
Michael Dell is reported to have personally invested millions into an Austin, TX based cloud video surveillance offering called Eagle Eye. The security offering mentions that it will use the investment money to build out infrastructure that will help meet the demands of its customer base. CRN notes that Michael Dell said that this is the first time he has invested into the video surveillance market.
Dell mentioned, “The cloud will transform video surveillance just as it has other areas. Companies may not replace existing systems immediately, and the cloud may not be right for all of them, but for many customers it makes sense and they will move over time.” Other investors participated in the funding such Austin Ventures and Enrique Salem. You recognize Mr. Salem’s due to the fact that he was former CEO of Symantec. A Google search reveals that Salem is affiliated with Box, Bain Capital and he’s even on President Obama’s Management Advisory Board.
Eagle Eye has certainly attracted some A-List investors for its endeavors. Dean Drako is the president and CEO of Eagle Eye. In an interview he mentions, “There’s an opportunity to take the whole $30 billion industry and move it to the cloud.” Drako is also noted as being founding member of Barracuda Networks. Drako went on to mention that Eagle Eye is both better and cheaper than the status quo. Drako mentions, “The recording equipment and old-fashioned cameras wired into the buildings were all designed in a different day and age, and it’s ready to be shaken up by the technology developed in Silicon Valley that is cheaper and more reliable.”
Eagle Eye looks to differentiate itself from current security offerings by incorporating some sophisticated technology. Drako mentions that he has used his background at Barracuda to develop a method in which cloud connected security cameras can keep operating during an outage using an encrypted connection in low-bandwidth environments. Eagle Eye’s cloud platform provides physical security experts the ability to know that their systems are up and running 100% of the time.