Teleporte Cloud Server 3.4 Launched

Cloud server 3.4 introduces one major new feature: 3.0 of the REST API.  This new API has additional security controls, allows for multi-organization control and surfaces new features and better performance than the existing API.  API onboarding and usage instructions can be found publicly at https://apidocs.sera4.com. Existing customers using the prior generation API will not be affected and a sunset date will be announced sometime in the future.

In addition, we have added support for flexible lock licensing. This feature tacks the exact license dates and features for each lock, allowing organizations to supplement additional locks with licenses at any time. Administrators may now see greyed out icons for features which can be enabled via additional licenses.

Finally, small feature fixes have also been implemented that target improved readability of reports, the usability of the administration dashboard as well as performance fixes for the download of digital keys to mobile devices.

March 20, 2020 General, Products Comments Off on Teleporte Cloud Server 3.4 Launched

Teleporte 5 now available for iOS

We’re excited to share that the Teleporte 5 mobile app for iOS is now available on the Apple App Store. This new release brings the current Teleporte experience to iPhone, aligning with the look and feel of the latest Android releases. This release is part of our ongoing commitment to compatibility with as many smartphones as possible.

February 26, 2020 General, News, Products Comments Off on Teleporte 5 now available for iOS

Sera4 exhibiting at SICUR 2020

Together with our partner Jonyco, we are exhibiting at the SICUR 2020 tradeshow in Madrid.  Come and visit us to see and hear about the latest innovations in keyless access management at booth 10A01 from February 25 – 28, 2020.

February 13, 2020 Conference Comments Off on Sera4 exhibiting at SICUR 2020

Sera4 Exhibits at Distributech

Sera4 is Exhibiting for the first time at Distributech 2020 in San Antonio from January 28-30. Come and visit Sera4 at booth 4247 in the Ontario pavillion.

January 26, 2020 Conference, News Comments Off on Sera4 Exhibits at Distributech

Access Digitization and 5G

The telecom industry has talked about little other than 5G for the past couple of years. All I hear about at IoT or telecom technology conferences is the potential of 5G and the opportunities with 5G. Despite all the hype, IoT 5G still seems to be stuck in the future.

I’m sure that the industry will eventually get there. So far however, I see few customers willing to pay for the costs of putting 5G inside their IoT applications.

These costs include:

  1. Adding an always-connected service to a device requires the addition of a LPWAN radio, including the chipset, firmware and antenna. These radio systems are not yet available at prices that will facilitate mass-market adoption.
  2. The power consumption of being always connected is falling, but is still high enough to seriously impact battery life in portable devices. Always connected portable devices either need to have bigger batteries or be recharged more often. Less time between charges is not attractive in remote mission-critical applications.
  3. The costs and time it takes to certify new wireless devices for use and for sale in each market.
  4. The ongoing cost of the wireless subscription service.

We have designed Teleporte to securely virtualize an IoT network through the smartphone. This approach has the obvious disadvantage that it’s not always connected and doesn’t serve real-time alarms in case of physical vandalism.  But the advantages in the design are numerous.

  • The current Teleporte system is fully redundant to the core network of our customers. This means that it is more resilient: working even when other networks are failing.
  • The battery life of portable or remote devices is much longer.
  • Products like this can be significantly less cost to deploy, both in the up-front costs and the ongoing costs of the 5G wireless connectivity service.

Our approach with Teleporte also provides a higher level of cyber-resilience than any always-connected device does:

  • Any nefarious hacking into our customer’s core networks doesn’t affect Teleporte and if any compromise was found on the Teleporte network it couldn’t be a vector into other sensitive networks. Access control data networks should be independent of the other systems. Cyber-attacks are routinely carried out through connected “smart” devices that seem to perform a tangential function.
  • A possible hacking attack with an always-connected device might try to reach all networked access points simultaneously. For example, to unlock all sites on a network. With a network topology like Teleporte, which requires physical presence at the node to make the connection, such an attack is extremely impractical as it would involve visiting each site at the same time otherwise there is no connectivity to carry out such an attack. With most cyber-attacks being conducted by AI today, the most secure form of defence is having the connection only when it is needed.

At Sera4, we participate in building a world of machine-to-machine connected devices. We are already innovating toward secure always-connected solutions in our labs that overcome the challenges described here and when it’s feasible such features will soon integrate seamlessly in the Teleporte network. We encourage those who want the benefits of IoT access devices and smartlocks to proceed today with confidence that today’s Teleporte networks are secure and pragmatic, and that Sera4 will remain at the forefront by introducing always-connected devices as soon as it’s commercially practical to do so.

January 15, 2020 Blog Comments Off on Access Digitization and 5G

Teleporte Android App 5.0

Today, Sera4 released version 5 of our Teleporte mobile app on the Google Play Store. Version 5 introduces full compatibility with the Teleporte Single Sign-On servers. From now on, users will sign in to the Teleporte app on their mobile phones and are be provided with the choice of organizations where they have memberships throughout the Teleporte network. In addition, there are a number of improvements in the user experience.

The Teleporte mobile app remains free for anyone with an Android device to download and use.

December 7, 2019 General, News, Products Comments Off on Teleporte Android App 5.0

Announcing Teleporte Server 3.3

We’re happy to share that Teleporte Server 3.3 is released today. All Enterprise customers are going to have access to the new features immediately. Server 3.3 introduces a two new features.

Failsafe Unlock allows administrators to give a temporary access code for a specific lock that can provide access without a smartphone. This is useful in emergency situations where there is no data connectivity on a smartphone or a phone battery is dead. The event is still recorded on the Teleporte event logs with the user that the administrator specified when he provided the FSU code.

November 5, 2019 General, News, Products Comments Off on Announcing Teleporte Server 3.3

Enterprise smart lock maker Sera4 of Waterloo secures $1.5M financing from BDC Capital

KITCHENER and WATERLOO, November 4, 2019—Sera4 of Waterloo, Ontario has secured non-dilutive growth financing totalling 1.5 million dollars from BDC Capital’s Growth & Transition Capital division. Sera4 makes enterprise-grade locks that are opened wirelessly with authorized users’ smartphones. Its technology affords greater security and efficiency as there are no physical keys in circulation and no anonymous access.

Sera4 was founded in 2014 by Jerod Klink, a former software engineer at BlackBerry. He was joined two years later by David Coode, a senior manager at ON Semiconductor, who took on the role of CEO. Sera4 has enjoyed early success with substantial sales to telecommunications service providers and tower operators in Mexico. It is now expanding in North America and elsewhere in the world as well as penetrating other industries with critical installations requiring access control.

“BDC Capital’s financial support is an integral part of our overall growth plan at Sera4,” says CEO David Coode. “The financial products and advice from BDC fit perfectly with our needs at this stage, and dealing with BDC Capital has been a pleasure.”

This transaction was conducted by Mark Lunick, Director, Growth & Transition Capital for Southwestern Ontario at BDC Capital. “Sera4 has solved a big problem for companies that need to give controlled access to their critical infrastructure,” comments Lunick. “The market for Sera4’s technology is considerable. The go-to-market strategy that management is now deploying is very well thought out and includes a deep pipeline of potential customers.”

About Sera4

Sera4 Ltd. is a leading supplier of keyless physical access control for critical infrastructure. It provides cyber-resilient site access automation and identification at scale, solving real challenges in operations while reducing significant asset losses. Sera4 solutions currently secure customers throughout the Americas and in Africa. Sera4 is headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario.

About BDC Capital

BDC Capital is the investment arm of BDC—Canada’s only bank devoted exclusively to entrepreneurs. With more than $3 billion under management, BDC Capital serves as a strategic partner to the country’s most innovative firms. It offers a full spectrum of risk capital, from seed investments to transition capital, supporting Canadian entrepreneurs who wish to scale their businesses into global champions. Visit bdc.ca/capital.

November 4, 2019 Business, General, News Comments Off on Enterprise smart lock maker Sera4 of Waterloo secures $1.5M financing from BDC Capital

Sera4 presenting at Africa Accelerating 2019

Daniel Galeano of Sera4 will sit on a panel on Tuesday October 29th at 3:20 pm on Canadian Success Stories: Lessons from companies who have made it in Africa. This panel will be part of the Canada-Africa Chamber of Business annual forum, Africa Accelerating 2019, which will be held on October 29-31, in Toronto.

Daniel representing Sera4 at the event (added later)
October 12, 2019 Conference, General Comments Off on Sera4 presenting at Africa Accelerating 2019

IMPACT Technical Products appointed as Representative for the Canadian Market

Sera4 (Waterloo, ON, Canada), is pleased to announce that IMPACT Technical Products (Mississauga, ON, Canada) is now the exclusive Manufacturer Representative for the Sera4 Teleporte keyless access control product line for the Canadian market.

Now in its 15th year of operation, IMPACT Technical Products (IMPACT) has established itself as a technical representation leader with a coast to coast presence in Canada. Although IMPACT supports all markets, the IMPACT engineering and support team specialize in addressing the mission critical, utility, transportation, industrial and communication service provider markets, which are all verticals that will greatly benefit from the Sera4 Teleporte keyless access control solution.

The partnership with IMPACT is effective immediately and it is a firm demonstration of Sera4’s commitment to assertively address the keyless digital access control market in Canada.

Sera4 (Waterloo, ON, Canada) est heureuse d’annoncer qu’IMPACT Technical Products (Mississauga, ON, Canada) est désormais le représentant exclusif pour la gamme de produits de contrôle d’accès sans clé Sera4 Teleporte pour le marché canadien.

Bien que IMPACT prenne en charge plusieurs marchés, son équipe d’ingénierie et de support se spécialise dans les marchés des fournisseurs de services critiques, de services publics, de transport, industriels et de communication, tous des secteurs qui bénéficieront grandement de la solution de contrôle d’accès sans clé Sera4 Teleporte.

Le partenariat avec IMPACT entre en vigueur immédiatement et témoigne de la détermination de Sera4 à s’attaquer de manière affirmée au marché de la commande d’accès numérique sans clé au Canada.

September 24, 2019 Business, General, News Comments Off on IMPACT Technical Products appointed as Representative for the Canadian Market