Mygate expands in East India with launches in Cuttack and Raipur, targets nine cities by mid-2020.
Kolkata, Jan 09, 2020: Mygate, India’s leading all-in-one community management ERP & security for gated communities, today announced its expansion across East India after strengthening its presence in Kolkata. The company aims to secure 800,000 homes across 2,100 gated communities in the region by the end of the year, with Kolkata contributing nearly 30 percent of this target.
In Kolkata alone, Mygate already manages security and community operations for over 60,000 homes across 250 gated communities, including prestigious institutions like IIM Calcutta, Uniworld City (a 100-acre township), and several defense housing complexes in Alipore, Hastings, and Khidirpur.
Following this success, Mygate has now launched its solution in Cuttack and Raipur, with six more cities including Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, and Ranchi scheduled to go live by mid-2020. The expansion follows the company’s recent $56 million Series B funding and reflects its commitment to scale in high-growth real estate markets.
Mygate’s ERP platform digitizes and automates all gate and community processes to create a secure, convenient, and transparent ecosystem. Communities can deploy the solution in just six days with no upfront investment in hardware. Key capabilities include digital visitor authentication, e-intercom, child safety alerts, staff management, vehicle access, touchless resident identification, clubhouse and amenity bookings, and comprehensive admin dashboards. Beyond security, Mygate also enables Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) to streamline society accounting, automate payments, and manage help desk operations.
Vijay Arisetty, CEO & Co-founder, Mygate, said:
“Strong adoption in Kolkata has generated tremendous organic demand from other East Indian cities. We have rapidly scaled our team here and are building one of our largest regional operations. With the region emerging as a real estate growth hub, Mygate is uniquely positioned to deliver the security, convenience, and ERP-driven management that modern communities demand.”
Indrajit Sen, Secretary, Sohum Apartments, said:
“We are extremely happy to have Mygate as a partner in strengthening the security and simplifying the daily management of our community. From the robustness of the app to the responsiveness of their on-ground support team, Mygate has exceeded expectations.”
Deepak Singh, Board Member, Greenfield City, said:
“Mygate has transformed our community experience by making security smarter and daily living more convenient. Residents feel reassured knowing every visitor is verified, and they appreciate the technology-driven ease in managing society processes.”
We are deeply committed to the safety and security of any information that is shared on the Mygate App. We use best-in-class processes and technology to ensure that our users receive the best service.
How we ensure privacy & security of your data
- Mygate is ISO 27001:2022 certified and completely data privacy and security compliant. We assure you that Mygate has systems, processes and stringent third-party certifications in place to ensure the complete privacy of our users’ data.
- Mygate has taken all steps to be fully GDPR-ready and is adopting the recommendations of the Proposed Indian Data Security Bill compliant.
- Fully encrypted and secure data transmission and storage for all entries and transfers done on Mygate App.
- The agreement RWAs sign with Mygate clearly states that we will never sell, trade or share any data.
- All guests will have full control over their data and Mygate facilitates option for guests to get their data erased with right consent from RWAs.
- Every day Mygate goes through multiple vulnerability assessment tests to identify any gaps.
- Data entered at the gate on the Mygate Guard App is the property of respective RWAs and is protected under multiple security layers. Mygate is the only custodian of the data and only the Management Committee has access to their society data.
- Mygate is purely an opt-in service and even after RWAs sign up for Mygate services, residents have the freedom to decide whether he/she wants to download the app.
- All security guards are trained under standard protocol and our trainers work with Guards till they pass our “Guard Training” standards. Our dedicated field officers train all new or replacement guards as soon as they are intimated by the Management Committee.
- The devices used by the security guards are just to communicate with our servers to deliver the intended service. There is no data stored in them.
Please go through the following link should you wish to further understand our privacy policy.
Should you have any suggestions, queries or concerns, do reach out to us at [email protected].
We appreciate the trust shown by you on Mygate and we will strive to keep giving our best.
Abhishek Kumar
CEO, Mygate
It’s been a little over 365 days of hard work, fun and learning for me at MyGate. The opportunity to shape the roadmap for, and run experiments on, a product that powers over a million homes is exactly what I had hoped for at this stage of my career. I honestly have enjoyed every one of these days, but some have been more special than others. Here are my three most memorable days at MyGate.
Day 1: Launching the feedback feature on iOS
I have successfully led multiple key initiatives in the past year, but the most memorable one has to be the day we launched the user feedback feature on the app. The primary purpose was to understand and resolve consumers’ problems quickly. We identified the right places to seek feedback on critical features and it worked very well as we were able to route the complaints for quick resolution.
This also had a remarkable impact on the App Store ratings with a 10x growth in iOS app reviews in a month. Building a feature to figure out one key high in the entire user journey, gather feedback, and finally steer it towards a positive outcome, both in terms of better user experience and improved ratings, is a proud moment.
Day 2: The Ideathon 2019
MyGate is always buzzing with energy and ideas. In my first few months here, it seemed like every other day someone would stop me in the corridor to discuss ideas for a new feature. In early May, I decided it was essential to formalise the process – with an Ideathon. The founders agreed and I was eager to see it through. The only problem? I had never organised an event of any kind.
Reluctantly, I sent out an email seeking entries, knowing full well that there would be an avalanche of entries – and that it would mean planning a full-blown event. As expected, we had a lot of entries flowing in from all 10 cities.
Over the next week, I would spend a big chunk of my day as an event planner! We flew in colleagues from other cities, agreed on an evaluation criteria, organised food, stay and entertainment, shortlisted judges and much more for the 48-hour event in no time. The event was a great success and now I can’t wait to plan Ideathon 2020.
Day 3: Running the Midnight Marathon
Weeks ago, I took time out on a Saturday to do a work thing! Not quite, of course.
I teamed up with three of my colleagues to participate in a corporate relay, the Midnight Marathon. The goal was to complete a circuit of 10km by dividing the distance among the team. The run was scheduled to commence at 10:50 pm.
The energy of the runners turned up in huge numbers was quite a ‘warm up’ session in itself. We got our running gear on and waited for the final whistle to blow. I was able to sprint through my course in a record 15 minutes, which was no less than a personal achievement. Also, the fact that the event was organised with an objective to improve the lives of thousands of underprivileged children, made it a fulfilling experience.
Sensitivity of Data
Biometrics have become one of the very popular authentication and authorization mechanisms. A lot of financial authorisation happens with fingerprints, further it is used for PDS and subsidies in India. One of the major factors for its use is that it’s considered foolproof and using it requires no effort. The one thing to realize about biometrics is that you cannot reset it — you cannot replace your finger.” If a password is compromised, you can change it. You can use something that’s longer, more complex, and difficult to guess. If your biometrics like fingerprint or retina scan is compromised, how would you change or update that? That would be scary, impossible, and frustrating.
Regulations
Considering the seriousness of biometric data, in India, the collection, storage and handling of biometric data is governed by the information technology law contained under the Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act), primarily through the rules framed under it. The Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011 (Privacy Rules) lays out the specific conditions that regulate personal information and sensitive personal data or information, including biometric data. Some of the key conditions applicable are as under:
1. Collection: To collect biometric data from a person, a body corporate (Entity) is required to obtain the data subject’s written consent regarding collection and usage of such data. This consent would mean giving an option to not provide biometric data sought. Given its sensitive nature, biometric data can be collected only for a lawful purpose which is connected with and essential to the Entity’s function.
2. Retention: Once the purpose is fulfilled, the Entity can no longer retain the biometric data collected by it.
3. Disclosure: To be able to disclose any biometric data with a third party, the Entity must obtain the data subject’s permission. This permission may be obtained under the contract between the Entity and data subject. Disclosure may also be made for compliance with law or is being made to government agencies mandated to obtain information, which may be for identity verification, or for prevention, investigation, prosecution and punishment of offences.
4. Transfer: Biometric data can be transferred to any other person, in India or outside, only with concerned data subject’s consent to the transfer, or if transfer is necessary for performance of a lawful contract between the Entity and data subject. An important condition attached to such transfer is that the recipient needs to ensure the same level of data protection as the transferring Entity.
Additionally, an Entity handling biometric data needs to implement and maintain ‘reasonable security practices and procedures’. If an Entity’s failure to implement ‘reasonable security practices and procedures’ results in wrongful loss to the data subject or wrongful gain to the Entity or any person, such Entity is liable to pay damages as compensation to the affected.
Ease of Cloning & Spoofing
Fingerprints are very easy to clone. Just a single search on google will show you how people have used impressions on paper, gum, gummy candy and what not to easily spoof fingerprints. When the primary purpose of fingerprints is for attendance, it has been observed that people game the system by using 2 of their fingers to register for themselves and use their other fingers for registering for others. This way they are able to fill attendance for their colleagues without any issues.
Practical Challenges
Blue collared staff sometimes have lines on their fingers damaged leading to a poor capture and match. The problem is more pronounced with continuous usage in outdoor conditions. When a user enrolls in a biometric system, his or her information is likely recorded in a well-lit, stable, predictable environment. But in the recurring use of the sensor, the conditions will not be ideal, and will probably have degraded. Scanners get soiled as they pick up dust and grease from fingers. This opens up some issues, ranging from the simple inability to access a system to the misidentification of an individual. In practice, these problems can have significant implications
Security Aspect
Fingerprints should be kept in the scanner device. Even on the device they should be encrypted and stored in device memory. They should not be transmitted even in encrypted for over network or stored. Even Google doesn’t store any fingerprints on cloud or otherwise and saves it locally on the mobile in its physical memory which cannot be accessed by normal CPU processes.
December Release Updates
Here’s a quick view of what’s new for you.
Previous Release Notes
Moving houses is one of the most exhausting and difficult things to do. You feel the stress from the moment the decision is made, the first box packed and finally when the movers are hired. But not anymore! Introducing Mygate exclusive, move-in move-out mechanism to help you get rid of on-paper formalities and save yourself the hassle of running around.
Why Mygate move-in, move-out?
This feature brings in the following benefits:
- Real-time information on your move-in move-out application
- Pay the move-in move-out charges via the app
- A smart, convenient experience for you
- Complete all the formalities much before the actual moving in or moving out date
- Read the rules and regulations of the society in advance to prevent yourself from unpleasant experiences
Mygate is the first app in the market to have launched this feature, simplifying the comprehensive and scattered process of move-in and move-out to less than a few clicks. The complete flow is designed intuitively, keeping in mind the ease-of-use and maximum convenience.
The move-out process
- Go to ‘settings’ on the top right corner of your mobile app, then to flat settings and choose ‘move-out/delete’. Understand the move-out rules to avoid unpleasant experiences or last minute surprises around move-out date and select a move-out date.
- Complete the move out application, check off the digital checklist, make the necessary payments to clear any dues along with the move-out charges – all in the Mygate app
- Once the application is approved, a move-out gate pass is generated.
- This is a 6-digit unique passcode that must be shown at the gate when the vehicle carrying your household items is leaving.
The move-in process
- When you sign up on Mygate to add a new flat/villa, select ‘Moving in’
- Understand the move-in rules to avoid unpleasant experiences or last minute surprises around move-in date
- Complete the move-in application, update your household details, attach the documents requested for by the management committee, and make the move-in charge payment all in the Mygate app
- Once the application is approved, a move-in gate pass is generated. This is a 6-digit unique passcode that must be shown at the gate when the vehicle carrying your household items is leaving.
For more information around the feature, please get in touch with your society admin or write to us at [email protected].