Our Story
Our story starts in 1966 in a small Melbourne suburb named Burwood.
Through the 1970s, '80s and '90s, NIDAC produced many different alarm, detection and access control products, servicing the domestic, commercial, industrial, aviation and government sectors. These included the SPR5 alarm system, the patented CM8 alarm system, and the DT1 dialler. Also during this phase, the company won three Australian Design Awards: in 1988 for the CM8 and in 1990 for the TE3 Dialler.
Who we
are today
Since 2018, Matthew Nicholls (Managing Director) and Paula Nicholls (Director Sales and Marketing) are steering NIDAC into the future. The current NIDAC team is rich with both deep experience, and talented, energetic youth. Most of our growth and emphasis in recent years and going forward is in product and software development, as well as customer engagement.
Now in its third generation as a family company, NIDAC continues to design, develop and manufacture high-quality, innovative products, with the emphasis going forward being on bleeding-edge hardware and software for access control and security.
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Matthew Nicholls
Managing Director
Matt joined NIDAC as Managing Director in June 2020. His focus is on driving the company’s proud 55-year history forward into a new era of innovation and growth.
Matt brings tremendous experience to this role, with over 25 years as one of Australia’s leading intellectual property, IT and communications lawyers; including owning and running a successful legal practice for over 20 years. During that time, he advised all levels of government, regulators, major domestic and international telecommunications companies, as well as numerous entrepreneurs and start-ups.
Outside of the office, Matt enjoys cooking with a glass of pinot in hand, while reading classical literature and watching the Mighty Tigers rack up premiership victories. -
Paula Nicholls
Director of Sales & Marketing
Paula is focused on the companies long standing reputation for quality products and excellent customer service. She has been back in the family business since 2018 after previously (25 years ago) working in the role of Sales Manager. Prior to rejoining the team at NIDAC, Paula worked in the not for profit sector in Admin and as a volunteer co ordinator.
Outside of work, time is spent with family and friends and supporting The Mighty Tigers. -
Glenn Pywell
Chief Design Engineer
Glenn Pywell has been working as an Engineer with NIDAC since completing his degree in Electronic Engineering at RMIT. His current duties include overseeing the design of new products from a technical aspect, maintenance, support and feature development of NIDAC’s products as well as the development of internal testing procedures and equipment for NIDAC’s products. He also provides internal IT support, writes installation manuals and checks technical data in brochures and online content.
During his time at NIDAC Glenn has helped to expand the Presco range of products, taking it from an alarm control keypad to a comprehensively featured access control system.
When away from work his time is spent reading, cooking and indulging in good food, beer, red wine and cheese. He also enjoys building things in his shed as well as travelling both locally and internationally with a range of accommodation options from camping to 5 star rain forest resorts. -
Kevin Barker
Lead Software Engineer
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Anthony Hidayat
Back End Developer
Anthony has a Masters of Electrical Engineering and works on both the assembly and testing of all NIDAC products, as well as software development and testing of a new product range.
"I strongly believe in doing our best in every task and enjoying the work you do. To keep learning and expanding my skills and work closely with cutting edge technology has been my passion since a young age."
When not working he enjoys video games, various Kpop artists, and travelling to foreign countries. -
Slava Raitsin
Full-stack Developer
Slava has been working as system engineer and computer science engineer across multiple industries. He holds an engineering degree from National Technical University of Ukraine (with Honours). Slava is currently focusing on back-end development of the Prescient product.
When away from work Slava enjoys swimming, hiking, skiing and camping with his family. -
Aaron Lin
Front End Developer
Aaron has a master of Information Technology and his is an AWS certified solutions architect - associate. His expertise lies within front-end web apps, and the main languages in his tech stack are React, JavaScript, and HTML/CSS. Aaron is currently working on software development mainly the client side of the Prescient product.
Aaron is inspired daily by his wife and their two children. In his free time, Aaron enjoys reading, and playing model kits and games with his kids. -
Deepika
Business Tools / Networking / Cloud Software Developer
Deepika is a seasoned lead Software Engineer with over 12 years of experience in building and managing high-performance software solutions. Proficient in languages such as Java, Python, and Typescript, as well as hands-on experience with cloud platforms like GCP, AWS, and Azure, she has led talented teams in developing mission-critical software applications. She specializes in architecting robust and scalable solutions that meet evolving business needs.
Outside of work, Deepika enjoys spending leisure time playing with her kids and experimenting with cooking. -
Heath Thomas-Hunt
Lead Product Development & Actualization
Heath started at NIDAC in 2018 as a sales representative and took to it like a fish to water. Heath has a penchant for problem-solving and has spent much of his tenure at NIDAC doing just that. Nowadays he spends his time working closely with NIDAC Product users to determine pain points and present solutions to their issues and feed this back into the development process. Heath likes to 'get lateral' when confronted with industry challenges and builds this mantra into his approach to his participation in the product development process at NIDAC. He maintains the same people first approach that served him well during his time as BDA.
What is he doing when he's not working? Studying Business Management and Business Information Systems at RMIT or trying to stay diamond on Valorant. -
John Varthalis
Business Development Manager
John has over 25 years' experience as a sales professional in the Eletronic and Security Industries.
“I believe in providing excellent customer service and building long lasting business relationships. I am thrilled to join NIDAC who share these same values.”
Outside work, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, cooking, playing golf, tennis, supporting the mighty Tigers and doing volunteer work. -
Brad Nicholls
Channel Manager
Brad has been actively involved in the local security industry for over 30 years, with extensive experience in manufacturing and installation. After piloting his own installation business for the better part of this century Brad has returned to NIDAC as Channel Manager. His real world experience and understanding of the issues faced everyday by security installers is crucial in our product development, ensuring that NIDAC's next generation of hardware solutions are industry leading.
Brad is a lifelong Richmond Tigers supporter and keen Ducatista. -
Brian Johnston
Sales Executive
This is Brians second employment at NIDAC, he came out of retirement in 2018 to return in a part time capacity. Working with and supporting our top tier Distribution channel is Brians main role, this includes training their staff and customers.
Brian enjoys spending his leisure time watching football, cricket, cycling and listening to music. -
Jeff Abel
Warehouse & Dispatch
Jeff has been part of the NIDAC team for over 13 years handling all inward and outwards goods, liasing with local and International freight forwarders. At peak times Jeff also works in the production area assisting with testing and assembly of products.
Jeff interests include cricket, computer games and he is an avid Tigers supporter "Eat em alive" -
Ari Saunders
Production
Ari began working at NIDAC mid 2019 doing production work part time while studying. He has since completed his VCE and commenced a Cert 1 in work education at TAFE.
Outside of work and study, Ari enjoys reading, bike riding, photography, listening to music and supporting The Mighty Tigers. -
Kathy Wang
Accounts
Kathy joined NIDAC in Oct 2017 in Accounts Department. Having a Masters degree in Commerce specialised in Information System and Technology, Kathy has a solid knowledge of accounting foundation, a thorough understanding and belief in how IT can affect business structure and change the way people work.
“Nidac is the longest standing brand in Australian Security industry with innovative vision. Most importantly, it matches my value.”
Outside of work, Kathy enjoys reading, especially Sci-Fi books, baking cakes and she is a fan of Elon Musk.
In memoriam
David Nicholls
Founder (1943-2022)
David founded NIDAC in 1966.
Having grown up with a fascination for electronics at the dawn of the age of the transistor, David saw the potential of this world-changing technology and its application to practical problems. David invented the doorway alarm at the age of 15.
This went on to become the “Nicholls Electronic Eye” and spawned numerous innovations in the field of electronics security, including the invention of the modern electronic siren, the early use of radar technology in security systems, the digital dialler, the secure Presco keypad protocol and false-alarm proof alarm control panels. David truly was the pioneer of the electronics security manufacturing industry in Australia and took a leading hand in developing security systems for domestic, commercial, industrial, aviation and government applications, as well as garnering several patents and Australian Design Awards.
Keen to keep NIDAC a family owned and operated business, David opened the door for Paula and Matthew to take the reins in 2018. David’s passion for innovation lives on in the modern incarnation of NIDAC, with the DN4 networked access control module named in his honour.
Sadly, David passed away in March 2022.
We’re a team full of drive and aspirations, and always looking for new people and opportunities in our field. If you want to be part of our story with us, through careers or partnership, reach out and contact us
