of mid to high-

Kylie Davis: Mm-hmm

Steve Katanas: ... if that makes sense, in terms of where we sit in terms of our security posture, uh, our capabilities. Um, we're, we produce some really good products here in, in this region. So Australia and New Zealand have a, a strong history of producing, um, you know, locally and regionally based products that have gone to the rest of the world.

Kylie Davis: Yeah.

Steve Katanas: So, um, yeah, we are in a strong position there.

Kylie Davis: Okay. And so what do you see are the trends that are coming down the pipe that are gonna be impacting on, um, you know, on, on i- identity and, and cybersecurity in this space-

Steve Katanas: Yeah

Kylie Davis: ... and single source of identity?

Steve Katanas: Yeah, I guess, um, the, the tipping point is part of the conversation about the, the digital experience and where that's gonna go. So as more and more, um, organizations embrace the, the digital, um, experience and the digital transformation, it will certainly drive, um, demands in, in other areas. And we're certainly using the infra... or the reader infrastructure that, um, at least from a HID-

Kylie Davis: Mm-hmm

Steve Katanas: ... perspective, are able to take to market. Um, we're also developing, um, location-based services that we can offer those same customers and utilizing the, the beacon functionality of our readers and how augmented with- Um, Wi-Fi as, as well as other beacons. We can, we can start to give building owners, um, information about where people are at any point in time within their, within their building and their building assets. So proof of presence, um, in, in commercial buildings I think is, is always been a, a strong demand, especially in an evacuation perspective and a evacuation requirement. Um, and there's always been varying levels of technology that, um, have handled that, you know, well and, and not so well in other cases. So I think, um, providing more and more information for, um, building owners, um, to help them operate their facilities in an efficient manner and a safe manner is, is certainly going to be something that, a trend that will continue.

Kylie Davis: And that sounds real- I, I think that sounds, like, really interesting in terms of helping building owners plan with what they wanna do with different parts of buildings and getting the most out of their assets, right?

Steve Katanas: Yeah.

Kylie Davis: Being able to combine all of that together with their, their digital identity. So what does the future look like for HID? What's on your, what's on your, what's on your roadmap here in Australia?

Steve Katanas: Yeah. So for us here locally, we, um, uh, are continually looking for new technology partners for the take advantage in the, in the prop tech space and, and, you know, providing them APIs and SDKs to allow them to, uh, provide bespoke solutions for the vertical markets that they serve.

Kylie Davis: Right.

Steve Katanas: Um, so our solutions aren't, um, vertical market specific, but they can be adapted by those that are specialists in certain verticals to really take advantage of the, the APIs and SDKs that we offer, and ultimately providing, um, end users with, uh, an experience that they're expecting and an experience that, um, makes their, um, working life and, um, security posture a lot, a lot stronger.

Kylie Davis: And, and so is it only commercial buildings that this is applicable for, Steve, or is it sort of more or, or is there a future where residential buildings being able to scan in to, and get access to your, to your home is all part of it as well?

Steve Katanas: Yeah. No. The, the... You'll see at the, your, the, um, the old green and, the green and red store, you know, the Bunning store, you can certainly go there today and buy-

Kylie Davis: Yeah

Steve Katanas: ... digital locks. You can buy fingerprint locks. You can buy... So it is moving into the domestic space as well.

Kylie Davis: Yeah.

Steve Katanas: Um, it's not a segment of the market that, um, we focus on.

Kylie Davis: Yeah.

Steve Katanas: So, um, our, our focus is more at the, uh, the commercial, industrial, healthcare and that kinda space. So less in the, um, in the, um, domestic environment.

Kylie Davis: But you're really keen to meet or hear from prop techs out there who are doing, doing work in that kind of commercial property space where a digital identity or a, a really secure identity, um, could be integrated into, into the work that they're doing or the, or the stuff that they're capturing.

Steve Katanas: Yeah, absolutely.

Kylie Davis: Yeah.

Steve Katanas: We've, we've, um, spent a lot of, um, effort, uh, developing our, uh, partner program to provide these, um, technology integrators-

Kylie Davis: Yep

Steve Katanas: ... and, uh, prop tech companies, uh, the level of service that they expect from a manufacturer when they're, um, offering up, um, APIs and SDKs to be able to, you know, improve and make their solution more relevant to the specific verticals that they sell. 'Cause-

Kylie Davis: Of course

Steve Katanas: ... ultimately they're the experts in the vertical that they're providing solutions for-

Kylie Davis: Yep

Steve Katanas: ... and, and we can help them with the digital experience.

Kylie Davis: Okay. And, and can you tell us a little bit more about the partner program?

Steve Katanas: Yeah. So we have, um, a, probably our first global partner program taking place in, uh, in Austin, uh, later this year. So it's a, uh, a peer-to-peer community where they can all learn from each other and, and we can learn from them-

Kylie Davis: Mm-hmm

Steve Katanas: ... from this team. And we have a, a regional, um, resource that's based in Singapore that looks after all our technology partners within region.

Kylie Davis: Mm-hmm.

Steve Katanas: And, um, he has counterparts all around the world that, again, gather requirements from all the other technology partners to continue to improve, um, the program that we offer, um, these, these organizations.

Kylie Davis: Awesome. Fantastic. Well, look, Steve, it's been absolutely fantastic, um, talking to you today. I'm so sorry. I've cou- To our listeners, like, there's been a couple of times where I've had a coughing fit in the middle of our interview, and Steve's been very patient with me while I've caught my breath. Um, but thank you so much, Steve. It's been great to have you on the PropTech Podcast.

Steve Katanas: Thanks, Kylie. Really appreciate the opportunity.

Kylie Davis: So what do you think of HID? Well, from the podcast you can probably tell that I am a chronic security pass loser. I hate the feel of the lanyard around my neck, so I'm always taking it off and leaving it behind. And honestly, if I counted all the hours I spend losing the damn things and trying to find people to let me into buildings or give me access again, I could seriously start an entire new podcast. So I love this idea about it being on my phone because my phone is always and we always have our phones with us. But I also love the opportunities that digitizing identification creates for building owners and managers, as we're able to make appropriate access around buildings really frictionless. And the data insights that that creates can then feed into better building designs, utility, and tenant experiences. So if you require everyone who enters your building to have a plastic pass, please upgrade that to an HID digital identity system. Your team will always have their phones with them, and think of the productivity savings. HID has also joined the PropTech Podcast as our new sponsor, so a very big thanks to Steve and Silvia, and welcome on board. And thank you for making the podcast possible. Now, if you have enjoyed this episode of the PropTech Podcast, I would love you to tell all your friends or drop me a line either via email or LinkedIn or on our Facebook page. And you can follow this podcast on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Anchor, and Apple iTunes and anywhere good podcasts are heard. I would like to thank my podcast producer, the fabulous Charlie Hollands, podcast website editors, Gil Escudero and Shira Sexison, and our sponsors, HID, digital identification solutions for your building; Direct Connect, making moving easy; Dynamic Methods, the name behind FormsLive, REI FormsLive, and Realworks; Easy Pay, making collecting payments easy for prop techs; and the PropTech Association Australia, Australia's industry body which is supporting the flourishing prop tech community. Now, if you're an Australian or New Zealand prop tech who would like to be on the show, please drop me a line via LinkedIn or email kylie@proptechassociation.com.au. Thanks so much, everyone. Until next time, keep on propteching. Do you run a prop tech business or are you the founder of a prop tech? Make sure you join the PropTech Association of Australia. It's Australia's new not-for-profit association made up of tech people who are passionate about the property industry and committed to improving experiences in how we buy, sell, rent, manage, build, and finance property. Joining will give you access to events and networks across Australia and globally to help you promote and grow your business. Go to proptechassociation.com.au and follow the prompts to join.