With the first industrialized version of the product nailed, the team realized two things: first, the hardware was just the first piece of the puzzle. The real secret to making a smart access solution that just works is in outstanding software. Second, while there were some pretty good smart locks for residential use, there was a big gap in the market for a B2B solution. A truly world-beating one, based on consumer-grade user experience and easy-to-use, scalable cloud-based software.
As product development continued, Simon had a chance conversation that would confirm Havr's mission. It was after talking to a contact at Enedis, the organization that manages most of the French national power grid, that Simon realized the ultimate use case for BrightLock. Traditional access control systems weren't cutting it any more. Keys are more than a headache for lots of organizations - they're a direct barrier to getting things done efficiently, and they're a huge expense. A little digging revealed that the average French train station spends tens of thousands of euros a year on cutting keys. Havr had the answer.
With the team grown to a dozen, the business gained its first clients, signing deals with major organizations using BrightLock in mission-critical situations. Early adopters included SNCF, Airbus, BNP Paribas and Enedis.
Development continued through 2020, with more businesses realizing the power of a truly keyless smart access solution that's fully interoperable. The tech team rolled out the BrightLock API and BrightLock Manager, the web-based dashboard for administrators, delivering the same usability built in from day 1 on an enterprise scale with a fully cloud-based SaaS product.