In February, Motorola Solutions made another acquisition. This time, the target was Silent Sentinel, a U.K.-based provider of specialized, long-range cameras. This article takes a deeper look at the deal.
In February, Motorola Solutions made another acquisition. This time, the target was Silent Sentinel, a U.K.-based provider of specialized, long-range cameras. This article takes a deeper look at the deal and how it may further strengthen Motorola Solutions’ portfolio.
This was Motorola Solutions’ first acquisition of a security solutions provider this year. Prior to this, Motorola Solutions, which ranks No. 5 on asmag.com’s Security 50 in 2023 with 2022 revenue of US$1.52 billion, had made various acquisition in the security field. In 2018, the company made headlines when it acquired Avigilon. Subsequently Motorola purchased such companies as
IndigoVision,
Pelco, Openpath, Ava and Videotec.
At the end of 2023, Motorola Solutions announced their acquisition of IPVideo, gaining a non-video threat detection solution to their portfolio of security and safety products. IPVideo is the creator of the HALO Smart Sensor, an all-in-one device with various built-in functions including air quality monitoring, vape detection, gunshot detection, abnormal noise and motion detection and emergency keyword detection. At the end of 2022, the company
acquired Rave Mobile Safety, a provider of mass notification and incident management solutions.
What Silent Sentinel does
This time, Motorola Solutions acquired U.K.-based Silent Sentinel. According to the company’s website, Silent Sentinel designs, manufactures and supplies security systems targeted at the homeland security market, with product portfolio consisting of short- to long-range thermal cameras, HD and 4K visible cameras, ultra-low light cameras, and accompanying technologies including SWIR, laser ranger finders, illuminators, gyro stabilization and more. According to the original press release announcing the deal, Silent Sentinel’s cameras can identify anomalies from up to 20 miles away (30 km) to extend the perimeter of security and support a faster, more informed response.
“Silent Sentinel manufactures a portfolio of PTZ cameras capable of positioning a range of payloads with extreme precision and repeatability. Payload options include visible lighting with extremely long focal lengths, as well as a range of cooled and uncooled thermal imaging solutions depending on the application,” said Hamish Dobson, CVP of Avigilon and Pelco products at Motorola Solutions. “The NexOS firmware platform provides customers with a common interface for the PTZ system, auto tracking and configured payloads.”
Significance of the deal
With the Silent Sentinel acquisition, Motorola Solutions is in a stronger position to broaden their video security portfolio to help secure and support essential operations and industries around the world. According to Dobson, example users of Silent Sentinel include:
- Oil refineries or oil rigs to detect oil or emission leaks;
- Airports or seaports for long range camera visibility;
- Critical infrastructure for perimeter protection;
- Wildfire detection to see far through fog and haze, and detect fire or smoke from 20 miles in a 360 degree range. It can alert a security commander in a control room automatically to take action to prevent a fire from spreading.
“This acquisition complements Motorola Solutions’ portfolio of moving security cameras, expanding its footprint with government and critical infrastructure customers and strengthening its position as a global leader in end-to-end video security solutions,” Dobson said.
Silent Sentinel is a global company based in U.K. “Silent Sentinel is headquartered in Ware, United Kingdom, and conducts business globally. Motorola Solutions intends to make these products available globally,” Dobson said.
Terms of deal were not immediately disclosed. As for future acquisition opportunities, Dobson sad Motorola Solutions will continually assesse ways to strengthen their portfolio organically and through strategic acquisitions.