In this Research Note, we examine the acquisition strategy of ACRE, a Dallas, USA-based platform company backed by private equity capital. Founded to acquire, partner or invest in specialized players in the physical security industry, ACRE has become one of the largest independent providers of access control, intrusion detection, video surveillance, and communication networks in North America and Europe. With three acquisitions in 2021 and a change of ownership, ACRE has continued its buy and build strategy. The December announcement of two strategic acquisitions, Feenics and Matrix Systems enhanced its access control offerings. Feenics, headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, is the developer of Keep by Feenics, an access control as a service (ACaaS) platform built specifically for and hosted in the public cloud. Ohio-based Matrix Systems is a provider of conventional access control and security management technologies to well-known organizations, such as Miami International Airport, The Ohio State University, Cleveland Clinic, and General Electric. An Irish acquisition, completed in April […]