Security management - Round table discussions

As the security industry continues to evolve and come up with innovative technologies, it has also thrown open the doors for competition among manufacturers of security systems and products. Price wars are emerging in the physical security market, while manufacturers and integrators are looking for new ways to offer greater value and better service. It’s one thing to fight it out for a new customer, but nobody wants to lose an existing customer based on price, or any other factor for that...

Will 2016 see faster adoption of video analytics? Will cyber-security have more impact on physical security? Is the market likely to see greater use of cloud-based products and services? Will technology help to drive greater involvement by everyday citizens in public safety initiatives? Could the market focus shift from selling products to selling solutions?  We asked this week’s SourceSecurity.com Expert Panel to look ahead to 2016, and these were some of the surprises they see in o...

With more physical security systems using Internet protocol and being connected to the enterprise IT network, it’s not surprising that the corporate IT department is more involved than ever in the buying decision – for better or worse. Does the IT department bring valuable resources to the table, or are they an impediment to the sales and integration process? It’s not a new issue, but an increasingly important one as the industry changes. We asked this week’s Expert Panel...

An eruption of violence at a church in Charleston, S.C., this June has increased awareness of the potential for such incidents at our houses of worship. On June 17 at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in downtown Charleston, a 21-year-old attacker wielding a Glock 41 .45-caliber handgun took the lives of nine people. But it was far from the first security breach at a house of worship. In fact, since 1999, more than 500 people have died a violent death on church or faith-based prop...

Salesmen may face pressure to “seal the deal,” but might an overemphasis on the ABCs of selling (“always be closing”) actually work to the detriment of an unsuspecting customer coerced into buying too much (or the wrong) technology to meet his or her needs? Not likely, according to our Expert Panel, who this week address the topic of salesmanship in the security market. We asked: Can an end user trust a security salesman’s advice? Our responses are overwhelmingly in...

The crystal clear images provided by new 4K cameras have attracted a lot of attention at recent industry trade shows in the security market. But the improved video resolution comes at a price. The cameras are more expensive, and the systems to support them – more bandwidth, more storage – portend even more expense. There have been higher-resolution cameras on the market for years, of course, but an advantage of 4K security cameras is that they represent a standard that could be appli...

Rapid technology innovation in the physical security market comes with it a commensurate need to dispose of older systems as they are replaced. Some technologies can help minimise the waste, providing, for example, the ability to use existing coaxial cable with newer IP video systems. However, absent the ability to reuse equipment, how should integrators manage disposal of systems at end-of-life? Here are some responses from our Expert Panel.

Going back to the days when we asked our children to program our VCRs, many of us are challenged by the intricacies of technology. However, a benefit of newer inventions such as smartphones and tablets is that they are easier to use and “intuitive” – whatever that means. Security and video surveillance systems are becoming more complex in lockstep with consumer electronics, so we asked this week’s panellists: How does technology innovation in security systems impact the s...

Megapixel and panoramic camera manufacturers have been predicting the demise of pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ cameras) for several years now. They contend that PTZs can be replaced by the higher resolutions of newer cameras, coupled with their ability to “zoom” in digitally on a specific area of an image and show sufficient detail. New panoramic cameras also capture everything in a wider field of view, while a PTZ camera runs a risk of missing important action because it is pointed in the wrong...

Seeking to manage uncertainty is part of the core mission of security professionals. When it comes to the technology systems they depend on every day, extended service agreements are a tool to manage uncertainty as it applies to system operation. We asked our Expert Panel this week to comment on how extended service contracts benefit users, integrators and/or suppliers. Their answers effectively enumerate multiple benefits to all parties involved. Ongoing service and maintenance help to ensure c...

As we unpack our bags – literally and figuratively - from the recent ISC West in Las Vegas, it seems an appropriate time to reflect on the busy show. Specifically, it’s a good time to consider how the exhibition could be improved to be more valuable for attendees and/or exhibitors. We asked our panellists for their opinions, and we’re also interested in any other post-show commentary – please share in the comments section.

The U.S. physical security market will be focused on Las Vegas this week and the big ISC West trade show for 2015. But what should attendees expect when they get to Sin City? We asked our panelists for their insights into what will be making “big news” at this year’s show. Fortunately, the suspense is almost over!

Cybersecurity vulnerabilities of IP physical security systems have long been the industry’s “elephant in the room.” Perhaps as a function of salesmanship, the possibility of a cybersecurity attack on a physical security system has sometimes been downplayed or dismissed. However, video from hacked cameras streaming on the Internet cannot be ignored, nor can the possibility that an enterprise’s system could be hacked using back-door entry through an unprotected physical sec...

If we didn’t have manufacturers, integrators wouldn’t have anything to sell. But what is the role of manufacturing companies when it comes to taking those products to market? Effectively managing the sales channel – helping resellers be successful without somehow undermining their efforts or (heaven forbid!) selling direct to an end user – is an ongoing and delicate challenge for manufacturers. They want to do everything in their power to ensure success of their products...

“Buyer beware” is always good advice in the security marketplace – or in life for that matter. But the age-old warning is more timely than ever in our age of global commerce and given our fragmented market with thousands of products manufactured all over the world. Complicating the picture: our market is also inching toward commodisation and facing downward pricing that shrinks margins for manufacturers. So the question becomes: When is an item merely a good deal or somehow &ld...

The retired police officer who takes a cushy job as a security director is almost a cultural cliché. Like any cliché, the idea has roots in the real world, where police departments have often been a rich source of the security industry’s leadership talent. Former military personnel often find their way to the security industry, too, and realise that the familiar elements of discipline and command structure translate well. We wondered about the impact of this historic trend an...

The people element is a huge variable in the operation of any security system, and in any aspect of business for that matter. Training is a valuable tool to manage that variable, especially as it relates to newer, more complex networked physical security systems. Training can be a challenge throughout our market, which needs well-trained employees at the security front lines of our end users companies as well as competent, knowledgeable technicians handling installation and maintenance of securi...

We live in a global market, and goods can easily be manufactured anywhere in the world and then shipped anywhere else. For many years, companies have taken advantage of the consequent flexibility to save costs and increase profits by manufacturing products around the world, especially in low-cost areas such as China. Historically, goods made in China (and some other locales) have been characterised as somehow lower in quality, and yet many of the top companies (such as Apple, for example) have m...

This week brought a big surprise to the security and video surveillance market; specifically, the announcement of Canon’s plans to acquire iconic IP camera manufacturer Axis. But surprises happen all the time, especially in a dynamic, technology-driven market like physical security. Those who have been involved in this market for many years have often been surprised, for better or worse, at the various twists and turns over time. It’s part of what keeps life interesting! This week, w...

There’s a cloud hanging over the security market. Or rather, The Cloud is portending great change for our market (and other markets, too). But with all the talk about cloud-based systems, limitations still linger along the path to optimum implementation in the security market. We asked our panelists to reflect on those limitations and look ahead five years to how the situation is likely to change. From bandwidth and connectivity challenges, to geographic limitations and even a need to chan...

Video surveillance, or CCTV, is becoming increasingly common in cities and other public places all over the world. The benefits of video surveillance cameras to prevent crime and aid police investigations have been well documented, and there have been several high-profile cases in which video was instrumental in solving a crime. Still, whenever video surveillance is proposed in a public place, there can be opposition, based on privacy concerns, from various interest groups and the general public...

How do you stand out in a world of commoditisation? We live in a world of commoditised consumer goods. You probably own at least one item which would be considered "commoditised" by the majority of the population today, but you can probably also remember the days when it would have been described as "new" and "unique". Think about smart phones: most people you know are likely to own a smart phone. But remember when not everyone had a regular mobile phone? Now they're no...

There's no doubt that the security technology buying decision is a complex one. There are several factors to consider, and no one application will have the same exact needs as another.  This is generally where security consultants come in - to help out with the security buying process and help the end-user decide on the best technology to suit their specific needs. But more specifically, what is their exact role in the security technology buying decision? Let's take a l...

"Impact", "technology" and "trends" are three words often found together, not just in the security industry, but in any industry. And with talk about technological impact often comes talk of game changing developments. Tradeshows are a great place to get a feel of what different security industry professionals think about technological advances in the industry. While a particular new technology may be undoubtedly a popular topic of discussion at a given time, there is rarely ever a unanimous tr...