It ensures the safety and security of gated enclaves by deploying BIAA (Behavioral Intelligence Augmented Authentication)

Launched in late 2016, myGate aims to revolutionize the way safety and security has been managed in gated communities. myGate makes all other security measures such as access cards, bio-metric, car stickers, intercom, physical barriers (with associated AMCs) at security gates redundant automating and digitizing manual tasks at the main gate(s).

myGate, an intelligent security solution provider for gated premises, ensures the safety and security of gated enclaves by deploying BIAA (Behavioral Intelligence Augmented Authentication). It is designed for a hassle-free experience of residents and their service staff.

Vijay Arisetty, CEO and co-founder, myGate, tells us more. Excerpts from an interview:

BW CIO: Give us a brief about myGate and its product.

Vijay Arisetty: myGate is an intelligent app based security solution provider for gated premises. Launched in late 2016, myGate aims to revolutionize the way safety and security has been managed in gated communities. For long, security at gated communities followed the conventional paper and pen system. The process was cumbersome and error prone, making the life of security guards difficult. Even the presence of physical infrastructure like access cards, boom barriers, turnstiles etc. was not helping the residential complex to keep a track of the visitors.

myGate, a simple and comprehensive solution, makes hardware components such as access cards, bio-metric, car stickers, intercom, physical barriers at security gates redundant by automating and digitizing manual tasks such as registering the entry/exit of visitors.

Our key product features include automated visitor authentication via OTP and ‘e-intercom’ solution, Vehicle tracking and identification, complete attendance management for staff and vendor, resident ID for clubhouse and campus access, and real-time domestic help management.

BW CIO: Can you share some details about the team behind myGate?

Vijay Arisetty: The team behind this solution blends people from the armed forces with a deep understanding of the security space and from technology experts with years of experience under their belt. Each one of the founders work with their energies concentrated towards achieving their vision of enabling seamless and authenticated entry anywhere, anytime using intelligent, simple, comprehensive technology solutions.

BW CIO: Can you provide an overview on the different security options available for residents in gated communities?

Vijay Arisetty: Security at gated communities has undergone a sea of change in the last few years. One of the reasons for people to shift to gated communities and apartment complexes has been security. Communities traditionally have considered the following options for security:

* Manual guards manning the main gates of the community i.e. entry and exit gates.
* CCTV camera for surveillance.
* RFID tag based boom barriers for monitoring vehicular traffic movement.
* Biometric access for staff and service providers (maids, drivers etc.).
* Access cards at the doors with magnetic locks.

We see multiple challenges faced by the residents, security guards and the society management committees in the above, traditional options.

* High capital investment upfront for installing hardware based infrastructure.
* Setup and maintenance of the hardware has to be periodic.

All of the installed hardware systems work in isolation and there is a lack of integration among them. There is also the issue of dealing with multiple vendors for different solutions.

Physical assets like access cards or RFID cards introduce another challenge of inventory management (i.e. replacement, tracking etc). This is where myGate’s simple, comprehensive, asset lite, technology solution is making a difference by providing all the desired values that a community desires from these isolated systems.

BW CIO: What is the market size of this sector that you are tapping?

Vijay Arisetty: The security services market in India is a $6bn industry according to Grant Thornton. The gated premise security market comprising of manual guards and security equipment has a market size of estimated $2bn and we are focused on tapping this market.  

BW CIO: How is myGate addressing the challenges faced by gated premises?

Vijay Arisetty: Security management systems in apartments and gated community have always been based on traditional pen and paper system. Security guards spend most of their time in communicating visitor details with the residents via the landline intercom.

Even after all this, there is no visibility into who is inside the community and who is outside. myGate solves all these security and visitor problems with an intelligent, app-based solution.

One of the major changes we have seen in the last few years is the amount of traffic that is coming into the gated communities has increased tremendously. The key factor to this has been the rise of the e-commerce industry. Think of any service these days and there is a huge chance that it is delivered to the doorstep of the consumer, which has led to dramatic increase in footfalls of service providers (e.g. delivery executives, cab drivers, etc.) in gated communities. This has increased the pressure on the security guards manning the exit/entry gates.

They have to make sure both the residents and visitors are managed accurately and keep a track of every visiting person. Traditional methods make this process tedious and error prone. This has resulted in rising costs for the communities as they invest in more personnel or physical infrastructure.  

myGate has automated the entire process of entry/exit of visitors at the main gate of apartments and gated communities. We apply corporate concept of secure access by providing unique IDs to all staff and residents, with complete audit history in the hands of residents. myGate allows pre-authorization of guests or services for hassle free entry at the gate.

Even though myGate eliminates the need of hardware such as biometric system and RFIDs, we can easily integrate with them. Residents can notify the guards using “Security Alert” feature of the app for immediate attention. Apartments can deploy myGate security solution in less than a week without any investment in hardware or any capital expenditure.

BW CIO: What is the key differentiation and essentials of a good security system?

Vijay Arisetty: While there are myriad technologies emerging in the home security marketplace, they only offer one piece of the jigsaw in the big picture. They are also capital-intensive, and their benefits tend to wane over time. Hence, there is a dire need for homes of the future to make way for simple, comprehensive and intelligent solutions that address modern gate management challenges.

We believe that a good security system should have the following features: Intelligent, adaptable, comprehensive, efficient and affordable.

BW CIO: What is your growth and future expansion plans?

Vijay Arisetty: myGate has established itself as the market leader in Bangalore. We are growing at a rapid pace with more than one apartment adopting our solution per day. We are looking to enter the top metros in the next phase of our growth.