Verkada, a provider of AI-based security solutions, is further expanding its technological leadership structure: Chris Stori has been appointed Chief Information Officer (CIO) with immediate effect. In this role, he will be responsible for global IT strategy, business systems and technology-driven initiatives designed to support the company’s continued growth.
With this appointment, Verkada is responding to its dynamic expansion in the field of Physical AI. CEO and co-founder Filip Kaliszan emphasises the strategic importance of the new appointment: Stori brings “the operational excellence and ambition to play a decisive role in shaping Verkada’s next phase of growth”. His leadership will play a key role, particularly in the development of an AI-powered operating platform for physical security applications.
Chris Stori joins from automation specialist Bright Machines, where he most recently served as CEO. Prior to that, he spent more than a decade at Cisco Systems in various leadership roles. As Senior Vice President and General Manager, his responsibilities included the multi-billion-dollar enterprise networking, IoT and Meraki portfolio. During this time, he played a key role in driving the growth of the Meraki cloud networking platform and scaled the customer base from 18,000 to over 600,000 businesses worldwide. His previous roles also include consultancy work at McKinsey & Company, focusing on international market expansion.
The appointment comes against the backdrop of a record financial year: Verkada increased its revenue by 30 per cent and now serves more than 31,000 customers worldwide, including over 100 Fortune 500 companies. The high platform penetration is particularly striking: a large proportion of customers use multiple product lines, with investments often nearly doubling in the first year.
A key driver of growth is the rising demand for proactive, AI-powered security solutions. Verkada is increasingly adopting ‘agent-based’ security approaches, where systems not only record events but actively detect and respond to threats. The company recently unveiled an AI-based deterrence solution that uses image, audio and speech models to identify potential incidents at an early stage and automatically initiate countermeasures.
Chris Stori sees considerable potential in this development: Verkada is redefining the possibilities of physical security through the use of AI and creating measurable added value for businesses and public institutions. His focus is on further scaling the global infrastructure and internal systems to sustainably support this growth.
