Living and working in today’s world, we witness the evolving security challenges in our communities—stores locking up everyday items behind glass, small businesses shutting down due to theft, and schools ramping up security measures to protect students. The pressure on businesses, schools, and public spaces to enhance security has never been greater. Yet many organizations still rely on outdated systems. Traditional security infrastructure is hardware intensive, expensive to maintain, and lacks the flexibility needed to adapt to modern challenges. It is no longer enough.

While consumer security solutions have moved to the cloud, many enterprise security systems are still stuck in the past, requiring on-prem servers, manual software updates, and complex integrations of disparate hardware. IT teams are stretched thin managing firmware upgrades, patching vulnerabilities, and troubleshooting outdated setups. Many legacy systems require users to be on-site or logged in remotely via poorly configured VPNs or default passwords just to access video footage, increasing the risk of security breaches.

Traditional DVR (digital video recorder) and NVR (network video recorder) systems store surveillance footage locally, resulting in significant limitations. Each recorder can only store footage from a limited number of cameras, making scaling a security program cumbersome. Even worse, these local storage devices create a single point of failure—if tampered with or stolen, critical security footage could be lost permanently.

The challenges of physical security 

As software investors, we initially gravitated toward software-only solutions—in particular video management systems (VMS) and AI-powered analytics. However, our research revealed critical gaps that limited the effectiveness and scalability of this technology.

VMS software serves as the backbone of most security systems, enabling organizations to record, store, and retrieve video data and receive alerts. However, traditional VMS platforms are often fragmented, requiring complex on-premise infrastructure that is expensive to install and difficult to maintain.

We also explored computer vision-powered analytics, which enhance threat detection by identifying weapons and physical altercations with greater accuracy. Instead of relying on 24/7 surveillance teams to passively monitor feeds, organizations can leverage AI to surface only the most critical events, allowing security personnel to respond more efficiently. As we dug deeper, we realized that the accuracy of AI-powered solutions depends on the quality and accessibility of video footage—and that is where legacy setups fall short. Poor-quality cameras and siloed security systems create blind spots for organizations that need real-time awareness. Even when AI analytics tools integrate with a traditional VMS, they often function as a separate layer, requiring security teams to toggle between platforms, manage multiple dashboards, and reconcile alerts across different systems. This fragmentation adds complexity, slows response times, and makes investigations more cumbersome. While AI-powered solutions can provide valuable insights, they do not fully resolve the underlying inefficiencies of outdated infrastructure or the operational challenges of disconnected security workflows.

Beyond the technology, we discovered a critical go-to-market complexity in the security industry: the role of channel partners. Most physical security solutions are purchased through channel partners, who provide consulting, installation, and ongoing maintenance. These partners play a crucial role in shaping purchasing decisions, making them key influencers in the industry. The best security solution will still struggle to gain adoption without their support. 

In conversations with both customers and channel partners, we repeatedly discovered the same fundamental challenge: fragmented security systems are difficult to install, integrate, and maintain. Traditional setups may rely on separate vendors for hardware, VMS, and analytics tools, leading to complex deployments, compatibility issues, and high maintenance costs. Channel partners—who are responsible for stitching these components together—prefer solutions that are quick to deploy, easy to use, and provide a unified experience. 

Verkada delivers exactly that—combining high-quality hardware, VMS, AI-powered analytics, plus a robust suite of physical security products in a single, cloud-based platform.

A new standard for security

Verkada was co-founded in 2016 by Filip Kaliszan, James Ren, Benjamin Bercovitz, and Hans Robertson to transform the protection of people and property. The company’s founding insight was that enterprise physical security could be radically improved by bringing the ease of use and installation of consumer tech (such as plug-and-play cameras and cloud apps) into complex corporate environments. Over time, the company expanded to offer the majority of systems needed to secure a building. Verkada’s comprehensive product suite includes:

• Security cameras with AI-powered search
• Alarms with 24/7 professional monitoring services
• Intercoms to facilitate secure communication at entry points 
• Access control for secure management of entry points
• Environmental sensors to track conditions such as temperature, humidity, and air quality‍
• Workplace software for seamless visitor management

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With Verkada’s cloud-based architecture, what once required multiple vendors and disconnected systems is now unified into a single platform that’s accessible anywhere, anytime, from any device. This approach eliminates complexity and gives organizations a single pane of glass into their security operations.

Legacy security systems require constant maintenance, IT support, and on-prem hardware upgrades. Verkada eliminates this complexity with automatic software updates, secure cloud storage, and real-time access from any device. IT teams no longer have to manage firmware patches or troubleshoot aging DVRs—it just works. One of Verkada’s retail customers deployed nearly 500 stores with Verkada, reducing break-fix costs, increasing productivity by 30 to 40% and reducing shrinkage by 5%.²

Beyond reducing operational friction, Verkada’s AI capabilities allow organizations to rapidly search security footage using natural language queries like “blue backpack” or “red sedan.” Instead of manually scrubbing through hours of video, security teams can instantly surface relevant footage, leading to 64% faster incident investigations.³

Just as critical as Verkada’s technology is how it reaches customers. Verkada recognized the importance of the channel and built a global network of 8,400+ trusted partners. These channel partners act as advisors to businesses, schools, and public sector organizations, giving Verkada a powerful distribution advantage. Channel partners prefer a platform that is easy to use, quick to deploy, provides a single pane of glass and offers a robust suite of physical security products, which makes Verkada the go-to choice for customers and channel partners alike.

Looking to the future

As security needs evolve, so must our solutions. Verkada is paving the way for a modern security infrastructure by focusing on user-friendly design, privacy, and scalability. Their solutions empower security teams in organizations of all sizes—from small businesses and schools, to Fortune 500 companies. Whether helping Canada Goose scale global operations, or schools like Durham College implement emergency response solutions, Verkada is helping to create safer communities. ‍

Today, Verkada protects 30,000+ companies around the world, including over 13 million students, 5.9 million manufacturing employees, 4.1 million hospitality and retail employees, and 1.4 million healthcare employees.⁴ We are honored to support Filip, Hans, James, and Benjamin as they continue to redefine physical security and drive meaningful impact for businesses and communities worldwide.