Welcome back to Secured with Lee Odess! In this episode, Lee breaks down the latest industry news, including key acquisitions by Assa Abloy and Dormakaba, and what they signal for vertical integration in security. We dive into data from the PSA State of the Integrator 2026 report, discuss outcome-based pricing trends, and explore how AI agents are shaking up enterprise software - plus what it all means for security integrators. Lee also clarifies the difference between audience, community, and association, and shares why it's essential to know which you're building.

Whether you’re an integrator, manufacturer, or just passionate about the evolving security space, there’s something here for you.

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Episode 1: Momentum In the first full episode of Secured, Lee Odess explores the power of momentum and how it is shaping the future of the physical security industry. Kicking off with insights from HID’s Origin event in Austin, Lee highlights the accelerating shift toward software, digital identity, and platform enablement, and explains why HID’s digital group is poised to have an outsized industry impact over the next three to five years.

The episode also covers major community and partnership announcements, including new collaborations with the Door Hardware Institute (DHI), the European and American Locksmith Federations (ELF and ALOA), and the Secure Building Council (SBC). These partnerships signal growing alignment across hardware, locksmithing, and the built environment as security continues to evolve from mechanical to digital.

Lee recaps recent Access Control Executive Briefs, including key takeaways from Intersec Dubai and a deep financial analysis by Tony Dong on when negative earnings can still signal long term value. He closes with a candid perspective on why security companies struggle with marketing and branding, and why empowering real people to tell real, local stories is the path forward.

The episode wraps with a preview of major upcoming activations at ISC West and a reminder that what is being built through the community is not about any one person. It is about collective momentum, engagement, and shared growth.

Welcome to the debut of the Secure Podcast, hosted by Lee Odess of The Access Control Collective. This weekly, under-15-minute podcast is your touchpoint for what’s happening across the global physical security industry, from access control and video to identity and the broader market convergence shaping security today.

Each episode is structured around three parts: a recap of the most interesting industry developments from the past week, a deeper dive into highlights from the community-driven Security Breakdown newsletter, and a focused discussion on a key trend or idea influencing the market.

Designed to be thoughtful, practical, and forward-looking, the Secure Podcast goes beyond “locking and unlocking” to explore growth, change, and where the industry is headed, without sensationalism. Join the conversation weekly, and help shape future episodes by sharing topics, trends, or voices you’d like to hear featured.