ISJ Exclusive Interview: Rishi Lodhia, Eagle Eye Networks

Rishi Lodhia, Managing Director EMEA, Eagle Eye Networks speaks exclusively with International Security Journal.

Eagle Eye Networks is a brand synonymous with cloud video surveillance. The company was founded in 2012 and has since established itself in the industry as a true market leader, an innovator that enhances security while providing business intelligence for a multitude of global customers working across challenging environments.

While cloud video surveillance is the name of the game for Eagle Eye, in 2022, the company is also keen to emphasise its wide range of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions and its ability to break new ground within the industry.

At ISC West 2022 in Las Vegas, Eagle Eye debuted its AI technologies: Eagle Eye LPR (license plate recognition) and previewed its Eagle Eye Smart Video Search. The latter is a ground-breaking AI-based solution that allows users to search for people, vehicles or objects and immediately find the exact video across cameras in all sites, saving time and money. All customers will get this AI capability without any change to their installations at no extra subscription cost in the Eagle Eye Cloud VMS (video management system).                                   

As Eagle Eye continues to showcase its state-of-the-art capabilities at major trade shows and exhibitions across the world, International Security Journal caught up with Rishi Lodhia, Managing Director EMEA to discuss some of the company’s recent developments and how its platform is helping customers prepare for present and future challenges.

The Eagle Eye Networks DNA

“We don’t see video as just a security solution – one that makes the world a safer place – but also as a way of improving the operational efficiency of businesses through the optimisation of processes,” explains Lodhia. “We are a next generation video surveillance provider. Where many of our competitors are offering a VMS solution that manages, retrieves and stores video, what we are doing is moving this concept to the cloud.”

Eagle Eye is bringing such cloud processes to the next frontier by incorporating AI solutions and offering this process from the ground-up. Lodhia continues: “Where others are adding AI as a plug-in to video management, we are actually using the data in the cloud to create smart processes.

“Eagle Eye Networks is offering a real AI-driven VMS that gives customers access to important data information that can help them run their business; this is derived from the video surveillance system.      

“We are an open platform and our solution has the capability to bring video data from a range of cameras, whether these are digital or analogue, from every imaginable camera brand. We do not rely on third-party cloud infrastructures. We have our own global network of data centres and we      build our own cloud processes. We can bring new AI technology to the market without having to rely on other partners.”

By utilising its own infrastructure, Eagle Eye can upgrade this at any time with its own GPUs and technologies. Operating its platform in such a cost-effective way means that the company has control of the economics and can bring it to mass market effectively, as it has done for years. “With the cloud, we control, from end-to-end, certifications and security,” adds Lodhia.

“This is a key part of the Eagle Eye Networks DNA. By being completely brand agnostic, it does not matter to us if customers are using our own interface or if they are using our video platform through an API partner. The essence of our offering is that we are providing our solution as a flexible platform.”

Eagle Eye Smart Video Search and Eagle Eye LPR

It used to be that if you wanted to look back at video footage, it was a very cumbersome, lengthy job which would take customers hours upon hours to find the exact moment they were looking for. Eagle Eye Networks is launching, in the summer of this year, Eagle Eye Smart Video Search, which will allow users to search for video the same way they search the web – by typing in terms such as “person with backpack”, “white SUV” or “man with green shirt”.

Lodhia describes this process in more detail: “For example, you may want to look for a person in an ‘orange shirt’ and the search function will generate a result based on the recorded footage. However, and this is where it gets cool and efficient, you may want to type in ‘person in orange shirt with a backpack’. Using Eagle Eye Smart Video Search, customers will be able to search across all cameras in all their locations and quickly pinpoint the video they’re looking for.”           

Not only does this capability mean that customers can find what they are looking for quicker, it also allows them to then act faster and utilise the footage. This is also where the process of futureproofing becomes so important. “Customers nowadays, because of multiple AI opportunities, are looking for a smart platform that is built for anything – not just a one-time product which may solve a short-term problem.

“CIOs and CISOs are looking for a futureproofed solution that, when offered as a platform, provides them with the flexibility for the future. While a customer may know what challenge they face today; this does not mean that they know what challenge will arise in five years. By utilising a scalable, flexible platform that has the ability to add additional API partners, as soon as the challenge presents itself, there is an answer.”

New features can always be added to the Eagle Eye platform. Smart Video Search, for example, will be available to all Eagle Eye customers, at no extra cost, without the need for them to upgrade GPUs, CPUs or any hardware at all. “If you consistently invest in software licenses and in local hardware, the moment you have bought it, it is sold,” said Lodhia. “By investing in an ever-evolving platform, you are prepared for anything. In terms of cybersecurity assurance for our customers, we recently completed the rigorous ISO 27001 and SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls) Type 2 audits, validating Eagle Eye’s high security standards. ”

The SOC 2 Type 2 audit certifies that Eagle Eye Networks policies and procedures securely protect and manage customer data. This audit specifically evaluated internal controls over a six-month period to ensure that the company satisfies the Trust Services Criteria defined by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). The criteria include security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality and privacy.

Putting things in focus

Eagle Eye Networks places a significant emphasis on the B2B channels and Lodhia explained to International Security Journal that the company is currently seeing increased cloud video surveillance demand for multi-site environments: “If you have multiple sites – whether this is in one region or across the globe – and you are looking to securely manage to optimise the safety and management of locations, it makes sense to look towards cloud.

“Cloud ticks a lot of boxes from a cybersecurity perspective as well as those relating to compliance and accessibility. In Europe now, we are focusing on some key industry verticals where we have been very successful – logistics, transport, retail and housing. However, anybody who has a camera system in the B2B space can be an Eagle Eye customer.

“Community is also a major focus for us right now. The community we are building is transforming the video surveillance industry. Resellers who become Eagle Eye Certified Channel Partners work with us to truly enhance the experience for the end user. We offer our partners tools and work closely with them in local markets. In the UK specifically, we have a large sales support and sales engineering team to improve the overall experience.”

To find out more information about Eagle Eye Networks, visit: www.een.com

This article was originally published in the June edition of ISJ. To read your FREE digital copy, click here.