A significant acquisition in the security industry is set to impact the campus card space. On June 12, door access reader and mobile credential provider, Allegion, announced that it will acquire ELATEC for $380 million.

Germany-based ELATEC manufactures door access readers, USB-connected readers, and embedded reader modules. While Allegion already provides industry-leading electronic door access readers, ELATEC’s USB-connected readers and modules will be a new addition to Allegion’s offerings.

Sarah Bowling, ELATEC’s VP of Sales, Business Development, and Marketing told CampusIDNews that this means a stronger, more unified approach to mobile-first in higher ed.

ELATEC readers are frequently used to address challenging use cases, enabling existing contactless and mobile credentials to be used for print/copy control, dining, library patron ID, EV charging, and network authentication.

“Allegion and Elatec share a vision of creating open, interoperable access infrastructures,” says Bowling. “Together, we can provide colleges and universities with a broader suite of solutions – from campus card systems and door hardware to multi-credential readers that support mobile wallets and future-ready authentication.”

For Allegion, the acquisition helps support the company’s non-residential markets – such as higher education – and increases strategic relationships with channel partners like campus card and transaction system providers.

In the campus market, ELATEC readers are frequently used to address challenging use cases.

Their connected readers enable existing contactless and mobile credentials to be used in applications such as print/copy control, dining, library patron ID, EV charging, and network authentication.

Because they can be programmed to return a custom string of data to a computer via USB, they are also ideal for supporting legacy applications.

According to the press release, “ELATEC readers support nearly 100 credential types, making the company a leader in interoperability, which aligns well with Allegion’s partner of choice strategy.”

“Elatec supports more than 300 colleges and universities globally through our embedded technology partnerships with OEMs,” says Bowling. “With Allegion’s reach and established presence in higher ed, we fully expect this partnership to help us scale faster, build deeper integrations with campus systems, and introduce new innovations tailored for the market.”

The acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter of 2025, and ELATEC is expected to generate $65 million in net sales in 2026.