Gallagher
Innovating for the future of security

Scott Elliott, Vice President for the Americas

It all began over 80 years ago when a horse named Joe had taken too much of a liking to using the family car as a scratching post. To solve this unique problem, owner Bill Gallagher Sr devised an electrical circuit that delivered a small shock whenever the horse would rock the vehicle, which quickly solved the problem and sparked the idea for electric fencing. That was in the early 1930s. By the end of the decade, Bill had built his first electric fence and had made a long-term commitment to building a great business that redefined what’s possible for its customers— Gallagher.

However, the innovation story didn’t stop there; some might even say that it was just the beginning!

In 1962, Bill Senior’s son Bill Junior, now Sir William Gallagher, started working on the Gallagher shop floor and helped Gallagher grow from a company delivering a visionary alternative to conventional fencing into one known for quality and dependability.

Since then, Gallagher has used their experience in electric fence technology to enter the security business, where they have become a leading provider of curb-to-core business, people, and site management security solutions in more than 130 countries around the world.

“Bill Gallagher Sr. made a long-term commitment over 80 years ago to design solutions that allow customers to do things they never thought possible. This is still the ethos of our company today. By listening to, observing, and learning from our customers, we gain significant insights that continue to inspire the design of transformational, market-leading security solutions,” says Scott Elliott, the Vice President for Gallagher’s security business in the Americas.

Proactive security solutions

Gallagher strengthens their customers’ security by providing a high level of cybersecurity protection within their security and business risk management solutions. The company has recognized the growing sophistication of cyber-attacks against enterprises and critical infrastructure in recent years, and as part of their commitment to cybersecurity, Gallagher’s security solutions are fully authenticated and encrypted to meet global standards.

Gallagher’s PIV solution was designed specifically for compliance with the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 201-2 and delivers exceptional security with particular suitability to any environment that requires high assurance authentication to computer network resources.

We have a deep understanding of high-security requirements at a global level and that allows us to provide solutions that are trusted and can be tailored to meet the unique requirements of different sites

Furthermore, Gallagher wholly owns their supply chain, which is incredibly unique in the security industry. As a result, the company is fully fortified from a security perspective. Everything from understanding the raw materials, their sources, the manufacturing process, all the way through to the delivery of each product. This means both Gallagher and their customers can be confident about the authenticity of every product.

A DNA inspired by innovation

What differentiates Gallagher from other players in the industry is their strong commitment to research and development. “It’s in our DNA. Each year we re-invest at least 15 percent of our revenue back into research and development,” informs Elliott. This allows the company to release two major versions of its security software (Command Centre) every year, develop new products, and update hardware with the latest technologies. An important part of Gallagher’s ‘secure by design approach is having a dedicated Research & Development team whose focus is on cybersecurity, improving product development, and monitoring for vulnerabilities. This commitment to research and development ensures that Gallagher’s customers, critical infrastructure or not, have peace of mind knowing that their security solution is designed and tested by a responsible, government-approved manufacturer.

Elliott believes that there can be no concessions when defending the critical infrastructure, people, and assets essential to the protection of our society. To this end, Gallagher’s solutions are engineered to meet the stringent standards that define how high-security sites worldwide should be protected.

“We have a deep understanding of high-security requirements at a global level, and that allows us to provide solutions that are trusted and can be tailored to meet the unique requirements of different sites,” says Elliott. “Our technology provides security at all levels, from strict visitor control to defending critical assets necessary to national security.”

Gallagher is also the world’s only truly unified access, intrusion, and perimeter platform provider with an ISO 9001:2015 certification. They have been awarded numerous international design and innovation awards over the years. This includes multiple American Security Today’s ASTORS Homeland Security Awards. “We were recently recognized in the 2021 ASTORS Awards for Best Access Control and Authentication System for our Command Centre Mobile solution and Best Perimeter Protection System for our Monitored Pulse Fence technology,” states Elliott.

Looking ahead

According to Elliott, despite the challenges that have presented themselves over the past two years, it’s an exciting time to be in the security industry. As a security manufacturer, Gallagher has an opportunity to respond to customers’ unique needs in today’s changing landscape and obtain a deep understanding of what’s important to them. “For small to medium businesses, the demand for simple yet robust access control and alarm management solutions that doesn’t need dedicated IT resource has risen exponentially. We’ve responded to this need and are excited to release our new product called Gallagher security for SMB in the U.S. early 2022,” he mentions. The company’s SMB solution is cloud-based and ideal for less complex sites that don’t require its Command Centre software’s full suite of features. It allows customers to self-manage their security by using a mobile app to arm and disarm alarms, control doors, manage incidents, and issue unlimited users across multiple sites. Furthermore, customers get automatic software updates and have the newest features and security updates.

With such an extensive and promising roadmap, Gallagher will indeed remain at the forefront of homeland security innovation for many more years to come. The company believes in delivering holistic security solutions that truly protect the safety and wellbeing of their customers. “Our drive toward protecting what matters most resonates deeply with our customers,” explains Elliott.

Moving forward, Gallagher intends to continue investing more into research and development to procure and deliver robust solutions with impressive operational capacities. “We want to be the security platform of choice at the highest levels of government and critical national infrastructure. Maintaining that position will require innovating as we grow and establishing a strong leadership position - something we have built our company upon from day one,” concludes Elliott.