Eagle Eye Networks acquires Panasonic Cloud Management Services Europe BV

AUSTIN, Texas—Eagle Eye Networks Inc., a cloud-based video surveillance solutions company headquartered here, today announced the acquisition of Panasonic Cloud Management Services Europe BV (PCMSEU), broadening Eagle Eye's product line and creating a global cloud surveillance video company.

“We have a pretty good presence in Asia, where we have gotten early traction and have been building for the last four to five years, and we are doing really well in North America, but we are just starting to get going in Europe, so this acquisition makes us fully global,” Dean Drako, CEO of Eagle Eye Networks, told Security Systems News.

He noted that Eagle Eye dealers in Europe are excited about the acquisition, as it will greatly enhance the company's sales and support efforts there. "The strong and experienced team in cloud video surveillance at our new Eagle Eye EMEA Headquarters will make it possible for us to provide a tremendous level of support to all of our dealers in the region," he said.

Drako pointed out that PCMSEU, makers of Panasonic Cameramanager and Panasonic Nubo, operated the largest number of cloud recorded cameras in Europe and now combined with Eagle Eye “creates the world's first global cloud video surveillance company,” he said.

Panasonic Cloud Management Services Europe BV will be renamed Eagle Eye Networks BV and will function as the European headquarters for Eagle Eye, selling and supporting the expanded Eagle Eye product line. The Panasonic Cameramanager product will be renamed Eagle Eye CameraManager.

The CameraManager solution does not have an onsite bridge device, as the Eagle Eye Cloud Security Camera VMS does, and can therefore be more cost effective for smaller camera counts per location, according to Drako. The company expects to quickly expand the global markets that Eagle Eye CameraManager serves, he said, noting that Eagle Eye plans to increase investment and support of the product and expand its sales globally for those customers that desire direct camera to cloud connectivity.

Panasonic Nubo, which is also part of the acquisition, will be renamed Eagle Eye NuboCam. The versatile LTE camera connects anytime and anywhere over a cellular or wireless network. The NuboCam will continue to be promoted, integrated and enhanced, said Drako.

“The combined offering of the Eagle Eye Cloud Security Camera VMS with new Eagle Eye CameraManager and Eagle Eye NuboCam will provide Eagle Eye dealers the broadest product line available from any cloud video provider in the world,” he noted.

All of PCMSEU's approximately 50 employees will be joining Eagle Eye, and the management team of Rishi Lodhia and Tijmen Vos are continuing to drive the business as managing director and technical director of Eagle Eye Networks EMEA.

“This is a unique opportunity to bring two pioneers in cloud video surveillance together and deliver a broad portfolio of innovative cloud surveillance solutions,” Lodhia said in the announcement. “Eagle Eye and Cameramanager dealers worldwide will now have a wider selection of cloud video products to meet their customers' needs.”

Drako added, “The addition of the full Cameramanager and Nubo engineering and support teams will greatly enhance the size, scope and investment by Eagle Eye in cloud video solutions worldwide.”

The acquisition of PCSMEU will also provide two additional datacenter locations in the Netherlands to support operations. Eagle Eye Networks operates eight data centers in total, located in California, Texas, Canada, Japan (2), UK and now the Netherlands (2).

The Eagle Eye Cloud Security Camera VMS is powered by multiple Tier IV data centers globally distributed, Drako noted. The data centers also support developer activity for the cloud-based Eagle Eye Video API, which allows businesses and developers to integrate camera video into their applications without having to worry about a complex infrastructure.

What does this acquisition mean for Eagle Eye long term? “We think this will give us a big step forward to making us the biggest and most global player in the market for cloud video surveillance,” said Drako, noting that the company has been growing at a rate of more than 100 percent year-over-year.