Overview
Otter Storage Management is a leading operator of RV and self-storage facilities across the United States and Canada, managing a large and growing portfolio of sites, some with 24/7 access requirements.
With 44 sites and over 1,200 cameras, the organization faced a fundamental challenge: how to effectively monitor and secure a highly distributed environment without significantly increasing operational overhead. To address this, Otter Storage Management partnered with Dragonfruit AI to enable real-time, efficient monitoring and faster incident resolution at scale.
The Challenges
- High Risk, High Volume EnvironmentSelf-storage facilities are inherently vulnerable to: 1. Trespassing and break-ins 2. Unauthorized usage of storage units 3.Theft and property damage. These risks are compounded by 24/7 access and minimal on-site staffing.
- Monitoring at Scale Was Not FeasibleWith 1,200+ cameras across 44 sites, it was not practical for a single team to continuously monitor all video feeds. This led to 1. Delayed detection of incidents 2. Over-reliance on manual review 3. Inefficient use of operator time.
- Inefficient Use of Security ResourcesTraditional monitoring approaches required teams to either: 1. Watch multiple camera feeds simultaneously 2. Investigate incidents after they were reported. Both approaches created operational strain and increased labor costs without improving security outcomes.
- Time-Consuming InvestigationsIncident investigations required manual effort to: 1. Search through hours of footage 2. Compile evidence 3. Share findings with stakeholders. This slowed down response times and impacted overall efficiency.
The Dragonfruit Approach
AI-Powered Intrusion Detection at Scale
REAL-TIME ALERTS ACROSS 44 SITES
- Dragonfruit deployed its Intrusion Alarm solution across Otter Storage Management’s portfolio, enabling continuous monitoring of all sites.
- The system processes ~400 alerts per day on average, ensuring that relevant activity is surfaced in real time.
Efficiency-Driven Monitoring
FOCUS ONLY ON WHAT MATTERS
- Instead of attempting to monitor 1,200+ camera feeds, operators now review only those cameras where real activity is detected.
- This alert-driven model: 1. Eliminates the need for constant manual surveillance 2. Reduces noise from irrelevant footage 3. Enables teams to operate far more efficiently.
Reduced False Alarms, Higher Signal
ACTIONABLE ALERTS
- AI-driven filtering minimizes false alarms, ensuring that alerts represent meaningful activity, further improving operator productivity.
Faster Investigations
AI-ENHANCED INCIDENT MANAGEMENT
- Dragonfruit’s Cases app streamlined the investigation workflow by enabling teams to: 1. Instantly access relevant footage tied to alerts 2. Compile evidence within a single platform 3. Generate and share investigative reports directly. This significantly reduced the time and effort required to resolve incidents.
Delivering Success: Our Proven Impact
Significant Improvement in Operator Efficiency
By shifting to an alert-driven model, teams can now manage 1,200+ cameras and ~400 daily alerts without increasing headcount, focusing only on events that matter.
Faster Incident Resolution
Investigations that previously required manual effort and time-intensive searches are now completed significantly faster, with all relevant data centralized and easily accessible.
Optimized Labor Costs
With no need for continuous manual monitoring, Otter Storage Management was able to reduce operational strain and better allocate security resources, improving overall cost efficiency.
Enhanced Security Across All Sites
Real-time alerts ensure that incidents are detected as they happen, improving response times and reducing the likelihood of undetected activity.
Reduced Liability Exposure
With better detection, documentation, and reporting, Otter Storage Management strengthened its ability to mitigate: 1. Customer disputes 2. Injury claims 3. Security-related risksIn Their Words
“At our scale, monitoring every camera manually wasn’t sustainable. Dragonfruit's intrusion alarms filter out the noise and surface only what actually needs our attention. The efficiency gains have enabled us to expand our managed site portfolio without growing headcount — a critical part of our growth strategy. As we continue to scale, Dragonfruit gives us the confidence that our security operations can keep pace.”
Amanda Diefenthaler, Director of Facilities Infrastructure
Otter Storage Management