Our IoT Heroes: Madhav Varma - Product Development Manager

What were your main reasons and motivations to join us?

I can draw on 15 years of experience in the embedded software industry in various roles, product development and consulting, in companies and in start-ups, where I had the most exciting experiences. At Azena, I was given the great opportunity to take full responsibility for a product that did not exist in this form before. Unlike in previous roles, I now work very closely with customers, as the success of a new innovative product like our camera OS depends heavily on our ability to meet specific customer needs.

What are the central values in your working environment?

In his book "Zero to One" Peter Thiel states that the best start-ups work like cults (in a positive sense) because they are extremely dedicated, as is the case with Azena. The strong shared vision of a revolutionary ecosystem for security cameras fascinates me every day. I enjoy the great camaraderie that helps us consistently deliver superior results and get through challenging times together. Hard work and persistence are qualities you will find in any team.

“Azena’ vision of a revolutionary platform on which the security camera industry can thrive fascinates and motivates me every day."

What superhero power can you draw on when you need it?

Along with my technical expertise, my Executive MBA helps me understand critical business aspects of product development and the needs of our customers and partners. I am a master in juggling various topics and tasks at the same time, both on a technological and business level, and can rely on my strong empathy, which helps me always fulfill or even exceed the requirements of my role as Product Development Manager.

What are the most interesting topics you will work on here and what will be the hardest tasks to solve?

My tasks are manifold: I’m responsible for creating and maintaining the overall product strategy, roadmap and planning for ongoing improvement. Many major camera manufacturers already use our open OS to make their cameras smarter with AI and the latest video analytics. Now we’re working on giving smaller manufacturers of low-cost devices access to our OS more efficiently and with less customization effort. Besides I represent Azena on technical committees at Open Security & Safety Alliance and give lectures at congresses and symposia.

“At Azena I am building the first open source OS for security cameras that is completely hardware-agnostic. This chance does not come too often in life.”

What do you see as the main trends in IoT in a business context and from your perspective as Product Development Manager?

Data-driven technologies will become ubiquitous in the near future, even in more traditional industries like security. Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence are no longer just buzzwords, but already help create the most accurate and robust solutions for video analytics. Security camera users are looking for modular solutions that they can flexibly manage themselves, rather than being dependent on system providers and struggling with integration and compatibility issues. 

Managing and adapting camera systems will be much easier and more efficient with Azena.

Madhav, thank you very much for the chat!