Verkada Review & Business Tactics

The company

Verkada stands as a trailblazer in cloud-based physical security solutions, enabling enterprises to manage safer, more intelligent buildings. Uniquely, Verkada offers six integrated product lines—video security cameras, access control, environmental sensors, alarms, workplace, and intercoms—all unified under a single cloud-based software platform. Engineered for simplicity and scalability, Verkada empowers organizations with real-time insights to assess factors affecting the safety and comfort of their physical environments, enabling immediate action to mitigate security risks, workplace frustrations, and costly inefficiencies. Founded in 2016, Verkada has raised over $700M in funding, fueling rapid expansion to 15 offices on six continents, employing 2,200+ full-time staff, and serving 30,000+ customers in 85+ countries, including 91 Fortune 500 companies.

The Management

Filip Kaliszan is the visionary chief executive officer and founder of Verkada, established in 2016. Under his leadership, the company has experienced significant growth and innovation in product development. A true builder, Filip previously co-founded CourseRank with James Ren and Benjamin Bercovitz while still a sophomore at Stanford University. Demonstrating entrepreneurial acumen, they successfully sold CourseRank to Chegg.com in under four years. Following the acquisition, Filip honed his expertise as a Director of Product Management at Chegg for four years. He is academically accomplished, holding both a bachelor's and a master's degree in computer science from Stanford University, which has undoubtedly contributed to his success in the tech industry.

System Architecture & Design

The architecture of their systems is simple. Like Ring Video Doorbells, Verkada's cameras are standalone IP security cameras with built-in edge memory cards for video recording. In essence, the system is a group of stand-a-lone self-contained IP security cameras that use a company's network for communication to a cloud software. The user interfaces with the array of cameras through this cleverly designed cloud platform.

This configuration offers a company's IT department a comprehensive solution that extracts data flow from their network, except when users engage in live viewing or video playback. Another aspect to consider is Verkada's pricing model. Verkada imposes an annual licensing fee per camera, and if these fees are not paid, the service is suspended until all outstanding fees are settled. This strategy allows Verkada to employ aggressive sales tactics, which have been widely criticized online. Consequently, this results in a significantly higher total operational cost over a five-year period compared to other commercial solutions, making it a less cost-effective choice for long-term use.

Sales Tactics

The company, emerging from the roots of Silicon Valley and Cisco, has adopted sales strategies that some consumers criticize as embodying "the worst part of Silicon Valley." Common reviews highlight aggressive sales tactics and restrictive, punitive service upgrades, effectively trapping customers with no viable Verkada exit strategies. These are the same business models that the founder of Cisco, now at Verkada, has woven into their customer retention framework. Consequently, many customers find themselves in a situation they did not anticipate or desire, feeling constrained by the company's practices and longing for more flexibility and autonomy.

Verkada Customer Reviews

Consistent themes are emerging from Verkada's customer reviews.

TrustPilot

"The most pushy sales staff I have ever come across in 43 years in the construction industry. I would never deal with a company that thinks that is the way to treat potential customers."




"Relentless, annoying and irritating spammers. Any company who uses these kind of tactics to sell products should be avoided at all costs."




"Keeps sending me spam emails. I've never met him. If this is how they try to get 'business' they are most likely not even a real company. I'd flag this is possible hacking / criminal activity."





Reddit

"I’m a school IT sysadmin working on upgrading our campus security system, and Verkada was one of the options we were considering. However, I just came across the news that Verkada was fined $3 million by the FTC due to alleged security and privacy failures in their camera systems. The report highlights some pretty alarming issues, especially around unauthorized access to camera feeds. Given the sensitive nature of school environments, where the safety of students and staff is our top priority, this has raised serious concerns for me."




"They screwed over a local district for the tune of 1.5 million. They also have a horrific sales model of screwing over the local installers just to make a sale. Avigilon Alta is a fantastic cloud option they won’t turn your cameras into bricks if you don’t renew. Also you can bring your own cameras that are onvif compatible. Plus you can use mercury access control panels that can be ported to another access’s control system’s software if needed."




"Verkada is an aggressive sales company, I don't trust them personally.... In San Diego, CA alone they have 30+ sales reps ... They also have the highest profit margin for integrators 48%.. They offered my integrator an extra 10% to sell us Verkada... Whereas the Axis cameras I'm currently having installed, the integrator has 9% margins, and my video is stored locally on my appliance instead of in the cloud.... Also if I have an Internet outage, my security system doesn't become useless."

Verkada Caught Posting Fake Unethical Reviews

Competitive Alternatives

While Verkada's main benefits lie in its system architecture and custom-designed AI cloud features, emerging companies offer similar advantages with a more customer-focused pricing structure. Luminys is one such company, providing these benefits at a more reasonable, value-added pricing model, ensuring accessibility and satisfaction.