Lockout Tagout (LOTO) is the bedrock of industrial safety. Whether you're managing a pharmaceutical site in Ireland, a manufacturing plant in the US, or a food production facility in Germany, the control of hazardous energy isn't just a best practice—it's a high-stakes requirement. Failure means incidents, crippling fines, and costly shutdowns.
For many safety leaders, Brady Link360 is a familiar name, rooted in a long history of industrial safety hardware. It's often one of the first platforms to be evaluated when digitising LOTO procedures.
But in 2026, the critical question is this: Is a tool designed around a printer still the right fit for a modern, multi-site organisation? Or has the time come for a software-first alternative that delivers fundamentally stronger results?
In This Article
- Understanding Brady Link360: A Printer-Centric Heritage
- The Modern Safety Checklist: 7 Questions for Your LOTO Vendor
- Zentri: The Software-First Alternative
- Brady Link360 vs. Zentri: A Side-by-Side Comparison
- Calculating the True ROI: Beyond the License Fee
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion: A Choice Between Two Philosophies
Understanding Brady Link360: A Printer-Centric Heritage
Brady Link360 is a software application designed to complement Brady's extensive hardware ecosystem. Its primary function is to help teams author LOTO procedures, print standardised labels and instructions, and store that documentation for compliance.
- Where It Fits: For a single-site facility already standardised on Brady printers and labels, Link360 can be a logical next step to digitise the creation of LOTO procedures.
- The Gaps for Modern Operations: Its hardware-first DNA encourages a workflow that ends with a printed piece of paper. This creates significant gaps in execution verification, real-time oversight, and scalability across a global enterprise.
For organisations in the US and EU, the goal is no longer just to create better paper documents. The goal is to build smarter, verifiable safety processes—and that requires a fundamentally different approach.
The Modern Safety Checklist: 7 Questions for Your LOTO Vendor
As safety management evolves, the requirements for the software that supports it have become more sophisticated. Use this checklist during your evaluation to see if a platform is truly future-ready:
- Is it truly paperless? Can the system manage the entire lifecycle—from creation and approval to execution and auditing—without ever hitting "Print"?
- Does it scale globally? Can you standardise procedures and templates across multiple sites and languages while maintaining central governance?
- Is the audit trail indisputable? Does it capture who, what, when, and why for every single action, with tamper-evident digital signatures?
- Does it verify execution? Can the system confirm that technicians are locking out the correct equipment—not just trusting that they followed instructions?
- How does it handle tag creation? Can you generate professional, compliant tags directly from your procedures, or are you still manually creating them in Word or Excel?
- Can it provide real-time insights? Can you pull up a dashboard right now and see all active lockouts, overdue isolations, and compliance gaps across the enterprise?
- Is the user experience built for the plant floor? Is the interface intuitive enough for both a seasoned employee and a short-term contractor to use with minimal training?
Zentri: The Software-First Alternative
Zentri is a cloud-native lockout tagout software platform designed specifically to answer these modern challenges. It was built "software-first" to deliver the scalability, verification capabilities, and ease of use that multi-site organisations across the US and EU demand.
Where Brady Link360 was designed to help you print better documents, Zentri was designed to transform how your teams execute and verify safety procedures.
Why forward-thinking organisations choose Zentri:
- QR Code Verification: Technicians must scan a QR code on the equipment during the lockout process, confirming they're isolating the correct asset. This eliminates one of the most common sources of LOTO incidents—human error in equipment identification.
- Intelligent Tag Creation Engine: Generate professional, compliant lockout tags directly from your procedures—50x faster than manual tagging. Each tag includes a QR code linking directly to the relevant lockout plan, so anyone encountering a tag in the field instantly understands what procedure it relates to.
- Seamless Plan-to-Tag Integration: Your lockout plans and tags are connected in a single system. Update a procedure, and the linked tags reflect the change. No more version control nightmares or outdated tags in the field.
- Eliminate Paper Completely: Manage LOTO from creation to sign-off in a fully digital workflow—though the system can generate paper copies where regulations or site requirements demand them.
- Built for Multi-Site Governance: Standardise best practices with global templates while allowing for localisation and site-specific rules.
- Achieve Effortless Audit-Readiness: Capture a defensible, timestamped record of every action, aligned with OSHA 1910.147, EU directives, and ISO 45001.
- Unlock Real-Time Analytics: Move from reactive reporting to proactive oversight with live dashboards on lockouts, isolations, and compliance status.
Brady Link360 vs. Zentri: A Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Brady Link360 | Zentri |
|---|---|---|
| Core Philosophy | Hardware-oriented, printer-centric | Software-first, cloud-native |
| Primary Workflow | Create and print LOTO procedures | End-to-end digital LOTO with verification |
| QR Code Verification | Not available | Built-in equipment verification during lockout |
| Tag Creation | Basic templates for printing | Intelligent tag engine with QR links to procedures—50x faster than manual |
| Plan & Tag Integration | Disconnected workflows | Seamless integration—tags link directly to source procedures |
| Scalability | Best for single sites | Built for multi-site, multinational enterprises |
| Contractor Access | Limited and cumbersome | Controlled, traceable, and simple sign-offs |
| Audit Trail | Basic procedure history | Comprehensive, tamper-evident event logs |
| User Experience | Traditional, older interface | Modern and intuitive for rapid adoption |
| Paper Dependence | High (designed around printing) | Zero (designed paperless), with optional print output |
| Reporting | Static, manual exports | Real-time, interactive dashboards |
| Best Fit For | Small plants tied to the Brady hardware ecosystem | Pharma, manufacturing, and heavy industry needing scalable, verifiable digital safety |
Calculating the True ROI: Beyond the License Fee
A modern safety platform's value extends far beyond its subscription cost. When building the business case, factor in the productivity gains:
- Reduced Admin Time: Cut hours spent on paperwork for every procedure update. Zentri's tag creation engine alone delivers 50x time savings versus manual methods.
- Fewer Errors: QR verification eliminates equipment identification mistakes—one of the leading causes of LOTO incidents.
- Faster Maintenance: Eliminate delays with instant digital approvals and clear status visibility.
- Version Control: Linked plans and tags mean no more outdated procedures circulating on the plant floor.
- Painless Audits: Shrink inspection prep from weeks to minutes and reduce the risk of findings.
Zentri's pricing is transparent and publicly available, while Link360's is not. When evaluating, demand a full picture of the total cost of ownership, including the hidden costs of a paper-based process.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can we transition from Brady Link360 to Zentri gradually?
Yes. A phased rollout is common. Many organisations pilot Zentri in one area or for one type of equipment while maintaining their existing procedures elsewhere, ensuring a smooth transition with minimal disruption.
2. How does a digital platform handle a regulatory audit?
It transforms them. Instead of searching through binders, you provide auditors with a complete, chronological history of any procedure. Digital signatures, timestamps, QR verification logs, and attachments create a defensible record that is far more robust than paper.
3. How do you manage US vs. EU compliance in one system?
A software-first platform allows you to standardise core safety principles (e.g., approval steps, verification requirements) globally, then use localised templates to meet specific regional requirements like OSHA 1910.147 in the US or relevant EU directives.
4. What happens to our existing Brady hardware?
Zentri doesn't require you to abandon your existing label printers. Where you need physical tags, Zentri can generate print-ready outputs. The difference is that printing becomes optional rather than the centrepiece of your workflow.
Conclusion: A Choice Between Two Philosophies
Brady Link360 remains an option for sites that are primarily focused on creating printable documentation and are deeply embedded in the Brady hardware ecosystem.
However, for US and EU companies seeking modern, scalable, and truly digital safety management, Zentri's feature set now far outweighs what Brady Link360 can offer. QR verification, intelligent tag creation, seamless plan-to-tag integration, and real-time analytics represent a fundamentally different approach to LOTO—one built for how modern safety teams actually work.
The future of industrial safety isn't about printing a better tag. It's about building smarter, verifiable processes that protect your people and your business.
See the software-first difference for yourself. Discover how Zentri delivers QR-verified digital LOTO, intelligent tag creation, multi-site governance, and real-time analytics.
Schedule Your Personalised Demo of Zentri Today →
