The Gatekeepers

MyGate makes security management at gated communities easier and more efficient.

- Manu Balachandran

It wasn’t easy for Vijay Arisetty when he left the Indian Air Force in 2009, after serving as a helicopter pilot for 10 years. A Shaurya Chakra recipient—Arisetty had won the gallantry award for his rescue work during the 2004 tsunami—he had lived most of his life in air force stations or cantonments where entry and exit is very heavily regulated.

“The transition was much more difficult for my wife than it was for me,” says Arisetty. “When we moved to a gated community, one of the best in Bengaluru, we noticed that the security setup was so different from what it was at the cantonments. There was a lot of mismanagement and that meant a lot of room for improvement too.” Much of the mismanagement was due to the constant calls on the intercom, seeking permission for entry of visitors like domestic helps, delivery boys, and guests who were staying on for a while. “The security industry had not kept up with time and embraced technology like many other sectors,” says Arisetty. “And gated communities was a big market to tap into because when people move in there, one of the most important factors they consider is security.”

But it wasn’t until 2015 that the 41-year-old teamed up with a few friends to launch MyGate, a security management app with technology on the centerstage. The app handles everything, including communication between security guards and residents, group activities, and the entry and exit of domestic helps. Visitors, including delivery boys and taxi drivers, are allowed entry only after residents are alerted and give an approval on the app. The app also allows residents to monitor the security of their aging parents by keeping a check on visitors and documentation of local service providers who visit.