Kisi Year in Review 2022

Guided by our vision to connect people and spaces, 2022 was a year of steady growth for Kisi.

From releasing the Kisi Controller Pro 2 to revealing our new brand identity, Kisi evolved into an enterprise-ready access control solution. Our focus on security and convenience makes the Kisi access control systems an essential component of modern businesses and organizations.

As we reminisce about the past year, it’s evident Kisi is a responsible and trusted solution that moves access control forward while putting the human element at the forefront. Value-driven, as always, let’s delve into the key developments that shaped Kisi in 2022.

Forward

Constant access to steady growth

The ever-increasing number of connected people and spaces is an unmistakable indicator of Kisi’s growth. Doubling our number of enterprise customers proved that even the most demanding companies can rely on Kisi.

With more than 20 new hires this year, Kisi is ready to continue supporting its customers while tackling new exciting ideas in 2023. All the new hires in our product department, like the newly formed data analytics team, will ensure the Kisi system exceeds your expectations. The dedication to our client’s success and extended support hours are only possible with the almost 10 new hires on the success team.

With tripled headcount and an experienced Marketing Director on board, the marketing team is ready to introduce an improved user journey and refine the brand. The new sales team members, guided by the strong sales leadership hires, will have the pleasure of introducing Kisi to our future clients and reseller partners. While the fantastic additions to our finance, people, and the newly formed operations department will take care of our people, numbers, and strategy, keeping everything on track.

We have also continued to improve-upon and expand our partner program. Our network of 700+ resellers is constantly expanding, and so are our integration partners. We are excited to meet many more new partners in 2023 and can’t wait to see what these connections will bring in the years to come.

Everyone can migrate to Kisi at their own pace

The Controller Pro 2 was the real star of 2022. The latest version of our controller enables Wiegand readers, empowering businesses to migrate their access control system to the cloud on their terms.

Kisi allows all hybrid migration options, from keeping your entire legacy system and adding the Kisi controller to embarking on a completely new Kisi experience. Kisi can even overlay the existing building system to enable mobile access for a smooth landlord and user experience. Contact us if you have any doubts about your unique access control migration path.

Upgraded brand identity

Kisi is constantly developing and growing, and our brand’s architecture is evolving alongside our vision. The concept of ‘connect people and spaces’ fuels the Kisi brand and design. It’s the idea that inspires the creation of something new, something better, something incredible. It’s the idea that inspired the creation of our brand portal.

‘Connect people and spaces’ is more than a catchy company vision. It is a promise to our users, employees, and partners. It originates from our identity as a company, as a brand, as employees, and as people. All of these perspectives guide our brand voice and design.

The big rebranding and repositioning aims to better represent our vision as a company. For updated Kisi branding materials, check out our brand resources.

Human

Hack week 2022

As a company that strives to connect people and spaces, we always prioritize connecting internally as well. The most notable Kisi event – 'Hack Week' is turning into a remarkable tradition.

Each summer, our global product team gets a chance to collaborate, learn, try new things, and have fun for a week in a beautiful destination! This year 20 team members from three different continents gathered in Gålö, Sweden, for Hack Week 2022.

The Kisi product team spent the week doing various workshops and team-building activities, increasing both their knowledge and camaraderie. Real-life Minesweeper, building the best spaghetti and marshmallow tower, and a 3D printer workshop were just part of the activities crowned by the Hackathon, where the team got to work on coding and dive deeper into the product.

Reflecting on the 2022 hack week, our Co-Founder and CTO, Carl Pfeiffer, concluded this event focuses on three things: creativity, team building, and getting hands on with the product.

Want to be part of the 2023 hack week? Join our product team.

Introducing Ki and Si

It was love at first sight for the Kisi team. Our new company mascots, Ki and Si, immediately got our affection with their eager, expressive faces. They always brighten our days and remind us of the importance of staying connected with our people and spaces.

Trusted

IF Design award

Presented by the iF International Forum Design GmbH, the iF Design award is a symbol of design excellence around the world. With more than 10,000 submissions from 60 countries, we're honored the Kisi Reader Pro won the 2022 iF Design award for building technology.

Architizer award

In connecting architects with the tools they need to build better buildings, better cities, and a better world, Architizer amplifies our vision to connect people and spaces. We are delighted that the Kisi Reader Pro Security System was a finalist in the Smart Design & Technology category.

German design award

The worldwide spectrum and international appeal make the German Design Award one of the most prestigious awards in the design landscape. Kisi won the Special Mention distinction for the Kisi Reader Pro. This mark for excellence in innovative design pays extra tribute to our consistent design conception and implementation.

ISO 27001

With access control as our core, we recognize that security starts at our door. Our ISO 27001 certification is another proof of our commitment to enhanced security, quality processes, and responsible practices.

As a worldwide relevant standard, it shows our devotion to not only protecting spaces but the people we work with and their data as well.

Responsible

Migration to Kisi 2.0

It was time to say goodbye to the previous generation of our software – Kisi Standard. It served us well in creating and configuring doors, managing users, and assigning roles. It also helped us build a strong customer base among small and medium-sized businesses.

Kisi 2.0 scales with our clients. It's ready to support our customers who need more robust, enterprise-ready functionalities. For example, the ability to automatically provision users via SSO, and simultaneously add, remove, or update roles and group memberships with their identity provider via SCIM.
The migration to Kisi 2.0 went smoothly thanks to our laser-focused and strong product and support teams, always focused on the bigger picture. The successful migration would not have been possible without the contribution of our many worldwide integration partners.

Seamless, thorough product documentation

We take pride in the level of service Kisi’s support team provides. At the same time, we empower Kisi users with the tools they need to make the most out of Kisi themselves. From an admin setting up a new integration to a user eager to learn how to use Kisi on Apple Watch, our new product documentation portal has all the answers.

The portal’s clear and meaningful structure identifies four types of documentation - tutorials, how-to guides, technical references, and concepts. Each category answers to a different user need and fulfills a different purpose, enabling everyone to quickly search and easily find the product documentation they need.

Connected with digital Kisi events

On September 21st, we hosted an Exclusive Kisi Partner Event and connected with Kisi resellers. Our Co-Founder and CEO, Bernhard Mehl, and Max Schuetz, were joined by 5 additional Kisi experts who shared invaluable resources to help our partners gain new clients. Bernhard shared his insights and answered questions on the latest access control trends. Our resellers also had a chance to hear more about Kisi’s unique solutions and how best to sell the Kisi system straight from Max.

We finished 2022 on a high note and hosted the ‘Enhanced cloud-based access control with Kisi. What to expect in 2023’ webinar. This time, Bernhard shared Kisi’s vision, drivers, and values. The attendees also had a chance to hear more about the exciting new product features we have in store from our Co-Founder and CTO, Carl Pfeiffer.

To an even more successful 2023

Reflecting on the past makes us grateful for all the connections we established, the people we made feel safe, and the spaces we secured. Kisi is firmly stepping forward with our big plans for 2023. The constant striving to do better, to be better, is what makes us human. Focused on growing as a team, company, and trusted partner, you can count on us to be responsible and continue working on improving user experience and securing your future.