‘SMARTKEEPER’ is a company to provide a
physical security solution for broadcasting industries.
In Korea, there is a company that has
imprinted the power and the fame of Korea’s physical security technology around
the world by awarding the ‘Million Dollar Export’ in 2024. The name of the
company is ‘COMXI’ that is the destination of leading global companies such as
Boeing, NASA, and Walt Disney. After strengthening its global reputation
through physical security for USB, UTP, and C-type by 2021, it is pulling the
strings in broadcasting and media industries by providing HDMI cable grip, Plug
Lock, Laptop Lock, and Universal Lock Key to protect and secure the unstable connectivity
between camera design and nonstandard HDMI cable plugs.
Top graded products related to DATA with
facilities and equipment in many important areas around the world (airports,
ports, power plants, railroads, roads infrastructure, bio, semiconductors and financial
industries) are already supplied as essential system physical security products
in the process of delivering SMARTKEEPER products.
We met Mr. Ahn, CEO of ‘COMXI’, who is
ready to lead the market by introducing new products one after another in 2025,
and heard about the company’s secret to success and future strategies.
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Q1. It seems to be the company is to be
unrivaled, as the achievement of being the ‘Top of Million Dollar Export’.
First of all, please introduce COMXI briefly.
A. COMXI develops, produces, and sells
primary system physical security products that aim to build the world’s first
and the best physical security lineups. The company was founded in 2001, and it
has been developing, producing, and selling system physical security products
since 2011. As of 2025, the products were used by more than 3,500 end users and
exported the products to 45 countries and successfully applied 44 physical
security patents.
In particular, more than 85% of end-users
in 2024 recognized for their technological prowess, such as repurchasing within
2years. With this credibility to the products, the company won the top 1million
dollar export in 2024. Major business areas include the development,
manufacturing, production, and sales of system physical security products. The
products were directly made from the first factory which is located in Cheonan
Research center, and the sales and other administrative works are carried out
in Seoul headquarter.
Since the launch of the USB port lock in
2011, which blocks unauthorized access to empty USB-A ports, it has steadily
added product lineup which led 50 physical security products as of now.
In the earlier stage, major sales began in
the financial industry such as credit card companies and infrastructure such as
Korea Electric Power Corporation, and are currently being used by more than
3,500 domestic and foreign clients, and the use of major production facilities
of major power plant companies, transportation network infrastructure, military
and defense, hospitals, and private companies has been expanded.
As the importance of physical security
rises, demand on the shipbuilding and marine sectors is increasing, and demand
in the semiconductor production sector is also increasing.
Q2. What are the major partners and
vendors?
A: We mainly sell B2B products directly
without separate seller, and for the case in Korea, only ‘ESSENTIAL’ product
line ups are sold in partnership with Compuzone. Fore overseas markets, we do
have branches in the United States for North America market by having its own
name as COMXI WORLD.
Q3. What are the core products of
SMARTKEEPER used for and what are their strengshs that differentiate them from
other companies(or potential competitors)?
A. All SMARTKEEPER products are based on
its own structures: A set of lock (portlock) and a Key (universal lock key).
- The USB port lock is a representative product and a product of SMARTKEEPER that has evolved to 5th generations through 14 years. And the product is a basic product that blocks unauthorized access to empty USB-A ports on various devices such as PCs, serves, and laptops.
- The Link Lock is a product paired with a USB port lock and can be controlled by certain USB-A type cabled products that are previously authorized. It is a unique structure that locks the USB-A port on the PC side and is useful for security such as OTT-related editing, which has strict security environment.
- Lan Cable Lock Puls is a
product that has evolved to 3rd generation, making it impossible to unlock
connected UTP cables which also make it available to install without unplugging
the connected cables. In particular, not only for security purposes, but also
for the use of high-vibration UTP environments are widely used to prevent
network disconnection accidents caused by cable deviation from production
facilities, and various measuring equipment.
- Universal Lock key is the “KEY” that is the heart of SMARTKEEPER. It has been evolved for more than five generations, and is designed and manufactured in consideration of the user’s usage environment. It was designed well-enough to apply to the back of a complicated server, and it is equipped with LED lights and anti-static pads to maximize the convenience of security managers who will be managing all IT device in their role. In particular, the biggest difference between this key and other products in the market is that it manages history through its own serial numbers, and only sold through checking the security personnel(the last end-user) to ensure thorough security of the lock key.
Q4. What is the characteristics and usage
of the recently launched products and solutions, and what is the main target
market?
A. First of all, the HDMI Cable Grip was developed to prevent fatal problems such as transmission accidents during broadcasting by blocking HDMI cables from abrupt disconnecting out of the port. It can be applied directly to standard HDMI ports without a separate device or screw. The product’s main target is to provide stable connection in environments where broadcasting equipment are commonly used.
Secondly, there is a C-Link Lock. As the
recent increase in using USB-C ports in laptops, the product is designed to
allow only authorized keyboards and mouses on USB-C port that can be used with
the function that is already implements in previous link-lock product. It is optimized
for environments that need to prevent security huddles, for example, security
gates where outsourced personnel frequently uses, and the client office where
most of the project related stakeholders comes together.
Plug Lock is a product to prevent accidents
that may occur when the power plug is removed from the infrastructure. The
product is specialized in Korean F-type power plug structure, and it provides a
practical solution in such field where stable power supply to various
production facilities is essential.
In addition, the Optic Cable Lock Plus (Tentative
Name) is a new product that is improved from the existing Optic Cable Lock. It
is mainly applied to the server using environment, and can be managed with a
Universal Lock Key instead of using separate key, maximizing both convenience
and security of IT security managers.
Q5. What is the market outlook and
SMARTKEEPER’s future plan?
A. We plan to expand our physical security line
ups by introducing more products in the domestic video, sound and media
markets.
In particular, we will be focusing on data-related
physical security solutions, starting with a product line development to
prevent fatal problems such as HDMI disconnecting prevention and C-Link Lock to
prevent data leakage during transfer.
In domestic broadcasting market, the data
loss during transfer has not been seriously considered as a physical security
issue. Technically, it is already public that one of the causes of data loss
that frequently occurs during transfer or backup of memory data using a laptop
is due to the unbalanced power caused by external force. Particularly, the
products are contributing to response such as leakage of photographs through
inside job, infection of malicious codes by authorized staff, and security
vulnerabilities by outsourced staff. In addition, the products are expected to
be helpful to HDMI, UTP cable connection, and PC power connection, which can
become unstable overtime or unintended cable disconnection at the filming site.
Looking at the fact that high-end console
brand CALREC supplied its demonstration equipment with physical security
product on UTP connection in KOBA exhibition in 2025, clearly shows that the importance
of physical security product is increasing.
In addition, Dexter Studio, a company
specializing in visual special effects (VFX) and ‘Livetone’, which is one of
the top film sound studio are using SMARTKEEPER products, proving the needs are
expanding in broadcasting video and sound areas.
In addition to the U.S and European
markets, it plans to accelerate its efforts to target other overseas markets
such as Japan and Vietnam. It has completed market research on non-untrusted
continents and is looking forward to results within this year.
Also, we will actively participate in major
domestic and foreign security, video, sound and broadcast-related exhibitions
such as KOBA and DUPEX to listen to the needs of customers in various fields
and provide more delicate and efficient physical security solutions based on ‘Trust
and Robustness’.
In the second half of this year, which
exactly was on October, the headquarter had participated and operated an
exhibition and promoted the products including recently launched products, in
security exhibition held on Tokyo, Japan.
In the following year, SMARTKEEPER will encounter
an important year to take the company to the next level beyond just providing ‘lock
solution’, but giving ‘safety’ and ‘convenience’ for customers.
