Industry Focus

It Matters Where Its Made

When you walk through the CyberLock facility with Tammy Davis, you truly get a sense of pride, responsibility and an amazing relationship she has developed within the community. Davis is the president of the company. Oh, there is one more thing that I truly appreciate: Made in the U.S.A. As a matter of fact, everything is made completely in Corvallis, Oregon.

I took a few minutes to visit John Moa and Kelsea McNutt, and to my pleasure, Davis joined in on a facility tour. CyberLock, Inc. is located in a non-descript building on the quiet, pastoral outskirts of Corvallis, but inside it is a completely different story: roughly 60 employees toiling away, meticulously working on locks that will be shipped worldwide.

At CyberLock, it all starts with engineering; software, hardware design, mechanical and electronic specialists, all working together under the same roof. With Oregon State University’s nationally recognized engineering disciplines in close proximity, the local community and CyberLock have reaped the benefits of the “high-tech” climate in Corvallis. It is no coincidence that the average 25-year-old Corvallis resident has a Master’s Degree. Or, that Corvallis leads the nation in per capita patent holders. Given that Cyber- Lock’s founder, Stanford alumnus Paul R. Davis, studied under the distinguished Marty Hellman, an American cryptologist credited with the Diffie-Hellman key exchange, it’s no wonder that CyberLock excels at “hightech”— delivering a smart key, electronic access control system that is reliable and simple enough to help with real-world problems.

“With a CyberLock system, it doesn’t matter where the lock is—electronic access control is possible,” Davis said. “By eliminating the wire between the lock and the managing software, the security system can be installed virtually anywhere. The convenience of a mechanical key system plus the access permission and tracking capability of an electronic access control system.”

The tour of the facility is more intense than I can write adequately but suffice it to say, every machine needed to bend materials, punch holes or morph metal into locking systems resides in the facility. Not many manufacturers do it this way anymore. Don’t get me wrong; there are companies that take full advantage of American craftsmanship and ingenuity. What caught my eye was CyberLock’s dedication to the local community.

What better place to keep everything local than in a close-knit, highly technical community like Corvallis? The relationship with the community is visible on the surface. For instance, CyberLock is already a busy place and when the onsite workforce needs to boost production, there are factory-trained, skilled and highly experienced local companies able to assist. Factory quality control and final product inspections are completed onsite, and products are integrated into larger product runs. No work leaves the community— local families benefit.

This leads back to an opening statement of taking a larger role within the community.

“We’ve manufactured our key-centric access control system in Corvallis dating back to 2000, when the first branded locks and smart keys were introduced to the market. Corvallis is our home, and we love it here,” Davis said. “All of us take an immense amount of pride in our work, the quality of product we manufacture and the community teamwork it takes to make it all happen.”

CyberLock is part of the Videx family, which was founded in 1979 in Corvallis, developing early products including display enhancement for Apple computers. They are different companies today, but they continue to collaborate on future innovations.

Like I mentioned, made in the U.S.A.

This article originally appeared in the August 2017 issue of Security Today.

About the Author

Ralph C. Jensen is the Publisher/Editor in chief of Security Today magazine.

Featured

  • Evolving Cybersecurity Strategies: Uniting Human Risk Management and Security Awareness Training

    Organizations are increasingly turning their attention to human-focused security approaches, as two out of three (68%) cybersecurity incidents involve people. Threat actors are shifting from targeting networks and systems to hacking humans via social engineering methods, living off human errors as their most prevalent attack vector. Whether manipulated or not, human cyber behavior is leveraged to gain backdoor access into systems. This mainly results from a lack of employee training and awareness about evolving attack techniques employed by malign actors. Read Now

  • Report: 1 in 3 Easily Exploitable Vulnerabilities Found on Cloud Assets

    CyCognito recently released new research highlighting critical security vulnerabilities across cloud-hosted assets, revealing that one in three easily exploitable vulnerabilities or misconfigurations are found on cloud assets. As organizations increasingly shift to multi-cloud strategies, the findings underscore significant security gaps that could provide attackers with potential footholds into networks. Read Now

  • Built for Today, Ready for Tomorrow

    Selecting the right VMS is critical for any organization that depends on video surveillance to ensure safety, security and operational efficiency. While many organizations focus on immediate needs such as budget and deployment size, let us review some of the long-term considerations that can significantly impact a VMS's utility and flexibility. Read Now

  • Paving the Way to Smart Buildings

    In today's rapidly evolving security landscape, the convergence of on-prem, edge and cloud technologies are critical. The physical security landscape is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by the rapid digitalization of buildings and the evolving needs of modern organizations. As the buildings sector pivots towards smart, AI and data-driven operations, the integration of both edge and cloud technology has become crucial. Read Now

  • The Cybersecurity Time Bomb

    If you work in physical security, you have probably seen it: a camera, access control system, or intrusion detection device installed years ago, humming along without a single update. It is a common scenario that security professionals have come to accept as "normal." But here is the reality: this mindset is actively putting organizations at risk. Read Now

New Products

  • Unified VMS

    AxxonSoft introduces version 2.0 of the Axxon One VMS. The new release features integrations with various physical security systems, making Axxon One a unified VMS. Other enhancements include new AI video analytics and intelligent search functions, hardened cybersecurity, usability and performance improvements, and expanded cloud capabilities

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.

  • AC Nio

    AC Nio

    Aiphone, a leading international manufacturer of intercom, access control, and emergency communication products, has introduced the AC Nio, its access control management software, an important addition to its new line of access control solutions.