HID has acquired inepro ID, a Dutch provider of contactless authentication products for secure print release and identity management, adding readers for printers, lockers and workstations to its portfolio. The companies did not disclose financial terms.
inepro ID was part of inepro Group, a technology company headquartered in Nieuw-Vennep in the Netherlands. Founded in the 1990s, it makes RFID and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) authentication products for facility management and identification. Its main applications are secure cloud printing and document flow control, smart locker management, micropayments and user activity registration. In secure print release, a job is held until the user authenticates at the device, typically with a badge. Its products are used primarily in Europe, with a growing presence in North and Latin America.
The business sells credential-agnostic readers, meaning they work across different credential technologies, along with software and professional services. Its Spider reader family includes embedded readers for printers and lockers, as well as desktop and portable readers for authentication at workstations, digital boards and cash registers.
inepro ID is now part of HID’s Identification Technologies business area, joining its OMNIKEY portfolio of authentication products, which HID says has more than 25 years of experience behind it. HID says the combined team will strengthen its secure print capabilities with support from its global sales, engineering and operations functions.
“Customers want an identity experience that is part of a larger ecosystem, including interactions from the door to the printer, the locker, the workstation and beyond,” said Björn Lidefelt, executive vice president and head of HID. Marc Bielmann, who leads the Identification Technologies unit, said demand for RFID-based secure print is rising worldwide, “driven by stronger security requirements and the shift to shared, flexible workspaces.”
HID, an ASSA ABLOY Group brand, has also been selling parts of its business. Vista Equity Partners agreed last month to buy HID’s public key infrastructure unit, which will operate as a standalone company after the deal closes.
In July, SwiftConnect agreed to acquire HID’s Workforce Business Unit, including the HID SAFE physical identity and access governance platform, with HID retaining a minority stake in SwiftConnect.
For the seller, the deal narrows its focus. Jeroen Pynenburg, chief executive of inepro Group, said it marks “a positive and deliberate step forward” that brings renewed focus to the next phase of growth in smart energy metering and energy intelligence, the company’s remaining business.
Sources: HID (GlobeNewswire)
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
