In Irvine-based startup is providing key technology to a growing number of law enforcement agencies that are equipping officers with body cameras.
Zadara Storage Inc. partnered with SoleraTec LLC to integrate its enterprise storage service with the Escondido company’s digital evidence management software to store and organize video evidence from the cameras.
Zadara has landed three customers since recently introducing the offering, which allows users to store, retrieve, share and archive video content in the cloud or on premises. The company said it expects to attract several new customers with its pay-per-use business model.
“We have some big multiple deals in the pipeline,” said Chief Executive Nelson Nahum. “This application generates data every day.”
The nascent body camera segment is projected to top 1 million unit sales by 2017, a dramatic jump from the 50,000 that sold last year, according to Stamford, Conn.-based Gartner Inc. The use of the devices has been championed by activists who continue to protest over the recent deaths of several unarmed people in police custody or during arrests. The developments come as more law enforcement agencies store video evidence to meet state and federal requirements and as they await funding for wearable devices.
More than 70 law enforcement agencies will receive $20 million in federal grants to purchase and implement body cameras, the Justice Department recently announced. The grants will fund about 21,000 body-worn cameras, less than half the number requested by some 285 agencies. State recipients include Los Angeles, Pasadena, Sacramento and San Bernardino County.
Zadara posted a strong 2015, tripling revenue to more than $5 million from nearly 100 customers. It employs about 50 and has other operations in Israel, U.K., India, Australia and Germany.
The storage device maker has raised $10 million since its 2011 inception, including a $3 million investment from Irvine-based Toshiba America Electronics Components.
IT Firm Grows With Buy
Irvine-based IT provider Synoptek LLC will nearly double employment and revenue with its $29 million buy of Earthlink Holdings Corp.’s IT business.
The Atlanta-based acquisition, which has some 1,700 customers and more than 200 workers, generates about $37 million in annual sales.
Synoptek has been one of the fastest-growing private companies in Orange County. The company, which was established in 2001 by Tim Britt, former chief information officer for Ace Hardware Corp.’s online store, posted revenue of $44.6 million in the 12 months through June.
Its 367.5% growth rate in two years attracted San Francisco-based private equity firm Sverica Capital Management LLC, which acquired the company in November on undisclosed terms.
Bits & Pieces
It appears the short-lived run of 3-D TVs is coming to an end as Samsung indicates it will no longer include the technology in new models—and the same goes for Irvine-based Vizio Inc., the top U.S. smart TV seller. “Vizio has no current 3-D TVs in their lines,” spokesperson Jim Noyd told the Business Journal. LG is planning to cut production on 3-D-enabled sets in half this year as the cost of 4K, OLED and dynamic range TVs drops and adoption increases. … Oculus VR Inc., which got its start in Irvine and moved to Menlo Park after its $2 billion sale in 2014 to Facebook, launched preorders on Feb. 16 for its Oculus Ready PC and Rift Bundle through Best Buy, Amazon and the Microsoft Store. The bundle costs $1,500 but promises to deliver the full-immersive experience that’s caught the tech world by storm. Of course, if demand doesn’t meet the hype, virtual reality could follow the path of 3-D TVs.
