Interview | Applying cutting-edge technology to achieve business process efficiency
At ZKTeco, innovation is at the heart of everything we do. Our European R&D+i department plays a critical role in revolutionizing information authentication, leveraging cutting-edge technology to streamline physical and logical security processes. We prioritize information security and legislative compliance, ensuring our solutions meet the highest standards.
To dive deeper into ZKTeco's innovative spirit, we sat down with Carlos Garcia, R&D Manager, for an exclusive Q&A session. In the interview, we will explore the methodologies, technologies, and values that fuel our European R&D+i and Innovation team.
Carlos García, R&D+i Manager
ZKTeco Europe
ZKTeco Europe R&D+i
What is R&D+i for ZKTeco?
Before we begin, we would like to clarify the concepts of R&D+i. For those of us who are immersed in this world of technological innovation, they are clear, but their acronyms are mixed up in the business world, sometimes in a perverse way. Briefly, and with no intention of generating controversy, we can begin as follows:
- R - Research, its objective is to discover new knowledge, normally carried out in universities and laboratories.
- D - Development, marketable solutions are built by applying the new knowledge.
- i - Innovation, resolves needs by applying existing developments with a new perspective.
How many people work in R&D+i at ZKTeco?
ZKTeco has several research, development and innovation centres in Europe, India, Dongguan-Shenzhen, Xiamen and Dalian. Approximately 500 talented and experienced professionals, including engineers, researchers, designers and technicians. Innovations include application projects on: Contactless Biometrics, Deep Learning Platforms, Generative AI, Cloud Infrastructures and RFID Applications.
Our team in Europe is composed of multidisciplinary members covering tasks ranging from the detection of new needs, design of innovative solutions, to the development of the products involved in these new solutions.
How does your R&D+i team keep up to date with the latest trends and technologies?
In the times we live in, it is impossible to keep up to date with everything that is new; evolution is exponential day by day. For this reason, we are very attentive to every advance that reaches our ears.
In this sense, the feedback from our sales and after-sales teams is key, to identify new needs and to solve them we start with the most basic, to be as informed as possible of the continuous innovations.
We actively participate in events related to the sectors where we apply our solutions and in everything related to new technologies. Associations, magazines, social networks, university forums, etc... everything keeps us active and aware of the latest trends.
In addition, active communication between all ZKTeco's R&D+i centres allows us to exchange ideas, solutions and apply synergies that make us very competitive when it comes to applying new developments in the market.
So that we can understand it better, can you give us an example close to home?
Of course, we are currently finalising GoBridge Cloud, a product that is the result of innovation on other existing products:
- ZKTeco manufactures biometric authenticated data capture solutions for the security (access control) and HR (time recording and management) sectors. There are multiple models of physical devices on the market where users clock in to gain access to controlled areas or manage their working time.
- Third-party companies develop software applications that are very close to the end user, easy to handle and that solve data management needs very well.
- Cloud computing makes it possible to quickly and efficiently implement solutions that are in demand anywhere and at any time.
GoBridge Cloud brings these three worlds together by providing easy, secure and legally compliant access to physical devices. Leaving behind the inconveniences that complicate achieving complete user satisfaction.
What is the difference between GoTime Cloud and GoBridge Cloud? Both have a very similar name.
Indeed, both solutions are part of our family of cloud-based solutions. They are B2B solutions that allow us to reach end users with great added value provided by the partner channel.
- GoTime Cloud is a complete time management application. It allows you to record the working day, assign work schedules, detect incidents and calculate payroll, statistical and management concepts for decision-making. The partner channel is key to providing the necessary value to adapt the configuration of the application to the needs of each company, from small companies to large corporations with a multitude of labour agreements. GoTime Cloud is aimed at service partners, without software development capacity, who provide great consultative value.
- GoBridge Cloud is a data gateway, oriented to a part channel expert in usability. These partners have a great software development capacity, much greater than ZKTeco's own. But they need our support to easily reach the data captured by the physical devices. GoBridge Cloud facilitates the synchronisation of authorisations between the different models/versions of devices and the capture of data in an authenticated and secure way.
What if integrations with other applications and solutions are required?
All applications developed by ZKTeco implement a complete and robust RESTful API for the exchange of information with third party applications.
With this integration layer, the integration partner channel can develop solutions tailored to the needs of each company and business.
Can you elaborate on the specific technologies your team is exploring, such as AI, machine learning or IoT?
We have been actively exploring use cases with various foundational models of generative intelligence for some time now. We believe this is the way forward for new innovations and we have some surprises in store.
IoT has been around for a while now, along with Big Data, and now it's time to generate applications with all this information, improving production processes and the quality of life for everyone.
Measuring success: How does the R&D+i team measure the success of its projects and developments?
In a very easy and intuitive way: are the products we develop sold, to what extent and in what market share? When the answer is yes, and growing, it is the result of great teamwork and circular work between R&D+i, marketing, pre-sales, sales and after-sales.
Collaboration opportunities: Are there opportunities to collaborate with other companies or institutions in R&D+i projects? What kind of partners are you interested in collaborating with?
The most important thing is to solve the needs posed by the users, which we commercially call customers. We are open to any collaboration oriented in this sense, generating growth opportunities, first for the customer and then for the technology partners.
Is there anything else you would like to share about the recent achievements or future plans of the R&D+i team?
We are proud of the great work done by the entire ZKTeco team over the years.
Our solutions in the market generate value to all market players, solving the demanded needs.
Soon the R&D+i team in Europe will be increased with new resources that will allow us to increase this level of demand and better meet the new and complex demands of our sector.
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