“For us, ‘Made in India’ cannot stop at the label on the enclosure & on Packaging. True technology self-reliance begins when the product architecture, hardware, PCB, firmware, software and intellectual know-how are progressively built and controlled within the country. That philosophy has shaped IndiNatus from the beginning.” - Chandra Shekhar, Managing Director – IndiNatus India Private Limited
1.
Please tell
us about the background behind founding IndiNatus and what are your objectives
for future.
IndiNatus
was founded in 2021 with a clear conviction: India should not remain merely a consumer or assembler of
critical surveillance technologies; we must build the capability to design,
develop and own them.
Having
closely observed the Indian video surveillance industry for years, I saw that
while the market was growing rapidly, much of the underlying
technology—including product architecture, hardware design, firmware and core
engineering—continued to depend heavily on overseas ecosystems. I believed this
represented not only a business opportunity, but also a strategic technology
gap that India needed to address.
This
realization became the foundation of IndiNatus
India Private Limited. From the beginning, our objective was
not to create another CCTV brand dependent primarily on imported finished
products. We deliberately chose the more challenging path of building
indigenous product-engineering and R&D capabilities in India. Surveillance
today is no longer simply about recording video; it is becoming an intelligent
and interconnected technology domain involving cybersecurity, Artificial
Intelligence, Edge Computing, data protection and critical infrastructure.
Over
the years, we have systematically built in-house capabilities across electronic hardware and PCB design,
embedded firmware and software, product engineering, system-level development
and Edge-AI technologies. This technology-first approach
continues to define who we are as an organisation.
Looking
ahead, our vision extends far beyond cameras and recorders. We aim to establish
IndiNatus as a globally
respected Indian video-intelligence and secure surveillance technology company,
developing next-generation platforms around Edge AI, intelligent video
analytics, cybersecurity, secure embedded systems and advanced surveillance
infrastructure. We also see significant opportunities in OEM/ODM and global
technology partnerships, where Indian engineering can create customised
products and platforms for both domestic and international markets.
Our
long-term objective is clear: to
build and retain technology and intellectual capability in India, strengthen
domestic value addition and supply-chain resilience, create globally
competitive products, and take Indian-designed surveillance technology to the
world.
For
me, the IndiNatus journey represents a larger mission—moving from technology dependence to
technology ownership. If India is to emerge as a global
electronics and technology powerhouse, we must not only manufacture products
here; we must increasingly design,
engineer, secure and own the technology behind them.
1.
Please share
your organisation’s groundwork in promoting R&D of security products in
India.
At IndiNatus, R&D is not a supporting function—it is the foundation
of our organisation and the core of our product strategy. From
the beginning, we made a conscious decision to invest in building indigenous
engineering capabilities rather than relying primarily on imported finished
products or externally developed technology.
Our groundwork has focused on creating an in-house, multidisciplinary R&D
ecosystem covering electronic hardware and PCB design, embedded
firmware and software development, product engineering, system integration,
cybersecurity and Edge-AI technologies. This enables us to work at the
fundamental technology level—from product architecture and component selection
to hardware development, firmware, software, integration and final product
validation.
A major recognition of this commitment is our in-house R&D facility being
recognised by the Department of Scientific & Industrial Research (DSIR),
Government of India. For us, this is not merely a recognition;
it validates the research and engineering culture we have been systematically
building within IndiNatus.
We are also investing significant R&D
efforts in developing products aligned with India's evolving security,
cybersecurity and quality requirements. Our engineering teams continuously work
on secure product architecture, firmware security, intelligent video analytics,
Edge AI, system interoperability and product localisation, while increasing
domestic engineering capability and value addition.
Another important part of our approach is the development of Indian engineering talent.
Building indigenous technology requires much more than manufacturing
infrastructure—it requires engineers who understand the complete product
lifecycle. We therefore focus on developing capabilities in embedded systems,
electronics, PCB engineering, firmware, software, cybersecurity and AI so that
critical product knowledge and intellectual capability can increasingly be
created and retained within India.
We believe India's security industry is at an
important inflection point. The next phase of growth cannot be driven only by
localisation of manufacturing; it must also be driven by localisation of knowledge, engineering,
intellectual property and innovation.
Our objective is therefore not simply to
manufacture security products in India, but to contribute towards an ecosystem
where advanced surveillance technologies are conceived, designed, developed, secured and continuously
improved in India.
We strongly believe that true self-reliance begins in the R&D
lab before it reaches the manufacturing floor.
2. Please tell us about the
‘STQC’ status of your products and what is your long-term vision regarding this
government mandate?
STQC has emerged as a significant milestone for
India’s video surveillance industry, strengthening the focus on cybersecurity, product integrity,
testing, quality assurance and trusted technology ecosystems.
At IndiNatus, we view this initiative not merely as a compliance requirement,
but as an important step towards building a more secure and technologically
self-reliant surveillance ecosystem in India.
We are proud that multiple IndiNatus surveillance
solutions have already been certified by STQC, reflecting our
sustained investment in indigenous R&D and our commitment to meeting the
stringent security, quality and technical requirements prescribed under the
Government of India framework. At the same time, we continue to work towards
expanding our STQC-certified portfolio across different surveillance
applications and deployment requirements.
STQC requirements have been incorporated as an
important part of our product-engineering roadmap. We have invested
considerable R&D efforts in areas including secure hardware architecture, firmware and software
development, cybersecurity, secure boot mechanisms, encryption and data
protection, system hardening and vulnerability management,
together with the necessary product testing and technical documentation.
For IndiNatus, one of the important outcomes of
this mandate is the greater emphasis it places on technology ownership, cybersecurity
accountability and visibility into the underlying product architecture and
software/firmware ecosystem. This aligns strongly with our
philosophy of developing and strengthening core engineering capabilities within
India.
Our long-term vision is to ensure that our
relevant product portfolio progressively evolves in alignment with STQC and other applicable Government of
India security and quality requirements, while treating
compliance as a continuous engineering discipline rather than a one-time
certification exercise. Cybersecurity threats will continue to evolve, and
therefore surveillance products must also continuously evolve through secure
development practices, vulnerability assessment, firmware security and
lifecycle management.
We believe the STQC mandate can become an
important catalyst for transforming the Indian surveillance industry—from an
ecosystem historically influenced by product sourcing and assembly towards one
increasingly driven by indigenous
R&D, secure product engineering, accountability and technology ownership.
Ultimately, our objective is not simply to meet
a government mandate. We want to contribute towards a trusted Indian
surveillance ecosystem where products deployed across government, enterprises
and critical infrastructure are secure
by design, transparently engineered and supported by strong domestic R&D
capabilities.
For us, STQC
is not the destination; it is an important foundation for creating a trusted,
secure and globally competitive Indian surveillance technology ecosystem.
3. What new initiatives you have
taken or plan to take up in future for the benefit of security industry?
At IndiNatus, our future initiatives are
centred on a clear objective: to
help move India’s security industry from product dependence towards technology
ownership and innovation leadership. We believe the next
transformation in surveillance will be driven not simply by higher-resolution
cameras, but by the convergence of Artificial
Intelligence, Edge Computing, Cybersecurity, indigenous electronics and
intelligent video analytics.
One of our key initiatives is the continued
development of a complete
indigenous video surveillance technology ecosystem. We are
strengthening our capabilities across IP cameras, NVRs, Edge-AI devices, AI
servers, video management platforms and intelligent analytics, with increasing
integration between hardware, firmware, software and AI. Our objective is to
provide customers with secure, scalable and interoperable solutions rather than
isolated products.
Edge AI is another major focus area for
IndiNatus. We are working towards bringing greater intelligence
directly to the edge, enabling cameras and edge devices to analyse events
closer to the source instead of depending entirely on centralised computing.
This can enable faster response, optimise bandwidth and storage, and support
advanced applications such as intelligent object detection and classification,
ANPR/OCR and other application-specific video analytics.
Cybersecurity will remain equally fundamental
to our roadmap. As surveillance devices become increasingly connected, they
also become part of the broader cybersecurity landscape. We therefore intend to
continue investing in secure
product architecture, firmware security, secure boot, encryption, vulnerability
management and lifecycle security, while progressively
expanding our solutions in alignment with STQC and other applicable national
security and quality requirements.
Another important initiative is to strengthen
India’s position as a global
product-development and manufacturing destination for surveillance technology.
Through our OEM/ODM capabilities, we plan to collaborate with Indian and
international organisations that require customised security and
embedded-vision solutions, enabling more products to be designed, engineered
and developed from India.
We also consider development of Indian engineering talent
an important responsibility. The long-term strength of the security industry
will depend on engineers with deep capabilities in electronics, PCB design,
embedded systems, firmware, software, cybersecurity and AI. We intend to
continue expanding our R&D ecosystem and creating opportunities for young
engineers to work on real-world, advanced security technologies.
In the longer term, our ambition is to take Indian-developed surveillance and
video-intelligence technologies to global markets. We believe
India has the engineering talent, market scale and innovation capability
required not only to become self-reliant, but eventually to emerge as an
important global source of trusted security technology.
Our philosophy for the future is therefore
simple: we do not want
India to merely manufacture the security products of tomorrow; we want Indian
engineers to design, develop, secure and own the technology behind them.
Through IndiNatus, we intend to continue investing in the R&D, talent and
technology ecosystem required to make that vision a reality.
4.
Which industry verticals you target for your security
products and your plans for future expansion.
IndiNatus has developed its security and video
surveillance portfolio with a strong focus on government, critical infrastructure, enterprise and
large-scale institutional deployments, where security,
cybersecurity, reliability and long-term technology support are particularly
important.
Our key target verticals include Government and Public Sector
Undertakings (PSUs), Defence and strategic establishments, Railways and
Transportation, Smart Cities and Safe City projects, Airports and Metro
infrastructure, Power and Energy, Oil & Gas, Banking and Financial
Institutions, Education, Healthcare, Industrial and Manufacturing facilities,
Data Centres, Commercial Infrastructure, Hospitality and large Enterprise
deployments. We also see significant opportunities in
residential and commercial surveillance through our channel and
system-integration ecosystem.
Different verticals require very different
surveillance architectures. A railway or transportation project, for example,
may require highly reliable network and mobile surveillance solutions, while
critical infrastructure demands stronger cybersecurity and system resilience.
Smart City and Safe City deployments require large-scale integration,
intelligent analytics and centralised monitoring, whereas industrial
applications increasingly require Edge AI and application-specific video
intelligence. Our R&D-led approach allows us to develop and customise
solutions around these specific operational requirements rather than following
a one-size-fits-all product strategy.
Going forward, we see substantial growth
opportunities in AI-enabled
surveillance, intelligent transportation, critical infrastructure protection,
industrial security, smart infrastructure and large-scale integrated
command-and-control environments. Our expansion strategy is
therefore focused not simply on increasing the number of products, but on
developing deeper, vertical-specific solutions combining cameras, NVRs, Edge-AI
devices, AI servers, software platforms and intelligent video analytics.
Geographically, while India remains our primary
and strategically most important market, our next phase of growth will
increasingly focus on international
markets, particularly the Middle East, Africa and other emerging regions,
where demand for secure, reliable and intelligent surveillance infrastructure
is expanding rapidly. We intend to build these markets through strategic
distributors, system integrators, technology partners and OEM/ODM
collaborations.
Our long-term ambition is to establish
IndiNatus as a globally
recognised Indian security and video-intelligence technology company,
capable of addressing requirements ranging from individual edge devices to
large-scale integrated surveillance infrastructure.
We believe the future of security will move
from simply “seeing and
recording” to “understanding, analysing and responding.” Our
expansion strategy is aligned with this transformation—combining indigenous
R&D, Edge AI, cybersecurity and intelligent video technologies to serve
increasingly complex security requirements in India and across global markets.