Brian Rich

A lot has changed since 1981, but two things remain the same: Senstar’s commitment to safeguarding people, places and property, and a key individual who is helping to fulfill that commitment – Brian Rich, President of Senstar Corporation.

Brian was part of the team that founded Senstar in 1981 as a spin-off of Computing Devices Co. of Canada Ltd. (ComDev), which still exists as part of General Dynamics. Headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, Senstar was established with the objective of bringing military technologies to the global commercial security market. At that time, the major players in this space included Stellar Security Products, Perimeter Products (PPi), and Racon, all of which eventually became part of Senstar through mergers and acquisitions.

“The founders of Senstar felt that we could be as good as they were, if not better,” said Brian.

Initially a seven-employee company, Senstar introduced its first product, Sentrax, a buried cable perimeter security technology, in September 1982. Early adopters included Correctional Service Canada, the British Home Office, and Western Australia Corrections.

Senstar now employs over 200 people globally and boasts a broad range of security technologies, including the world’s largest portfolio of perimeter intrusion detection products (fence sensors, buried sensors, above-ground sensors), as well as video management software and hardware, video analytics, access control, and personal duress solutions. Its market-leading products are found in more than 100 countries, in tens of thousands of sites including cellular towers, corrections, dams and waterways, electrical utilities, military and borders, manufacturing and logistics, transportation, oil and gas, and water utilities markets. Senstar also operates the world’s most comprehensive private perimeter intrusion security test facility to ensure its products perform in the most extreme conditions.

“I feel proud about where the company is today,” said Brian. “In 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic threw us a curve ball we could not have predicted. However, we have maintained our full complement of talented staff and have successfully fulfilled the needs of our partners and customers, despite the global economic conditions. Senstar is strong and we will overcome this and other challenges that may come our way.”

For Brian, the key to Senstar’s success over the past 40 years is its people, several of which have been with the company for decades.

“Senstar could not have become what it is today without the support and commitment from our original founders and angel investors in 1981, from all of the employees who have come and gone throughout its history, and from those who are with us today as we build towards the future,” said Brian. “And of course, our parent company – Magal Security Systems, Ltd. – must be recognized for putting confidence in Senstar over the past 25 years.”

Now with 40 under its belt, and 2020 behind us, Brian is looking forward to Senstar’s continued success.

“Recent acquisitions have expanded our horizons, and newly launched product developments, along with ones currently in development, show promise of a strong business future for the company,” said Brian. “We continue to employ highly skilled and dedicated people in Canada and around the world, and all of these pieces fit together to continue to make Senstar a leading player in the global security industry.”

Brian started with the company in 1981 as a senior engineer and moved through progressive levels of responsibility in technical and operational roles. He has served in his current position since May 2015. Brian’s prior experience includes three years in a research position with Computing Devices Company, a Canadian defense systems contractor, and three years as vice president of engineering and operations with Intelligent Detection Systems Inc. where he was responsible for the development of advanced chemical detection systems used for detection of explosives and narcotics. Brian is a member of the IEEE and has served on the Executive Committee of the IEEE International Carnahan Conference on Security Technology since 2000. Brian holds a B.A.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toronto.