Volume 119

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ACS LATAM Parte Um

 TL;DR: ACS LATAM showcased a lot, but one that stood out was the friction of our industry in broad daylight, and for two reasons. Google’s keynote reminded me that no better angels are coming and that they’re already here. Now it’s on them (spoiler: you’re the better angels) to do something about it. What was in that keynote, and what’s that friction?

Read below.

This will be the first of several posts from the ten panels at ACS LATAM. A lot crystallized for me on this trip. The question I’ve gotten most via text messages and DMs is “Should we invest more time in Latin America?” My answer is yes. I’ll share why over the subsequent Briefs.

Themes that came out of ACS LATAM were familiar but also specific. For instance, education is a needed and a problem (same everywhere). Existing infrastructure is also a problem but an opportunity (interesting. This came up a lot). There is a lot to dig into and I will.

It’s amazing how 48 hours of travel can sometimes turn into 72. In some ways, travel is my ultimate act of surrender for a person who likes to control things. Pretty much, with travel, we are throwing our hands up and saying, “I’m all yours.” I’m on my flight to Newark, heading home to Bethesda by way of Bogotá and São Paulo after a string of delays and cancellations. I’m exhausted and ready to be home. You know that feeling where you try to stay productive but end up rewriting your to-do list instead of doing the work? That is me. I have that kind of fatigue that comes when your social and emotional battery is empty. ACS does that to us, but strangely, I’ve come to appreciate that feeling. It’s part of the job. And I’m grateful for it.

Speaking of “my job,” (and “I’m all yours”) I get asked what “my job” is regularly.

My role often means being something for everyone. I sometimes think my job is to be the industry’s “yours.” I take pride in that. I enjoy it, and frankly, I’m good at it. So is Hilary. It’s one of the reasons I love working with her for so long. Being “yours” comes with a deep sense of responsibility and purpose. If we deliver for you, we deliver for us. It’s a circle of support. When we all deliver for each other, we win. That’s what makes this community different.

It’s about the “we” not the “me.”

And why some feel threatened by it.

Which is precisely why I get frustrated when people, companies, and associations, such as John Honovich of IPVM, the self-appointed pied piper of the legacy industry and now Sheriff of LinkedIn, take cheap shots at those trying to move things forward. His approach, and those like him, represent “sameness.” The comfort of the old way. Their mindset thrives on keeping things exactly as they are, because if the world changes, their identity collapses with it. The legacy mindset is about “me.” What we’re building with you is about “we.”

And that’s what ACS LATAM in São Paulo made clear. It was a live display of “me” and “we.” While stuck in Bogotá’s El Dorado Airport, I kept walking through the terminals, replaying what I saw: ten panels, forty speakers, countless conversations…all were meaningful, different, and needed.

First, the keynote.

Meet Newton Neto of Google

One of the presentations stood out (and I heard from many others that it did for them as well), and it was Newton Neto from Google’s keynote. For those who saw it, you know what I mean. He showed a version of “new” that isn’t theoretical. It’s happening right now, and he had data to prove it.

He stood out to me because he painted a picture of what we can have if we want.

And, man, do I want it.

Newton explained why Latin America, particularly Brazil, serves as a case study in rapid technological advancement. Brazil is the world’s 9th largest economy, with 89% internet penetration and 188 million users.

Pause and think about that.

It’s home to more than 20 unicorns and over 13,000 startups, representing 60% of LATAM’s total. 74% of small businesses already use AI, and 68% of connected Brazilians use generative AI tools.

Again, think about that.

LATAM isn’t just catching up, it’s leading in digital adoption.

And yet, in physical security, in the same city, magstripe still rules hotels. Prox cards dominate enterprises. Padlocks line the streets of small businesses. Start-ups ignore our industry. Biometrics exist, but primarily through government programs, rather than industry innovation. That contrast hit hard. It highlighted just how far behind our industry is. We fight for mobile credentials every day like it’s some new found religion while an entirely different ecosystem is being built around us.

Primarily due to mindset. Yes, that hurts, but it’s true.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand the nuances. I’m deep into them.

But we can change it if the collective “we” wanted to.

We could. And it is not just product or customer driven.

Move your resources, move the market.

For example, down the street from ACS LATAM, another security show, a “me” show, was happening. From what I was told and saw from pictures, it was a “busy” event (with a couple of hundred in attendance). They had booth after booth of incremental updates. Comfortable. Familiar. Safe spaces. A nostalgic trip home to the same old streets. A reunion of sorts. Our industry loves this. The “me” needs it, and the “we” gets sucked right back into it where we start to make excuses about “why we can’t.” One person told me that what makes the show great is “every booth is the same size and they will build it for you.” 🫠

But again, no better angels are coming to stop it. If we want what Newton presented, we have to demand something different. We have to support the different. We need to be different.

The Google keynote wasn’t just a presentation; it was a mirror. It showed us what’s possible and how far we have to go. The physical security industry remains stuck in hardware-heavy, legacy channel-dependent models with programs that support incremental. It’s fragmented, slow to adopt modern methods such as open APIs or data platforms, and is risk-averse. Even when it makes sense. Marketing lags. We tell stories through technical specs. We often overlook the importance of explaining to the world why what we do matters and we have such rich stories.

But we can do it.

For me, Newton’s message was a wake-up call. LATAM is digitally native. Our industry pretends it is not. The gap is massive, but it’s also our opportunity.

Here’s the truth: the future Newton described isn’t far-fetched. How far we have to go that I explained above is not actually that far. His keynote was a clear blueprint. It’s also permission to act as if. If we fall, we will fall right into what he described. And closing that gap is our collective mission. We can do it by importing the digital DNA that LATAM’s and many other regions I’ve traveled to tech sector already lives by:

• From hardware-first to software-first (dare I say AI-first?).

• From proprietary to API-native (and dare I say, open?).

• From long cycles to fast feedback - go.

• From trade shows to the B2B community and digital storytelling.

Currently, physical security is a decade behind, yet it sits on a $100 billion opportunity. LATAM leaders are perfectly positioned to seize it. You can and should.

That’s my biggest takeaway from ACS LATAM: clarity.

Clarity about what’s possible and who’s ready (already) to make it happen. Clarity that this isn’t about the future. It’s about doing it today and moving forward.

Imagine this. One day on stage, you’ll hear:

“(Insert your name) explained why Latin America, especially Brazil, has become a global case study in the rapid modernization of access control and physical security.

Brazil, the world’s ninth-largest economy, now leads Latin America in digital access adoption, with 89% modern credential penetration and more than 188 million connected users.

It’s home to over twenty security and proptech unicorns and more than 13,000 startups, nearly 60% of all those in LATAM, many of which focus on identity management, smart buildings, and AI-driven security. Seventy-four percent of small and mid-sized businesses are already leveraging AI in their operations, and 68% of connected Brazilians use generative AI tools, many of which power access control, video analytics, and authentication systems.

Brazil isn’t just catching up. It is setting the pace for how emerging markets can leapfrog legacy infrastructure and redefine what secure access looks like in a connected world.”

Now do that in a mirror about your country.

It’s gonna take we, not me, to make it happen.

Thank you to Google for co-hosting and showing what true partnership looks like. Thank you to ASSA ABLOY and HID for believing in Hilary and me, for backing a new kind of stage and a new kind of conversation. Thank you to the forty speakers who shared their stories and to everyone who showed up when it would have been easier not to. Your presence showed curiosity, courage, and leadership.

Part 2 to come soon.

Additional Pictures from ACS LATAM

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