Cloud security firms, Brivo & Eagle Eye, form AI security giant

Cloud-based security firms Brivo and Eagle Eye Networks have agreed to merge in a deal that creates what the companies describe as the world's largest AI cloud-native physical security business.

The combined group will operate under the Brivo name and will focus on unified physical security delivered from the cloud. It will integrate access control, video surveillance, visitor management and intrusion detection into a single product suite.

Brivo specialises in cloud-based access control and so-called smart space technologies. Eagle Eye Networks focuses on cloud video surveillance and video management software. Both companies have promoted cloud architectures and artificial intelligence in physical security systems for more than a decade.

The merged company will base its US operations in Bethesda, Maryland, and Austin, Texas. It will also maintain offices in Lehi, Utah, Amsterdam, Bangalore and Tokyo, which reflects the existing footprints of the two businesses.

Leadership structure

Dean Drako, who founded Eagle Eye Networks and serves as chairman of Brivo, will become Chief Executive of the enlarged Brivo. Steve Van Till, who founded Brivo, will take the role of President.

Drako said the combination would streamline how customers engage with the business and its products.

"Customers will have one support team, one business relationship, and one integrated cloud-native physical security solution," said Dean Drako, CEO, Brivo.

The company will group its products under the Brivo Security Suite. The suite will contain AI tools, access control, video intelligence, visitor management and intrusion detection. Customers will manage these services from a unified cloud platform.

Unified platform

Both firms have supported open systems and integrations with third-party products. The combined company said it would continue this approach and would support other video and access control solutions alongside its own technologies.

The Brivo Security Suite will draw on video management software from Eagle Eye Networks and access control technology from Brivo. It will position these tools as a single environment for enterprise customers that operate multiple sites.

Brivo said it already runs what it calls a unified enterprise security platform that supports commercial property and multifamily residential assets. It manages access and security for more than 1 billion square feet of property in 80 countries.

Brivo shifted access control from on-premise systems towards a software-as-a-service model over the past two decades. Eagle Eye Networks developed its video management system as a cloud-native product. The merger combines these two product lines under one brand.

AI and analytics

The merged Brivo organisation plans to extend the use of AI across its services and internal operations. Brivo products already use AI features such as anomaly detection, facial detection, video analytics and natural language interfaces for support and order entry.

Eagle Eye Networks has integrated AI and analytics into its cloud video services. Its products include tools for centralised video surveillance and analysis over an internet connection rather than local storage.

Brivo's existing ecosystem includes more than 100 third-party hardware devices such as smart locks, intercoms and sensors. The company also offers an open API that connects into external business software used in sectors such as real estate and facilities management.

Eagle Eye Networks sells its products through a global channel of resellers and integrators. The combined group expects these partners to continue to distribute the new Brivo Security Suite in multiple regions.

Market position

The companies said the merger would expand their presence in the global market for cloud-based physical security systems. That market covers enterprise access control, video surveillance and building management across offices, industrial facilities and residential complexes.

In a statement on the strategic rationale, Van Till said the move formalises a relationship that has existed for several years.

"The merger cements our leadership position in the market, provides a better solution for our customers, and helps resellers grow their businesses more efficiently," said Steve Van Till, President, Brivo.

Brivo and Eagle Eye Networks have shared ownership and a long-term commercial relationship. The companies now intend to align operations under a single structure and brand.

"We have shared the same vision and ownership for a decade, so the merger is about aligning operations so we can move faster and provide better service to our customers," said Van Till.