Traditionally, video surveillance was simply a way to achieve security or prevent theft. That’s still the case (especially in the post-911 world). But, solutions that use video cameras to capture the activities of people in various locations have other applications as well.

 

One company that sees a great deal of potential for turning video surveillance into a “money making machine” is startup Avocado Security. To find out how video surveillance can reap financial benefits for companies in many industries, TMCnet queried Kevin Shahbazi, CEO at Avocado. He shared his insights about video surveillance and explained who and why Avocado was founded.

 

 

KS: Trained as mechanical engineer, my basic talent is building gadgets while envisioning automation. My products have generally won awards — for creativity, ease of use, or adoption. In my opinion, every product should have a purpose and a unique character that fits into our daily lives.

 

I have managed research and development (R&D) teams building Intra Ocular Lenses (IOL) that replaces natural lens in a human eye affected with cataracts. I have designed, developed and manufactured advanced exercise machinery to assist astronauts to maintain agility while in space. I also helped to re-design equipment for use by NASA, the bowling industry, and consumer goods firms by using lighter, stronger and aesthetically appealing materials.

 

I have had the opportunity to work with some of the best engineers, designers and marketers who are published and respected globally.

 

This has been my qualifying ticket to work with such a talented team at Avocado Security — including talents like Mike Shahbazi, who is regarded by many as a software industry genius. Mike’s ability to envision “enterprise class” security and centralized management products, along with his solid business expertise, makes him a strong magnet to be around.

 

As a team at Avocado Security, we work in an environment of imagination and innovation. We bounce ideas off one another and then pick the ones with technical and sales merits to move up the pipeline. 

 

With our management team, we have helped to build six different companies: CadCon, Tech Design, Applied Technologies, Trust Digital (News - Alert), eView Technologies, and now Avocado Security. The last two have consistently been praised by the media and by analysts.

 

We successfully managed to keep Avocado Security under the radar for 2 ½ years while we were developing the product suite. Our plans are to make Avocado Security a national brand by January, 2010. We then will start working on turning it to a global success. We know how to attain this ambitious goal, as we have successfully accomplished it before.

 

 

KS: Simply put, Avocado Security converts security images to graphs, charts and gauges for easy interpretation.

 

To begin with, closed circuit TV (CCTV) and video surveillance security images may not be accessible when needed. This may be due to the fact that cameras or DVRs have stopped recording or were misaligned well before an incident took place.

 

Avocado Security’s optimization platform alerts administrators about security shortcomings, and draws historical patterns. While enjoying universal compatibility with legacy video surveillance systems, Avocado Security’s platform converts CCTV security images to graphs, charts and meaningful business intelligence (BI) metrics.

 

Furthermore, watching security video monitors and processing the footage collected are dull, cumbersome, and very expensive tasks. Avocado Security’s revolutionary technology automates the way we look at and process millions of CCTV images. The “Avocado Index” platform uses an engine that tracks variations in video scenes.

 

The products from Avocado reduce security operation costs without sacrificing the ability to detect threats.

 

Our inspiration comes from years of service in the security and security management space. We clearly saw a void that existing vendors could not and did not answer. Avocado Security answered the market’s demand for a security automation solution that delivers tangible results.

 

 

KS: As I mentioned earlier, it took us about 2 ½ years of consistent and disciplined development to create the Avocado Security product suite. During this time, we validated and tested products by piloting implementation in key market and industries.

 

Avocado Express Version 2.0 was released on April 2 at the ISC West trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada. We effectively met our goals to answer the market’s demand for a multi-dimensions security platform, to provide an interoperable platform for DVR vendors, to assist video analytics vendors in solving technology challenges, and to provide modulat and scalable integration.

 

 

KS: As always, founders made the original investments. We’re now in talk with professional investors who have been involved with our previous projects and are aware of our management team’s performance and ROI capabilities. The fact that we’re a pioneering technology team, with a positive history and consistent delivery, puts us in a favorable position to invite investors. These days, we are getting inbound calls from Tier 1 venture capital teams who are tracking Avocado Security’s performance.

 

 

KS: The name was derived after extensive research and considerations. The Avocado is a healthy fruit, and Avocado Security delivers “healthy” solutions.

 

 

KS: We test our products in the same markets where we expect to find customers for those products. Our pilot customers represent a good sampling from small, midsize and enterprise class customers.

 

In the small to medium-sized business (SMB) sector, vertical we’re targeting are schools, restaurants and automobile dealerships. In the enterprise market, the horizon is completely open. Large enterprises and government agencies stand to benefit more because their implementations are much larger. Hence, aggregated video data and resulting business intelligence from Avocado Security’s platform gives them a much larger and more in-depth view of their infrastructure — the “big picture.”

 

 

KS: The Avocado Security product suite is based on pioneering technology. At the present time as a pioneer and market leader, we enjoy many benefits that vendors in the security market space have not addressed yet. We believe one of the fundamental challengers is interoperability. Our key differentiators include:

 

Universal compatibility. One of the challenges in the security industry has been interoperability challenges. Manufacturers come up with suite of proprietary products, that not only are not compatible with one another, but sometimes they may not even talk to one another even though they my be the same brand or manufactured by the same company. Avocado Security’s platform is compatible with any DVR and camera vendor.

 

Multi-dimensional. Solving a uni-dimensional problem is far simpler than a multi-dimensional challenge. However, such result will only satisfy a small population of customers, rather than a larger body of clientele who are seeking a complete solution. Clients with diverse implementations using multiple brands of equipment are increasingly interested in a multi-dimensional approach rather than a point solution. Avocado Security’s pioneering technology is built with many attributes and capabilities that makes it a true multi dimensional platform.

 

Integration adapters. For a universal implementation, integrators need a smooth access to hundreds of proprietary DVRs in the market. Avocado Security spent 2 ½ creating adapters, application programming interfaces (APIs) and a library — the result being universal compatibility.

 

User-friendly. Our technology, security engine, mathematical calculations and algorithms are kept together, forming the foundation of a user-friendly software package and graphical user interface (GUI). We guide the client’s focus to the results needed, rather than engaging the client in programming subroutines.

 

 

KS: In the SMB market, key verticals are retail, restaurants and banks. In the enterprise space, Avocado’s products are geared toward companies in the retail, hospitality, gaming, financial services, pharmaceutical, health care, education, warehousing, transportation, and aviation industries, as well as Federal, state and local government agencies, law enforcement organizations and correctional facilities.

 

Marketing intelligence is a key factor to effectively running any organization. Companies might ask, How many window shoppers do we get at a store, and of those how many are not converted to customers? With the help of security cameras, it is possible to establish and keep track of certain performance metrics to, for example, intelligently populate a grocery aisle with the most popular items, find out why there is more traffic at the end cap in a retail store, and why escalator or elevator usage surges at certain times of the day.

 

 

KS: Business intelligence (BI) consists of data captured by everyday sensors like cash registers. This can be “optimized” by turning it into valuable information. Optimization is achieved by mixing BI data with information from sales, marketing, human resources, production and operations. This is a growth industry and a significant market by itself. Gartner (News - Alert) Research recently forecasted that the global BI market will be worth $7.7 billion by 2012.

 

Avocado Security’s platform provides a powerful data collection point. Now, security images and CCTV information from a company’s existing or newly to be installed security cameras are converted to BI data, which can be further mixed and compiled with cash register data to provide accurate and visually validated BI. With more data collection sensors, we help clients collect better quality data, and optimize their BI. We have turned security cameras to money making machines.

 

We also make security data available to our customers on a real-time basis. This is the on-demand part. We have put together an infrastructure and a data center that makes BI available to clients anywhere, anytime.

 

 

KS: We have worked on both sides of the fence, both as a channel partner and as a software vendor. We know from experience that providing value makes all the difference, and hence we sell value to our customers and channel partners as well.

 

We offer two distinct programs for partnership:

 

Partners. We run an authorized channel partner program, giving partners help in implement Avocado Security’s product suite for customers. The program includes partners that serve small, midsize, enterprise and government customers. For 2008, we have targeted about 47 independent partners, out of which we will sign up 24 organizations by the end of the year. The first partner to sign up was Global Surveillance System, based in based in Chantilly Virginia.

 

Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). We also support larger vendors in their goal of reaching a broad customer base while investing in product development.

 

 

KS: The key challenge faced by DVR vendors is the need for interoperability. Lack of interoperability is hampering DVR vendors’ ability to make more sales. Avocado Security’s platform provides  universal compatibility with any DVR and camera vendor.

 

Another challenge is modular and scalable integration. Modularity and scalability are popular market requirements. Customers from different industries may not need the same solution, but might require different modules to support a scalable growth path. In the physical security market space, this requirement is not addressed effectively. At Avocado Security, we made sure that our products are modular and scalable.

 

Finally, there is market demand for multi-dimensional platforms. As noted earlier, one of Avocado Security’s key differentiators is the fact that we offer a multi-dimensional platform.

 

 

KS: Physical security and IT will converge. Ideally, a platform should include players from across the entire organization with the IT department  manage and funnel how information, data and video should be routed throughout the organization.

 

Avocado Security’s pioneering technology has taken a giant leap forward by engaging and enabling all departments to gain centralized access to physical security information. Until now, only security guards and loss prevention officer knew what really happened within a security camera, and if something is stolen, or organization is compromised. Such information is important for “C” class management to have access on a daily basis. In essence, it is nothing but operational intelligence.

 

With our security and BI metrics, a CEO knows how the entire organization is running,  the Vice President of Marketing can verify why there is more traffic in a particular area of a store, and the Vice President of Sales can validate cash register (point of sale, or POS) figures with security images to effectively understand how to up-sell the next product.

 

 

KS: Our primary focus right now is converting prospects to customers and moving them up in the sales pipeline. We did a fantastic job in developing and creating a pioneering technology with a sound platform. We also met our goals and accomplished certain key performance metrics. To use an analogy, we can now start selling tickets to our concert rather than finding the band members, conductor, instruments and music. This part of the process, although it is challenging, is also the most fun and rewarding.