Cloud video surveillance is experiencing rapid growth

“This is an English translation of the original article, which appeared in Dutch.” 

Camera surveillance in the cloud is finally starting to break through after a slow start. Where companies were hesitant three years ago, video in the cloud is now fully accepted. The general awareness that data is secure in the cloud is contributing to the trend.

Dean Drako, CEO and founder of Eagle Eye Networks, has seen his company’s revenue double over the past two years. The man who previously set up Barracuda Networks has no trouble explaining the benefits of video surveillance in the cloud. The customer does not have to worry about it and the safety and reliability are also great.

But the biggest advantage is that the data in the cloud is much easier to analyze. ‘You can do a lot more with this’, says Drako. It took a while for surveillance AI (artificial intelligence) to take off. Due to the low accuracy, commercial applications were not forthcoming. ‘The neural networks and AI models had to be trained with a lot of data. That cost a lot of expensive computer power.’

According to Drako, progress has been made in recent years with the training of datasets into models. As a result, the accuracy has increased noticeably. ‘Certainly with facial recognition, the results are quite decent. Speed ​​and reliability will also increase.’

Where surveillance in the cloud will really make the difference is in the analysis of the video images. ‘Deep learning algorithms make it possible to recognize objects in images. It also makes it possible to identify people and make predictions’, says Drako.

takeover
“Roughly a quarter of the camera systems are used outside of security”
Eagle Eye, which took over the Dutch Camera Manager from Panasonic four years ago , is working together with Uncanny Vision in this area. That goes so well that yesterday the acquisition of this Indian AI company was announced. Their AI and analytics not only serve security, but also help to improve all kinds of business processes. Roughly a quarter of the camera systems are used outside of security. According to Drako, this share can still grow considerably.

For example, the analysis of video images helps to increase safety at work. Drako: ‘It also makes it easier for you to comply with rules and laws. Compliance is becoming an increasing cost item. A lot can be saved by automating supervision. At airports it is impossible to check every box. Before cargo is loaded onto aircraft, you can do a final check with a camera.’

cannabis
Drako also sees many opportunities in the American cannabis industry, given the large number of regulations that have to be complied with. Furthermore, Uncanny Vision applies surveillance-ai to smart parking, store analytics, toll road automation and smart cities.

According to Drako, a lot of profit is made in tracing shoplifting. The recognition of number plates is also improved, as is the detection of suspicious situations in video images. Violent behavior can be recognized at an early stage. AI also helps detect weapons. In short, enough applications. And there will certainly be new applications. It is also important that AI reduces false alarms.

‘All this is only possible in the cloud’, says Drako. According to him, customers prefer the cloud by far to processing images at the edge of networks (edge ​​computing). The future belongs to open platforms that can be supplemented with new features. They also get regular upgrades. These platforms work as an operating system for video. Point solutions have had their day.

Companies sometimes don’t know exactly what they want to do with AI. But if they are on such an open and extensible cloud platform, they are prepared for the future. Customers can add AI-powered analytics as soon as they’re ready. They are able to grow with developments.

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