SecureEye.com Business Development Manager Doug Macmillan was a pretty popular guy at a Silicon Alley bar the day the Kingdome’s implosion took place. Using the latest digital surveillance technology his company developed, he was able to share with the locals a live view of the event via his laptop.
What made things even more interesting is that Macmillan had the ability to direct the Seattle-based camera to the exact angle he wanted. He could also type in an exact requested time to view a replay.
Located on the 58th floor of one of Seattle’s tallest skyscrapers, the three-year-old digital surveillance Internet company is one of the latest startups to be part of architecture and engineering firm Bouillon’s 70-year-old hi-tech incubator.
The company has kept a low profile for the past three years, and is now ready to begin aggressively marketing its product and looking for investment capital.
The company’s product, which was mainly developed based on SecureEye.com Manager James Masten’s background in weapon systems development, is already up and running for several private and public sector companies.
As early as July it will fully be integrated into the operations of Overlake Hospital. It is already in use by Seattle’s Swedish Hospital.
According to Michael Roselius, head of security at the hospital the best part of using SecureEye.com is being able to pull up information from any PC in the hospital.
The ability to track a certain event is also very useful to Roselius. “If someone tells me that they think they saw someone at 10:00pm yesterday, I can type in yesterday’s date and time and instantly be there.
According to Masten, SecureEye is browser enabled and has a SQL server database that is very secure. It uses an encrypted password, and the images themselves are also encrypted if the customer needs that level of security.
“Our system offers an excellent enterprise level solution for companies in areas ranging from tech support to retail stores,” says Masten.
An interesting feature is the motion detection. A motion detector grid can be set-up so that one is alerted every time someone comes near a pre-selected area. Once the system detects an intruder, it can notify the assigned people via an email or instant messaging.
The asset management function of the system is very useful in determining if property (laptops, monitors, valuables, etc) moves out of a location. Passwords determine who sees what and when. Masten, for example, monitors his home from the office. He can even activate the lighting and other home functions.
“This has nothing to do with the “Big Brother” phenomenon,” says Macmillan. “It’s all about people taking the responsibility to watch out for themselves.”