Gallagher Security - Experts & Thought Leaders

At the Toronto Zoo, every person on site – whether that’s a keeper, security officer, scientist, or volunteer - shares one vision: create a world where people, wildlife, and wild spaces thrive. Thirty minutes from downtown Toronto lies a 500-acre campus that is home to over 2000 animals across 200 species. Welcoming 1.3 million guests each year, Toronto Zoo is a world-class operation on a mission to connect people, animals, conservation science, and traditional knowledge to fight extinction. When Toronto Zoo Supervisor of Health & Safety Services, Graham Birtles, set out to modernise the Zoo’s legacy access and alarm infrastructure, he discovered that the partner he already trusted for animal enclosure fencing was the same one now leading the way in physical security and access control. World-class operation The Toronto Zoo opened in 1974 with a goal that extended well beyond exhibition. Today, its work spans conservation science, breeding programs for endangered species, community education, and climate advocacy. Its Guardians of Wild program extends that belief outward, inviting staff, guests, and partner organizations to champion wildlife beyond the Zoo’s borders: in policy, community relations, and corporate engagement. “My everyday is somebody else’s once-in-a-lifetime experience,” says Graham. “We want every person who comes through these gates to leave understanding what the Toronto Zoo is about, and what they can personally do to make a change.” Delivering that experience safely for guests, staff, and the animals themselves demanded a security platform fit for the job. Rapid emergency response Before Gallagher Security, the Zoo’s access control and alarm infrastructure had not kept pace with the scale of operations. Mobile alerting was unavailable to officers in the field, credentialling hundreds of seasonal staff required plastic cards that were slow to issue and difficult to track, and there was no integration with the Zoo’s video management system to support rapid emergency response. There was also a unique challenge facing the Zoo team: the electric perimeter fencing around animal enclosures - the secondary layer of protection between the animals and the wider Zoo environment - operated as an entirely separate system, disconnected from the broader infrastructure. Following an animal containment incident that was escalated to security leadership, the need to bridge those two systems became urgent. Graham found the solution at a security trade show, when his integrator walked him toward a familiar orange booth. Higher voltage requirements “I said, I already know Gallagher. They’re my fence people. They’ve been taking care of our fencing systems for over 50 years at the Toronto Zoo.” What Graham didn’t yet know was that Gallagher also delivered enterprise-grade physical security, making Toronto Zoo’s path to world-class operations clear. Working together, Gallagher Security and Gallagher Animal Management designed and implemented an integration between Gallagher Command Centre and the Zoo’s Animal Management energiser systems, enabling real-time communication between animal fencing infrastructure and the security platform for the first time. Higher voltage requirements The implementation required calibration for significantly higher voltage requirements than traditional smaller animal environments, ensuring safe and effective management across large species habitats. The Zoo team worked closely with Gallagher’s experts to configure their setup, and the solution is now fully operational within the orangutan habitat. “Now we can see the voltage of our fences at all times,” says Graham. “We can send alerts to our wildlife care team the moment something touches the hot wire so we can make sure the animals are safe.” When an alert is triggered, integrated CCTV allows the wildlife care team to immediately verify the event and assess the situation before responding; a critical functionality for animal safety. The Zoo’s security needs extend well beyond its animal habitats, and the Gallagher platform has delivered. Persistent administrative challenges Mobile Credentials have addressed one of the most persistent administrative challenges on site. With hundreds of contractors and seasonal catering staff requiring access at any given time, the previous reliance on plastic cards was slow and difficult to manage. Now, time-limited mobile credentials are issued on sign-in and revoked automatically on sign-out, removing the risk of residual access. For officers in the field, Gallagher Mobile Connect removed the need to return to base to manage alarms. Officers maintain full situational awareness from their vehicles around the clock, long after the central control center closes. Further integration with 27 Axis intercoms in high-risk spaces - housing venomous snakes, spiders, and other dangerous species - ensure staff working alone in those environments are never out of reach. Restricting workshop equipment “We can monitor alarms throughout the Zoo; not just for traditional break-and-enter or door-open scenarios. We are monitoring life-safety systems, fire systems, animal conditions, and more,” says Graham. What has distinguished the Toronto Zoo’s deployment is not any single feature, but the broad range of problems the Gallagher platform has been called on to solve. New challenges from across the organization are allowing Graham and his team to unlock more value from their security system. Whether it is monitoring environmental conditions within animal habitats, restricting workshop equipment to trained operators, or ensuring staff cannot access sensitive areas until their training is verified, the answer has consistently been found within the same platform. Conventional vendor relationship “I like that I can call on the Gallagher team and they will work with us to find a solution,” says Graham. “Gallagher has become a house brand here at the Toronto Zoo. It’s integrated with everything we do,” Graham Birtles, Supervisor of Health & Safety Service. The Zoo’s collaboration with Gallagher has not been a conventional vendor relationship. Graham describes it as a convergence of purpose. “When we partner with organizations such as Gallagher, they become Guardians of Wild,” he says. “Because they help me and the Toronto Zoo accomplish our mission.” The Gallagher platform will play a central role in the Zoo’s next chapter. A new Community Conservation Centre, developed with a local university, will soon bring classrooms, laboratories, and a new otter river habitat into a shared community space; with Command Centre managing access for students, professors, and  visiting groups. “Gallagher understands our mission,” says Graham. “They are very helpful, and everything they have put in place for us has worked. The flexibility has been fantastic.” This installation was deployed in partnership with Met-Scan Canada Ltd

Omdia market share data for 2025 continues to show Milestone as the market pioneer across the EMEA region, with a 19 per cent share of a market now worth USD 573 million. Milestone Systems is the largest single provider of video management software (VMS) and Video Surveillance as a Service (VSaaS) in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), according to 2025 market share data from technology research and advisory group, Omdia. Milestone has nearly one-fifth (19.1 per cent) of the overall EMEA market, which includes the UK and Ireland – a market-pioneer position that hasn’t altered since 2021. More informed decisions Across the EMEA region, the VMS and video surveillance as a service (VSaaS) market grew 10 per cent in 2025 to USD 573 million, and the Middle East and Eastern Europe saw particular growth. Omdia’s figures come at a time when organizations across EMEA are increasingly using video to support operational decision-making alongside security. Across traffic management, transportation, retail and manufacturing, video data is helping organizations better understand how sites and services perform and make more informed decisions. Morten Illum, Chief Revenue Officer, Milestone Systems, said: “This ranking reflects what customers across EMEA continue to look for: open, flexible video technology that gives them choice today and room to evolve tomorrow. Together with our partner community, we help customers design systems around their specific needs, while future-proofing their investment as AI and cloud technologies transform the value of video beyond security.” Strategically important markets Milestone’s leading position is built on three key offerings: Milestone XProtect® video management software, Milestone BriefCam® AI-powered analytics and Milestone Arcules® cloud VSaaS. Together, they give organizations the flexibility to deploy video on premises, in the cloud or across hybrid environments, while adding analytics without replacing existing systems. The UK and Ireland remain strategically important markets for Milestone. Earlier this year, the company opened its London Concept Centre, an interactive space where end users, integrators and partners can explore Milestone technology alongside solutions from partners including Axis, Bosch, Gallagher, Hanwha, Honeywell, i-PRO, ADI, Oprema, Zenitel and 2N before designing a system. AI anonymisation technology Martin McGrath, Sales Director for UK and Ireland at Milestone Systems, said: “The UK is a demanding market, and rightly so. Organizations increasingly expect their video systems to support business decisions as well as security needs, while continuing to adapt as their operations evolve. Our leading position across EMEA gives customers confidence that the platform they choose today will remain open, supported and continuously developed in the years ahead.” Milestone is also investing in the data foundations behind video AI through Project Hafnia, its regulatory-compliant video data library, and brighter AI anonymisation technology. Together, these initiatives are designed to give customers greater transparency into how AI models are trained.

Award-winning global security manufacturer, Gallagher Security is excited to announce the launch of the new ASSA ABLOY IP lock integration, delivering simplified installation of access control in challenging environments.  Launched today, the solution reduces the high costs and complexity of traditional wired access control, by removing the need for extensive cabling and door controllers. It simplifies installation, particularly in retrofit or hard-to-wire locations.  Enterprise-grade access control The integration is particularly suited to US higher education environments, including residence halls, classrooms, and research spaces, where mixed online and offline operation, flexibility, and ease of deployment are essential. The solution is also applicable to government facilities, enterprise campuses, and institutional and healthcare environments that need reliable security across distributed sites. Gallagher Security, Executive Vice President – Americas Matt Butts says, "This integration reflects a shared vision between Gallagher and ASSA ABLOY to make security more accessible, flexible, and effective for our customers. By combining best-in-class door security with enterprise-grade access control, we're delivering a solution that reduces friction and empowers facilities with greater insight, faster response times and the confidence of connected technologies working together.” Confidence of connected technologies The integration supports ASSA ABLOY IN120 battery powered Wi Fi locks and IN220 PoE IP locks, which connect directly to an organization’s on premises IP network. Access privileges, credentials, schedules, and overrides are managed centrally in Gallagher’s Command Centre, streamlining day to day operations while maintaining visibility across the site. Local intelligence at each lock enables independent access decisions, ensuring continued operation during network outages, which is critical for environments such as residence halls, labs, secure offices, and remote buildings. Enabling proactive management Security and IT administrators benefit from full visibility into events, alarms, battery status, audits, and device health directly within Command Centre, enabling proactive management and faster response to issues. The Gallagher Security and ASSA ABLOY IP Lock integration is available now in the United States. For more information, contact the local Gallagher Security representative. ASSA ABLOY’s Head of Digital Access Solutions, Angelo Faenza says, “Our collaboration with Gallagher brings together two leaders in access control to solve a real world challenge for our customers. By integrating our IP enabled locks with Gallagher’s Command Centre platform, we’re delivering a streamlined, modern approach to securing doors across complex facilities. It’s a powerful example of how open, interoperable solutions can elevate both security and operational efficiency.”

If AI is the dominant buzzword in the physical security industry, it is the second letter (I for intelligence) that is having the biggest impact. Simply put, intelligence transforms computer systems, including those used for physical security, from rigid, rule-following calculators into adaptable, problem-solving partners to human operators. We asked our Expert Panel Roundtable: What is the changing role of intelligence in physical security?

Traditional security models protected a perimeter like a castle moat, assuming anyone inside was safe. Zero trust removes that implicit trust entirely, recognizing that threats can exist both outside and inside a facility. Zero trust is a routine and accepted concept in cybersecurity. Given the importance of information technology and the increasing convergence of physical and logical security, the tenet is becoming a dominant principle in physical security, too. We asked our Expert Panel Roundtable: Briefly define zero trust and explain how it impacts physical security.

When working in the technology marketplace, it’s always good to expect the unexpected. Increasingly, readiness to anticipate and embrace uncertainty is the baseline for survival in the world of technology. If we in the physical security industry know anything, it is that technology is in a state of perpetual disruption. Therefore, looking ahead to the next 12 months, surprises are inevitable. We turn to our Expert Panel Roundtable for guidance, asking our panelists: What will be the biggest surprise for security in the year ahead?