Transforming South Africa’s security landscape
FirstAlert, a Cape Town-based startup, has transformed security monitoring through its innovative CCTV platform. By combining AI-powered incident detection with trained human verification, the platform turns passive cameras into proactive security agents without requiring new hardware.
Strategically led by Delamaine du Toit, with Duncan Macfarlane as technical lead, this lean two-person team connects monitoring companies, armed response units, and communities to enhance safety across South Africa. With projects scaling from local Cape Town security issues to nationwide coverage, FirstAlert plays a key role in democratising professional security monitoring.
“Our philosophy from day one has been to build simple, resilient, and scalable systems,” says Delamaine. “In security, you can’t afford downtime or slow response times – seconds can mean the difference between safety and danger.”
A strategic move to cloud infrastructure
As their platform grew more sophisticated, handling real-time video processing and instant alert escalation, the demands on their backend systems intensified. They needed infrastructure that could scale instantly without compromising the reliability that security operations demand.FirstAlert adopted a cloud-first approach to replace its constraining bare metal setup. “We were running three to four Self-Managed Servers, which meant paying for unused capacity and facing scaling limitations,” explains Delamaine.
“Our microservice architecture needed smaller, targeted resources that bare metal couldn’t provide efficiently.”
How it works:
- Microservice Architecture: 10 of 11 services migrated to xneelo Cloud instances
- Real-time Processing: Node.js applications handle video alerts at scale
- Data Management: RethinkDB databases with Redis caching for performance
- Hardware Integration: C++ SDKs connect with CCTV brands like Dahua and Hikvision
- Enhanced Security: Cloud infrastructure eliminates single points of failure
Why they chose xneelo Cloud
The FirstAlert team evaluated major hyperscaler alternatives before choosing xneelo Cloud:
Hyperscalers:
- Complex billing models were unpredictable
- Lacked the responsive support critical for security operations
- No local presence or understanding of the South African market needs
Xneelo Cloud:
- Ultra-low latency is critical for real-time video alerts, where microseconds matter
- 24/7 technical support available after hours and weekends
- Transparent, predictable pricing without vendor lock-in
- Positive research ratings and low-latency data centres in Cape Town
“The technical support team at xneelo is available after hours and on weekends, which is crucial for security issues that can arise at any time,” notes Delamaine.
Business impact
The migration to xneelo Cloud delivered measurable improvements across operations, security, and cost management:
- 30-40% cost savings by eliminating unused resources and optimising allocation
- Instant scalability to handle real-time video alerts without server overloading
- Zero hardware downtime with cloud infrastructure, eliminating failure risks
- Enhanced development cycles with flexible testing and deployment capabilities
Support that makes the difference
“There’s real value in working with a local provider who understands that security operations never stop.”
The FirstAlert team relies on:
- 24/7 technical support
- Quick response times for critical issues
- Local South African infrastructure expertise
“The real ROI isn’t just the cost savings,” notes Delamaine. “It’s the ability to scale instantly, avoid downtime, and focus entirely on building the best security platform possible.”
Social impact beyond tech
Beyond operational improvements, xneelo Cloud’s reliable infrastructure enables FirstAlert’s broader mission:
- Democratising security: Making professional monitoring affordable for communities, not just a luxury
- Job creation: Enabling remote monitoring positions that only require a phone or laptop
- Industry transparency: Tracking and publishing response time metrics to improve accountability among armed response companies
“With xneelo Cloud, we’re not just running a business, we’re building a safer South Africa,” says Delamaine.
Advice for other businesses
FirstAlert’s successful migration shows how the right infrastructure partner can transform not just operations, but also enable greater mission impact.
“I’d recommend xneelo Cloud for any business where reliability and responsive support are non-negotiable.”
Key considerations:
- Latency matters: Local hosting delivers measurable performance improvements
- Support availability: 24/7 local support, crucial for mission-critical applications
- Cost predictability: Transparent pricing eliminates billing surprises during growth phases
“The transparent pricing and local expertise make it perfect for South African companies scaling their operations.”
By migrating to xneelo Cloud, FirstAlert transformed from infrastructure constraints to scalable growth, enabling their vision of making South Africa safer through accessible, transparent security monitoring.
